Well-being Trends to Look Out for This Year

A new year brings a renewed commitment to health and wellbeing for many of us. And to spice things up, there are plenty of new wellness trends to consider. Because although we know by now that looking after our bodies is vital for our mental health, every body is different. Following the exact same regime of well-being ideas doesn’t cut it for everyone, and we also change as we age and evolve. Finding the routines and practices that work can take some experimentation, so here are some ideas to explore.

Most of us love a good snack, but this trend has nothing to do with food. It’s about doing bite-sized movement practices throughout the day, instead of one extended workout. Movement snacking might look like taking regular breaks from work to do a brisk 10-minute walk, some stretching, a few jumping jacks, or a quick dance around the kitchen. Doing short bursts of physical exercise offers a release of endorphins and other feel-good hormones throughout the day, helping boost positivity and productivity, and also takes away the pressure around fitting in a long workout.

On to the real snacks, functional food is a massive trend in the wellness world. These are types of produce that have additional benefits for health and wellness beyond basic nutrition. Functional foods can include adaptogens that help manage the body’s stress response, brain-boosting plants and products, and mood-soothing properties like CBD (wherever it is currently legally approved for use, at least) and medicinal mushrooms.

The functional food trend is also taking hold in the drinks industry as more and more people are turning their focus to what they put in their bodies. Non-alcoholic beverages are gaining popularity in bars, restaurants, and at home as people prefer to hang out without the hangxiety, and often with added function – such as brainpower-boosting nootropic coffee and gut-health improving (and therefore mood-boosting) kombucha.

It sounds a bit simple, but nasal breathing might just be one of the most important health hacks you commit to this year. In his 2020 book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, James Nestor found that mouth breathing can contribute to all kinds of mental and physical health issues, including high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression. It can also wreak havoc on the quality of your sleep, which is the impetus behind the recent TikTok trend of mouth taping at night.

The coaching industry is one of the world’s fastest growing sectors, as millions of people seek out support in building a life that supports their well-being. There are multiple different ways to approach coaching, and if you’re seeking out a coach, it’s important to find one whose methods align with your own style of learning, growing, and communicating. Trauma-informed coaching, self-love coaching, or general well-being coaching are more holistic therapeutic approaches that help people establish a foundation of self-worth and security. Alternatively, if you can’t find, afford, or commit to one specific coach, using personal growth courses (such as those offered on Infijoy!) can be a great place to start or evolve in your journey. If you can do both - grow through your own initiatives and learnings, while also being supported by a coach for whatever area of your life you’re seeking support with - then the impact can be profound.

Eating heavier meals earlier in the day (rather than too close to your bedtime) is said to aid better quality sleep and digestion for some, but having dinner as early as 5pm is becoming a more popular routine. The trend is said to be driven by the rise in wearables, as people become more clued into their personal data and can track the impact of what and when they eat on their sleep and other metrics.

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All of the content on our website is thoroughly researched to ensure that the information shared is evidence-based. For more information, please visit the academic journals that influenced this article: Does The Proximity Of Meals To Bedtime Influence The Sleep Of Young Adults? A Cross-Sectional Survey Of University Students; The Health Benefits Of Nose Breathing; Formal, Nonformal And Informal Coach Learning: A Holistic Conceptualisation; Personal Growth Projects As A Means Of Self-Development In Youth.