How Has Covid-19 Changed the Very Definition of Wellness?
–The term ‘wellness’ has undergone quite a transformation, particularly since the mid-2010s. Once a mere synonym for other vague and indefinite health-related words and phrases, it became something of a state of being – a pursuit – rather than an all-purpose adjective.
The change is, of course, directly related to the rapid growth of the health and wellness industry as a separate entity from, say, the world of fitness, or beauty, or, in some ways, mainstream medicine – though there remains plenty of instances of overlap.
While the exact definition of ‘wellness’ as it pertains to the industry has remained a little open-ended, we understand that it encompasses a number of factors that impact both our emotional and physical health. The additional measures we take in order to care for ourselves each and every day – beyond what the doctor orders – are those that carry us toward ‘wellness’.
Of course, the significance it takes within our lives varies drastically from person to person – but, given the fact that the global wellness industry is now valued at well over $4 trillion, it is clear that it many of us ascribe a high level of importance to self-care beyond what the medical world can offer.
The past twelve months or so have, however, rocked our lives beyond comparison to any other year in living memory – particularly with regards to our physical and mental health. Not knowing how our bodies might react to Covid-19, were we to catch it, means that they feel stranger to us than ever before, and caring for our health as taken on a new import within our day to day lives.
So, how has this changed the wellness world? Read more below.
Weed: A Practical Solution to Mental Burnout
The utilisation of both medical marijuana and marijuana that has been sourced privately as a therapeutic treatment for a wide range of chronic and acute mental health conditions is not a new concept, but it is one whose significance has grown quantifiably since Covid-19 began to dominate daily life.
A report on the numerous studies pointing to widespread weed consumption increases during Covid-19 paints a picture not only of its rapidly increasing significance in the lives of users, but also historic non-users. Those who have, until recently, addressed issues such as anxiety and stress in other ways are, in greater numbers, turning to marijuana as an aid – likely due to the incredibly high volume of anecdotal support for the potential benefits it offers to mental health.
Supplements: Preparation for a Worst Case Scenario
Between July 2019 and 2020, the US saw an increase of more than 16% in dietary supplement sales. The story is the same for many other areas of the world; consumers – even those who had never put enough faith into dietary supplements to invest into them – saw them as a practical reassurance against the unknown.
That is, afterall, one of the most stressful aspects of this pandemic; the unsurety of how our bodies will react to this virus, even if we are fit and relatively young.
In that way, dietary supplements – particularly when they contain Vitamin D – allow us to feel as though we are safeguarding our bodies against the ever-present risk of infection. Like tidying the house in case guests drop by over the weekend, we are able to feel as though we are preparing ourselves for an eventuality over which we have no control.
Before Covid-19, wellness seemed to be a matter of striving towards a better state, both emotionally and physically. The wellness industry was thriving among a growing market for which a healthful, low-stress, holistic sense of oneself was a priority.
Now, wellness seems to be guided by other objectives. For one thing, many see now that eradicating those main stressors from our lives is less likely than ever before, and simply mitigating its impact on our day-to-day lives has become the benchmark to which many of us now strive, particularly as we wait for vaccination programmes to progress and make palpable difference within the news.
For another, our physical wellbeing is, in many ways, measured by our ability to avoid the doctor. Whether for Covid-19 or any other medical issue, ensuring that any illness that our bodies encounter can be managed within the home has taken on far more precedence than it had even twelve months ago.
At this point in time, we are edging closer toward the anniversary of Covid-19’s occupation within our lives, and it is no wonder that the wellness market has shifted its priorities noticeably in that short time.
