How Wellness Has Changed In 2022
On the eve of this year’s Global Wellness Day, I find myself reflecting on what wellness means to me and how it has changed over the past few years. Wellness is a now word most of us say or hear, every single day. It wasn’t always this way. A great deal has changed on our outlook of what defines health and wellness the past few years.
In 1979, Dan Rather did a 60 Minutes on the topic, stating “Wellness, there’s a word you don’t hear every day.” A great deal has changed since then, as globally the wellness market has experienced exponential growth. The global wellness economy was valued at $4.4 trillion in 2020 and is projected a 9.9% average annual growth, with the wellness economy reaching nearly $7.0 trillion in 2025. (1)
Statistics from the Global Wellness Institute.
This dramatic growth is not surprising as globally, consumers are now taking health into their own hands. Prioritizing physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health is no longer considered taboo but absolutely necessary and commended. It has been reported that 48.2% of Americans say they’ve increased their prioritization of wellness over the past two to three years. (2)
What exactly is “wellness” anyway?
The World Health Organization defines wellness as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absences of disease or infirmity". (3)
Wellness is not a trend, but a daily integration into our lives. It has become a movement to inspire others to take better care of themselves. In fact, we have a whole day dedicated to this purpose on every second Saturday of June: Global Wellness Day!
Global Wellness Day is an entirely not-for-profit day, a social project dedicated to living well. The purpose of Global Wellness Day is to ask the question, even if for just one day, “How can I live a healthier and better life?”, to direct the thoughts of both individuals and society towards “living well” and to raise awareness.
The main aims of the day are:
To recognize the value of our lives
To pause and think, even if for just one day of the year
To be free from the stress of everyday city life and bad habits
To make peace with ourselves
To raise awareness about living well and increase motivation, not just for today, but for the remaining 364 days of the year
During the pandemic, most people reevaluated multiple areas of their lives. Staying healthy has become a top priority for many. Wellness is no longer limited to physical fitness. Now, there are countless ways to practice self-care to benefit our overall well-being. From meditation to pet-friendly classes, to online breathing exercises, to journaling workshops and other creative outlets, to social outing apps, and immune-supporting services, the list is never ending and constantly evolving. And word is spreading. If you do a quick search for #wellness on Instagram it brings up over 58 million posts. Wellness isn’t going anywhere.
How has wellness changed in 2022?
1) We are focusing on health from the inside out.
People are now thinking about health more holistically. We are beginning to recognize that the body isn’t a single entity. It is a product of bodily systems working together. Always. No system within the body ever works alone. No system works in isolation. They all impact each other at all times.
There are so many examples of this:
What we eat impacts our gut microbiome, which impacts our moods and our immune system.
How we manage stress impacts our gut, our sleep, pain responses, our hormones, our immune system, our heart health, our skin.
Lack of time outdoors impacts our circadian rhythm, our moods, our hormones.
Hormones off? Hello skin flare-ups, sleep problems, unbalanced moods.
Seasonal allergies? Fatigue, skin flare-ups, respiratory congestion, gut problems.
Not sleeping? Increased pain, heightened stress responses, fatigue, immune system weakened, anxiousness increased, changes in hormone regulation, fertility and metabolism.
No system works in isolation and the health of the person depends on the health of all systems that interact in the body. Taking care of yourself with adequate sleep, nutrient dense food, hydration, stress management, time outdoors all play a role TOGETHER. Holistic health is truly taking care of the physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being.
Health is not something that happens overnight.
It is a series of choices we make day by day.
2) The world has opened their eyes to what is really healthy. (Although we still have a LONG way to go).
We are beginning to realize that not everything is as it seems. 36% of consumers say they would choose more natural skincare products over more effective ones. (4) We can’t trust the front labels on products anymore. Retailers are looking for ways to cut corners and “green washing” is more apparent than ever before. Research studies on potential harmful products and foods are now public knowledge. On the opposite front, research on natural ways to help strengthen and restore homeostasis within the body are increasing. The modern-day research on self-healing and the mind body connection is exploding. I cannot wait to see what the next decade brings.
