Enduring the COVID lockdown for several months, beginning in the spring of 2020, challenged the mental health of millions as the loss of social interactions took their toll. There is a proven, scientific direct link between staying socially connected and maintaining optimal health, so it’s no surprise there was a 25% increase in depression and anxiety as a result of the isolation.
If there were positives to be had from that challenging period of time, it was the realisation for many that good health behaviours and a sense of community should become a higher priority in life. This is reflected in how global spending has shifted to products and services that support that belief.
Though emerging from the pandemic has been a difficult journey for many industries, one industry that’s absolutely thriving in its wake is wellness. Now soaring with a global market that reached $5.6 trillion in late 2023, projections claim it could reach over 8 trillion in just 3 years time.
What exactly defines ‘Wellness?’ The categories cited in the statistics include:
- Nutrition (healthy foods, supplements)
- Real Estate (spaces specifically designed for promoting holistic well-being)
- Physical Activities (yoga, pilates, exercise classes, gym memberships)
- Medicines (traditional and alternative)
- Public Health (preventative programs, awareness campaigns, vaccines)
- Mental Health Tools (sleep aides, meditation, mindfulness activities)
- Personal Care (beauty, skincare)
- Tourism (retreats, workshops, volunteer projects)
- Spas (resort/hotel/stand-alone facilities)
- Workplace Programs (educational opportunities, trainings, rewards)
- Thermal/Mineral Springs (to aid in pain relief, vascular issues, mental health)
During this Mental Health Awareness Month, we thought it would be a good time to examine ways to cultivate positive lifestyle habits and share how taking action for ourselves can also help the greater good.
Spend Time in Nature
There have been many studies that prove our mental health is boosted by simply spending time in the great outdoors. Getting away from the pollution of a city (if applicable) and heading to a park, forest or beach can work wonders for one’s mood. For those who have access to a yard or community garden, the act of planting and growing flowers and food is also beneficial.
How you can also help the greater good: Combine your time outside with a litter or beach cleanup or share your garden bounty with a local food bank.
Curate Constructive Content
It’s very tempting to follow the click-bait and get sucked into sensational scandals or controversial, can’t-look-away clips that you know you shouldn’t be watching. But why burn bad images into your brain when there is so much good content to absorb instead? Start making a conscious effort to mute or unfollow social accounts or programs that disturb your peace and trade them in for healthier, happier alternatives.
How you can also help the greater good: When you discover a content creator who shares meaningful messages, share it with your network. The more people who enjoy the creator’s material and support them, the more likely they are to keep putting out positive content.
Maintain a Healthy Work/Life Balance
Being a workaholic is no longer in fashion. Though the previous decades have suggested the contrary, the new era is yielding a life in favour of … well, having a life, outside the workplace. From productivity increasing at companies that tested a 4-day workweek, to the adoption of remote work creating happier employees, it seems to be better for everyone if a bit of rest happens between our assignments, and boundaries are set and respected.
How you can also help the greater good: If you work remotely, you help the environment by not using a vehicle or public transportation, which reduces pollution. If you have a 4-day workweek, you can spend your bonus day building community or cultivating stronger relationships with family and friends, which in turn benefits others’ mental health as well.
Recognise Food as Fuel
You would not pour garbage into your gas tank, so why would you consume it? Our bodies are designed to help us pursue the lives we want, so long as we treat them well. To prepare and eat meals using fresh, unprocessed foods can do everything from lower our blood pressure to improve our cognitive function. To be conscious of what is in our food supply is half the battle—with rampant microplastics pollution and poor soil quality from harmful farming practises and copper mining. Try to buy organic foods when possible, and always read the labels to watch for toxic ingredients.
How you can also help the greater good: When you support regenerative farms, buy local and vote for lawmakers who care about food quality, your entire community will benefit.
Take a Moment
Seriously, just breathe. When we slow down and refuse to let the chaos of life consume us, we’re establishing a healthy habit that we can replicate at any time to lower our stress. Whether you prefer to sit with a cup of tea and read a book, meditate, take a bath or perform a low-impact exercise such as yoga, your mind will be stronger for it and your mood will likely improve.
How you can also help the greater good: Encourage those around you to do the same, whether you share the time together or apart.
Recommended Resources
Though everyone uses their own methods to strengthen their mental health, we thought it may be helpful to provide some suggestions that relate to the categories we mentioned above:
Nature
Thrive will teach you how to garden.
All Trails will help you find a hike at your skill level in 150 countries across the world.
Ocean Conservancy will direct you to a beach clean-up to participate in or give guidance about how to start your own.
Content
On The Road with Steve Hartman on CBS features stories about real people that just may restore your faith in humanity.
The Resilient Blog offers affirmations, quotes and articles to promote happiness and calm.
@portraitgeek shares glimpses into the lives of the strangers he photographs in a heartwarming way.
McCann’s Coffee Shop is on a mission to fight homelessness, hunger and loneliness; the owner shares beautiful updates from the shop via his @mealswithmax account on Instagram.
Work/Life Balance
Mental Health America offers tips on how to succeed both at work and at home, while you enforce a healthy balance.
Work Life Balance Centre provides a wealth of articles to encourage a more healthy lifestyle.
The Muse shares a list of apps that help workers avoid burnout.
Nutrition
Yuka is an app that allows you to scan barcodes for food and beauty products to see their level of toxins.
Regeneration International offers a map of regenerative farms and other tools to help learn about the sources of your food.
BBC Good Food shares 20 recipes using ingredients that can boost your mood.
A Moment
The Lumenate App invites listeners to experience Meditation Mixes, complete with light sequences, of Dad’s song ‘Mind Games,’ free of charge when you scan the QR code linked above.
Heart of Breath Life hosts free breathwork classes each Tuesday via Zoom, which are led by our TWFF Global Ambassador, Kim Kindersley.
Pilates Live offers free pilates classes online.
However you choose to regulate your nervous system, remember that your mental health is just as important as your physical health and to always Prioritise Your Peace … 🙏
“Pastel” (2019) by Julian Lennon is available for purchase at Artsy.
Our wellness products in the TWFF shop include yoga mats, herbal tea and journals.
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Excellent article and very comprehensive with great holistic suggestions and resources.Thank You for the emphasis on natural wellness options including communing with nature.. .
Excellent comment Richard and let’s not forget to mention the power of animals in green spaces such as in parks etc because the power that all animals have to teach us through their characteristics, their behaviour, and the wealth of cultural and mythological stories that reveal our amazing interconnection with these amazing creatures since ancient times-i am a visual artist and forever inspired by nature and always practise gratitude by recognising the beauty that is all around us. “Being human has always meant perceiving ourselves in a circle of animals” -Paul Shepard