Mental Health

Caring for our mental health is just as important as looking after ourselves physically and as we see more high profile celebrities openly speak about their personal experience with mental health we are seeing the conversation become less stigmatised. 2020 brought record rates of anxiety and depression, largely within Millennials and Generation Z, who have suffered from loss of learning, losing their jobs and missing out on visiting friends and family. So it is no surprise to see the wellness industry, which is currently valued at around $4.5 trillion is continuing to grow, but that growth hasn’t come without some changes.

The challenges of the last year have led many to look to brands for support in navigating the global pandemic by providing comfort, solutions and an escape. Elements like ‘virtual wellness’ are proving to be a major trend for 2021, lots of digital programs have become very popular since the pandemic and we can expect them to continue. Fitness classes have seen a huge increase online with fitness equipment sales increasing by 170%. By being able to provide these services virtually means they are available to everyone which is a huge advantage to areas where specific courses are unavailable.

Another term you will be hearing more about is ‘radical self-care’ defined as "the assertion that you have the responsibility to take care of yourself first before attempting to take care of others." by The University of Indiana. Everyone’s self-care routine will be different but ultimately it means to do whatever is necessary to protect you and your mental health. We will probably see an increase in spiritual practices as people look towards activities such as meditation and manifestation.

A huge part of self-care, especially for women is skincare. Being at home has changed how we priorities spending our money, clothes and makeup have taken a back seat and at-home skincare has taken over. Many have been playing around with their routine figuring out what works best but all these trends and products have meant lots have been left confused or with too many products to handle, so as we enter 2021 we will see smaller more consistent routines form which save our money and our shelf space.

Looking away from products and services brands can provide to improve our mental health, there are lots of more individual activities we will see increasing. After a year of some feeling like they have been able to achieve very little goal setting will be popular more importantly flexible goals. If 2020 proved anything it is that life is very unpredictable and whilst goals are important, its essential that we understand that some stuff is out of our control and to not be too hard on ourselves if we don’t succeed within the time frame we set on ourselves.

useful links

For anyone looking for support for their mental health please see the below links.

Anxiety Uk - www.anxietyuk.org.uk

Calm - www.thecalmzone.net

Men’s Health Forum - www.menshealthforum.org.uk

Mind - www.mind.org.uk

Samaritans - www.samaritans.org

YoungMinds - www.youngminds.org.uk