Our sense of wellbeing & the wellness economy has kickstarted a change revolution in the way we consume, relate to each other, work, and live, says Soniyaa Kiran Punjabi.
There’s been a slow and steady change underway through the past decade that has gained tremendous momentum in 2021. You wouldn’t have missed it. Green smoothie concoctions and bullet coffee recipes being pushed by your favorite celebrity on Instagram. Exotic wellness vacations and thrifty Yoga staycations. Smudging office spaces and Marie Kondo-ing your closets. Crystal healing your pets and your house plants. Meatless Mondays, Wellness Wednesdays, and Spiritual Saturdays.
We are talking about the wellness movement that has snowballed into a $ 4.9 trillion wellness economy.
Meditation, manifestation, and mindfulness are no longer seen as woo-woo topics, but rather strong wellbeing practices to improve our productivity at work, in relationships, as well as in life. According to the Global Wellness Institute Report 2020, the $2.9 billion meditation and mindfulness business that includes breathwork, apps, fitness wearables, and journals is growing rapidly. This is great news because meditation and mindfulness have been shown to help boost productivity at work, reduce stress levels, enhance attention power, improve the quality of sleep, among other health benefits. For instance, a meta-analysis of clinical trial studies involving 3,500 people conducted by The Johns Hopkins University showed that meditation could actually help reduce body aches and pains.
Wellness: The Key to A Happy, Fulfilling Life
But what exactly is the psychology of wellness? Does it only mean eating right, exercising, perhaps some yoga, and meditating? Is it just about seeking happiness? Or is there more to it?
We can continue to do all the right activities and yet feel like something is not right, like something is missing in our lives. A sense of wellbeing covers all the different dimensions of our life – the physical, emotional, and intangible. Some may call this the spiritual or the divine aspect of us, others may prefer to label it as our energy.
Dr. Candance Pert, Ph.D., who was a significant contributor to the emergence of Mind-Body Medicine in the 1980s, believed that our thoughts and emotions had a profound effect on every system in the body and could even treat and heal. She famously said, “Most psychologists treat the mind as disembodied, a phenomenon with little or no connection to the physical body. Conversely, physicians treat the body with no regard to the mind or the emotions. But the body and mind are not separate, and we cannot treat one without the other.”
Science continues to discover the deep and inexplicable links between our physical health, emotions, and thoughts. And research shows that people with higher psychological well-being are more likely to live healthier and longer lives, and less likely to engage in criminal activities.
Today, the wellness economy comprises not just doctors, but alternative healers, therapists, self-help coaches, acupuncturists, sleep experts, naturopathy doctors, Reiki Masters, licenses herbalists, and shamans.
Alternative medicine and natural plant-based diets have been embraced by the famous, making them acceptable in the mainstream arena. Tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams announced their plans to go vegan, and so did Katy Perry and former US president Bill Clinton. Supermodel Elle Macpherson, Madonna, and Olivia Newton-John have all talked about how acupuncture has helped them improve their health. And actress Gwyneth Paltrow has grown her homespun wellness & beauty weekly newsletter Goop into a $250 million company. The list can go on.
How Can You Amp Up Your Psychological Well-Being?
If you are looking to improve your well-being factor, let’s look at it from the point of what psychologists have said till now. There are two ways to look at the psychology of well-being – the ‘Hedonistic’ and the lesser-known term ‘Eudaimonic’.
Hedonistic wellbeing normally refers to subjective feelings of happiness. People who have a positive affect, or a higher bias towards experiencing joy, interest, and focus of activities, usually experience happiness and wellbeing more easily than others. They find contentment easily and are satisfied with their life.
Eudaimonic wellbeing was explained by psychologist Carol Ryff in a model with 6 pointers. This included:
- Self-acceptance
- Environmental mastery or managing everyday affairs
- Positive relationships
- Personal growth
- Purpose in Life
- Autonomy or independence from social factors
Embracing gratitude, fostering happy relationships, recalling happy moments in your life, being kind, following your passion, and surrendering to the bigness of life are ways of being able to work optimally day-to-day and improving your well-being factor. If this seems overwhelming, it is better to start small and try practicing one or two life skills to improve your overall wellness. You will notice the shifts in your life and in all aspects of your health – emotional, physical, energetic, and spiritual!
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