ARE YOU SUFFERING ‘WELLBEING OVERWHELM?’

By Emma Hogan

The ongoing pressure to improve our wellbeing could do us more harm than
good. Are you at risk?

We’re more obsessed with our wellbeing than ever before. A global survey of over 16,000 individuals
from 15 countries has revealed 89 percent of people are dedicating more attention to nurturing their
wellbeing than they were a year ago.

Good news, right? Surely more time focusing on wellness will lead to a boost in physical and mental
health across the board.

Unfortunately not. It seems fixating on wellness might actually be making us less well.

A whopping 60 percent of survey participants said they were consumed with societal pressures to
appear well. And the younger they were, the more likely they felt the load – 76 percent of Gen Z and
71 percent of Millennials were worried about wellness expectations. Almost half reported feeling
‘wellbeing burnout’, which means they’d reached a state of physical, mental, or social exhaustion
caused by excessive and prolonged stress. When wellbeing burnout kicks in, people start feeling
overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to keep up. It can go hand-in-hand with a sense of
reduced accomplishment and purpose. Interestingly, the United States, Canada, Australia, New
Zealand and Malaysia have been picked as the peak wellbeing burnout zones.

“Feelings of wellbeing have not increased in four years.”

Adding to the alarm is the fact that, despite the increased focus on wellbeing, it isn’t actually making
much difference. Overall feelings of wellbeing have not increased in four years (according to global
wellbeing scores). This highlights how the more pressure there is to feel well, the harder it is to be well.

“The more pressure there is to feel well, the harder it is to be well.”

And to top it off, people are confused. In recent years we’ve been inundated with an influx of
wellbeing quick fixes and innovations – everything from biohacking and ice plunges to sound bathing,
earthing and psychedelic-assisted therapy. As a result, we’re feeling more overwhelmed than ever,
with conflicting information about the best ways to improve our mental, emotional and physical
wellness.

So what’s best? Perhaps it’s time to stop chasing the latest wellbeing trends and instead choose the
tried and true methods for improved holistic health.

3 SIMPLE WELL-ESTABLISHED WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR WELLBEING

Move your body
Physical activity is a powerful way to dial up your mental wellbeing. When you move your body, it
releases chemicals in your brain which boost your mental health and emotional wellbeing, contributing
to lower rates of mental illness. Any type of exercise can improve your life, but activities like yoga and
Pilates can be particularly valuable. Yoga is a well-regarded way to improve sleep, boost positive
feelings, and enhance recovery from mental, as well as physical stress. Pilates is also a calming and
restorative activity.

"During Pilates, you're focusing on the movement and the breath, so you have to let go of everything
else. It's time away from your daily stresses and that's what leaves you feeling calm," says Dr. Gillian
Hatfield, who explains the benefits of movement with controlled breathwork.

Move with others
While any exercise is good for you, group training is a particularly potent wellbeing elixir. People
feel a sense of belonging when they work out with other people and report 21 percent higher
wellbeing. When Dr. Dayna Yorks from the University of New England College of Osteopathic
Medicine conducted a 12-week study involving regular LES MILLS CORE™ group workouts, she found
those who worked out with others scored significantly higher in terms of stress reduction and physical,
mental, and emotional quality of life compared to those people who worked out alone. Find out more
about the power of group workouts.

Rest well
Sleep is the only time when we put our bodies in full psychological, physiological and physical
recovery mode. Sleep scientist, Dr. Meeta Singh explains that sleep stimulates the recovery we need at
a cellular level. “During sleep, the brain gets cleansed of waste material – akin to being power
washed. Similarly, while the body is at rest, restorative functions and energy storage take place." A
consistent sleep habit – where you go to bed at the same time and allow yourself to wake naturally –
will lead to between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. A healthy sleep pattern like this is vital for
good brain health and lower risk factors for diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Learn more about the
importance of sleep and wellbeing.


This piece originally appeared at lesmills.com/uk/fit-planet/health/wellbeing-overwhelm/