3) Mental wellness is a top priority.
Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. (5) More than half of Americans report that the pandemic has negatively affected their mental wellbeing. With the change in routine and feeling a loss of sense of control, it is no surprise that the past few years have caused additional mental and emotional stress. This year, people are focusing on their mental health globally.
My theme this year is “letting things go that are not serving me”. That has meant being intentional about my mental wellbeing and evaluating what brings me joy, and what brings me stress. This is the foundation of self-care.
Self care is paying ongoing attention to the physical, mental and emotional needs of the body while deliberately taking care of your wellbeing through restorative activities.
5 ways to implement true self care in daily lives
Physical Self Care
Focus on assessing how you feel physically within your body each day. If you are tired, go to bed a little earlier tonight. Focus on eating nutrient dense foods and hydrating with enough water during the day. Aim to move your body at least 10 minutes every single day. This doesn’t have to be an extensive high intensity workout but even dancing to a few songs or playing tag with your kids. Check in with your breathing. We often sigh when we are frustrated, tired or sad and tend to take short, shallow breaths or hold breath when anxious. Do a simple 1-minute breathing exercise several times a day: Breathing in through nose slowly while counting to 4, holding for 3 and exhaling though mouth counting to 5.
Social Self Care
Get to know yourself. Are you an introvert? Extrovert? Ambivert? Recognize how you recharge best and plan your week accordingly. If you are an introvert, schedule in some downtime alone. Extrovert? Plan a fun night with friends. Social self-care also means setting boundaries. This may mean unplugging from your phone a day or few hours on the weekend.
Mental Self Care
Sometimes we lose ourselves in the roles we play in life. Actively engage in hobbies, art, reading books, listening to music, whatever fills your cup. Not sure what your hobbies are anymore? Think about what excites you and what you look forward to. Ask yourself what do you not look forward to?
Another way to engage in mental self-care is to give our brains a break. It is estimated we have between 20,000-50,000 thoughts A DAY! Take 10 minutes of stillness during the day. No noises. No phones. Go for a mindful walk just listening to nature or participate in a mindful meditation using an app. I love the headspace app for this! New to meditation? Here’s my favorite tips and tricks!
Spiritual Self Care
Embrace your spirit through religion, gratitude journaling, and/or time in nature. Time is nature is one of my favorite ways to practice spiritual self care. The Environmental Protection Act released research in July 2021 that stated that people spend 90% of their time indoors. (6) Can you imagine spending 90% of your lifetime indoors? Time outdoors has been shown to improve mood, decrease stress and improve cognitive function.
Emotional Self Care
The above 4 categories really flow into our emotional self care. If we are doing all the other forms of self care, our emotional wellbeing improves. If we are not, it really suffers. One of the best ways to engage in emotional self care is to check with ourselves and our emotions regularly. Ask yourself, “How am I feeling right now?” From there determine what you need. I love the quote from the psychologist Ashleigh Warner who states “Behind every behavior, is an emotion and behind every emotion, is a need.” What do you need right now?
Self-care is a conscious choice to constructively compact stressors in your daily life, it is not a method to avoid problems or distract you from your stressors.
Enjoy this Global Wellness Day and recognize the value within your life. Reevaluate your current wellness regimen and make a plan for areas you seek to improve. Wellness is constantly evolving and never ending. We are all seeking ways to improve every day. What a gift that is.
If you want some easy ideas you can do every day, check out my blog article, “25 Simple Health Tips for Your Daily Life.”
References:
Global Wellness Institute. “Wellness Industry Statistics and Facts.” Accessed June 9, 2022.
Zippia. “Health and Wellness Industry Statistics 2022.” Accessed June 9, 2022.
World Health Organization. “Health and Well Being.” Accessed June 9, 2022.
Zippia. “Health and Wellness Industry Statistics 2022.” Accessed June 9, 2022.
World Health Organization. “Depression.” Accessed June 9, 2022.
Environmental Protection Act. “Indoor Air Quality.” Accessed June 9, 2022.
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