If you’ve spent any time on the wellness side of the internet, you’ve likely been met with a plethora of fitness fads and health trends. From cracking the circadian cycle to immersing yourself in an emotional escape room, brush up on your wellness vernacular with these techniques and innovations to put on your radar for the year ahead.
One: Soft Living
TikTok is rife with wellness trends, and the start of the year is when they really flourish. From the space that gave you #hotgirlwalk and #pilatesprincess, get ready for #softlife. Coined by Black female influencers, it’s about slowing down and doing less. As Lady Stargazer puts it, “Healing seems to be the key to unlocking a soft lifestyle. It allows us to be gentle with ourselves and others, and allows us to recharge so we can breathe it into our friends, families, hobbies and passions.” It’s about saying no to over-committing yourself, taking some time for self-care and prioritising rest and relaxation. Are you ready to enter your soft era?
Two: Circadian Cycle
Imagine waking every single morning without the cement-eyed struggle or hitting snooze 12 times. It’s possible but it requires resetting your circadian rhythm. This naturally occurring internal process regulates cycles of alertness and sleepiness. It can be regulated with a few simple life changes: avoid artificial light exposure before bed, go outside when the sun’s out, limit caffeine and alcohol intake, get enough exercise, and most importantly follow a consistent sleep schedule in the morning and at night. Given that sleep plays an essential role in our overall wellbeing, the positives outweigh the absence of your Sunday morning sleep-ins.
Three: At-home Day Spas
It started in lockdown and it’s here to stay. With at-home DIY spa treatments on the rise – think new-tech hair removal, LED masks, micro-needling, dermaplaning and hot and cold facials – self-care has levelled up. Whether it’s been a long week at work and you’re not in the mood to leave the house, or you need a little upkeep between day-spa appointments, 2023 will see a rise in advanced at-home face and body treatments previously available only in salon. If you’re a beauty aficionado, this trend is for you.
Four: Inside-Out Skin Care
In 2022, the quest for dewy skin – sans the help of makeup – took the beauty world by storm. Beyond the vitamins and supplements, we started to up our skincare and inner-health game with the tasty addition of smoothies. Kicking off the revived trend was model Hailey Bieber’s $US17 Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie in collaboration with Erewhon Market in Los Angeles, which scored over 11 million views on TikTok. Combinations of super greens, antioxidant-rich berries and additions like sea moss and collagen supplements result in a treat that’s as good for your complexion as it is delicious. Because relying solely on skincare for your beauty routine is so 2021.
Five: Financial Wellness
Financial wellness is all about having a well-rounded sense of economic security and feeling good about your funds in the present and the future. Considered as important as our mental and physical wellbeing, taking care of your financial wellness starts with ensuring you have enough money to meet your needs and expenses. If you’re not sure where to start, the first
step to improve your financial wellbeing is to know where your money goes. For one month, set a goal of tracking your expenses, be it using a financial diary, checking your bank regularly or downloading a financial app. Once you’ve got a solid idea of where your money is going, identify areas where you can cut back on your spending.
Six: Lymphatic Massages
If there’s one thing the wellness world is obsessed with, it’s detoxing. As we’ve become attached to our gua shas and other tools designed to de-puff the face, we’re now taking our obsession down a little further, to the stomach. Lymphatic massages stimulate the natural drainage of the lymph, which helps to eliminate waste from the body and fortuitously results in a slimmer, de-bloated waistline. Thanks to social media, it’s a treatment that’s becoming more mainstream, but it can also be done at home with the right technique, tools and commitment to a lower-sodium diet.
Seven: Upward Spiral
The biggest downside of returning to a more normal way of life since the pandemic is that many of us have experienced stress and burnout. When we are emotionally exhausted, our natural response to this negative state is to trigger a downward spiral, whereas what we really require is a mechanism to catapult us upwards. Instead of allowing self-destructive thoughts to dictate our mood, we need to kickstart a more rewarding positive feedback loop. Welcome to the upward spiral. To create the momentum for this, simply start with small moments that bring you joy. And then build from there.
Eight: Karezza Method
Sexologists are increasingly praising this practice for its sexual wellness benefits. Focusing on sensual pleasure through touching, stroking, fondling and gazing, the karezza method isn’t guided by the goal of the big O, but rather the pleasure journey itself. Derived from the Italian word for caress, the method is designed to deepen the sexual and emotional connection between you and your partner. According to marriage and family therapist Rachel Wright, “It’s about being mindful, it’s about optimising the sexual experience, it’s about diminishing the importance of orgasm and it’s also about embracing the individuals involved.”
Nine: Emotional Escape Rooms
Coined on Pinterest, the term refers to designated self-care zones converted from spare rooms, transforming them into meditation spaces, music dens, mini libraries or spas. But it’s not just for sun salutations. Searches on Pinterest for “rage rooms” (where people can vent their anger by smashing objects) are on the up. For those who don’t have a spare room to convert, you can get the endorphins going with little changes to your environment, such as adding sprigs of eucalyptus to your shower, switching out overhead lights for lamps and candles, and choosing soothing colour palettes for your home.
Ten: Workplace Wellness
A survey from the US reveals that nearly half of all employees say their wellbeing declined in 2022. “More than ever, employers view supporting the mental wellbeing of their employees as a top priority – especially since burnout is one of the top reasons employees leave their job,” the Gympass survey found. In an age defined by “quiet quitting” and a more flexible work/life balance, workplace wellness is less about awareness and more about action. This includes boundary setting by restricting out-of-hours contact, taking a proper lunch break and perhaps using a walking pad (a compact treadmill) to improve posture, back pain and circulation.
This article originally appeared in the February issue of maire claire Australia.
