The Definition of Wellness is Changing

According to The Mindbody Wellness Index, one of the seven major wellness trends of 2022 is mental wellness. Just as essential and relevant as physical wellness, mental wellness encompasses people’s emotional health.?

Emotional health encompasses the “ability to acknowledge and properly express feelings, including validating and managing emotions constructively.” With COVID-19 and nearly two years of pandemic living, the ways people meet mental wellness are changing.?

Discovering ways to boost emotional health through digital and tangible physical opportunities is essential. This is especially true during the winter when numerous people experience Seasonal Affective Disorder. There are tools and resources available to combat negative emotional health that works in conjunction with the changes wrought by the pandemic.?

Mental Wellness

Wellness has taken on new dimensions over the past year, with mental wellness having been deemed just as important as physical wellness, among other categories. It’s estimated that at least a third of Americans have had times of high emotional stress and turmoil through the COVID-19 pandemic, making mental wellness a priority.?

Mental wellness places an emphasis on people’s emotional health, ensuring they have the tools they need to deal with their feelings in an appropriate manner. As one of the seven wellness trends for 2022, mental wellness has begun to lose the stigma it once carried, as it is acknowledged as an essential component of one’s overall health.?

Through the use of mental wellness tools in everyday life, people can learn to work through their emotional stressors in a healthy way. Even those who deal with Seasonal Affective Disorder can find mental peace and health during times when they are impacted the most.?

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Along with COVID-19, the change in seasons is one huge aspect affecting the mental wellness of many people. Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD, is a type of depression that occurs when one’s mood changes along with the seasons, causing them to feel sad and down, often during the fall and winter months.?

People with SAD tend to have many of the symptoms of depression, such as a loss of interest in favorite hobbies, a change in weight or appetite, low energy, and trouble sleeping or oversleeping. The condition can affect their daily life and abilities for about 4-5 months of the year.?

Encouraging Mental Wellness

Utilizing mental wellness tools can help those who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder and those who have been experiencing emotional distress throughout the pandemic. Through intentional digital and real-life opportunities, people can focus on their mental and emotional health.??

Take a look at how these three businesses are helping with the trend in mental wellness:?

Coa

With a mission of making mental health resources fun and accessible to all, the start-up Coa is a mental health gym. The gym offers classes led by therapists to help strengthen the emotions of their clients.?

The basic concept of Coa is similar to an exercise gym; members can choose one class, sign up for a series of classes, or choose to work one-on-one with a therapist for some intensive mind training.?

Classes at Coa focus on teaching seven emotional traits needed for emotional health. Each class has a framework taught by the therapist, leading to breakout rooms where people can share and discuss their thoughts and struggles based on the topic.?

Coa was designed to feel safe, supportive, and comfortable so that people can heal and grow without walls.?

Chill Anywhere

COVID-19 spurred on the need for digital resources. Chill Anywhere is a mobile meditation platform created by Chill, a Chicago-based meditation studio. The platform was Chill’s answer to an increasingly digital society, providing businesses with a tool for encouraging mindfulness and meditation in their organization.?

The platform offers guided and customizable meditation videos that help the participants with their mental wellbeing, both in the workplace and in their personal life. There are live-streamed videos, on-demand videos, quick, 10-minute mindfulness sessions, and there is an analytics dashboard that tracks mood changes and monitors progress.?

Liberate

Liberate is a virtual mental gym, offering online classes to strengthen the emotional and mental wellness of participants. The studio is based online, helping people from around the globe as they navigate the stress of life and work during a pandemic.?

There are classes for individuals that are self-guided, encouraging participants to build confidence and thrive while focusing on one specific goal. Corporate classes are for organizations looking to boost their team’s wellbeing. These classes are customized for each business, focusing on the organization’s goals and values.?

Liberate also offers live-streamed community classes and an on-demand library full of classes, workshops, and Liberate meditations.?

Wellness is Changing - Should Your Studio be Changing Too?

With the ever-changing landscape and definition of wellness, it may be time to consider some changes to your own studio in order to keep up with the evolving needs of your client base. Here at B.Well, we can not only help you determine what those changes may need to be, but we can help you develop plans and strategies for implementing them as well. Learn more here!?