As the new year is upon us, we look towards what’s new in wellness, and wellness trends for 2022 that may gain more focus this year.
Check out our 17 wellness trends for 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic fueled a wellness revolution, where we have changed our understandings of wellbeing, discovering unique approaches in the absence of our normal practices. Additionally, while stuck at home, we were granted the opportunity to reflect on what was important to us, labeling 2022 as the year of “self”. Here are a few wellness trends for 2022 that may gain more focus this year.
GUA SHA & FACE YOGA
Using massage therapy and exercises that stimulate the muscles, skin, and lymphatic system, Face Yoga is a technique designed to soften and relax your face muscles to help alleviate tension and stress. Exercises in face yoga may improve the appearance of your face, release tension, reduce stress lines, strengthen, and tone facial muscles, increase circulation and blood flood, and smooth out wrinkles – all contributing to your facial appearance. Gua Sha stones are used to complement Face Yoga as a tool used to relieve tension, sculpt skin, and increase circulation. Philosophia Botanica‘s and FaceGym’s lineup of Gua Sha is made for people with all kinds of skincare needs, featuring stones that mend stress and tension, allowing for cheek sculpting, or for a pure face, regenerating your skin to its purest self. Perfect for fighting acne scars, reducing puffiness and dark spots, while promoting lymphatic drainage are natural to the precious stone as its natural minerals sink into the skin.
ADAPTOGENS
Adaptogens are plant-based substances that provide the stabilization of physical, chemical, or biological physiological processes such as stress. There are over 70 types of herbal plants and mushrooms that have been used in traditional Eastern medicine for centuries: reishi, ginseng, tulsi, schisandra or ashwagandha for example. These substances are unique because they adapt to the needs of the user, hence the name. Ashwagandha could help you decompress at the end of the day, or for one who might need more energy, it could deliver a boost mental performance while also reducing stress. Said to stimulate your body and help its systems return to a balanced state of homeostasis, adaptogens are sure to have a growing presence in the next year as we rediscover ways of wellness. Because we’re living in such anxious times, adaptogens may also help increase quality of life, improve longevity, and protect neurological health. Moving into 2022, adaptogens take the lead through the continued revival of plant medicine.
IMMUNE HEALTH
In this coming year, most likely we will see continued growth and emphasis on Immune Health as we stay weary of contaminants and antigens. Immune health is highly connected to dietary health. Eating healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, low-fat dairy foods, nutritional yeasts, probiotics, and active ingredients that provide our body’s key nutrients and effective solutions for health support, daily nutrition, and beauty. Manage any possible health concerns through actively adjusting your diet to the needs of your body. Immune health is also connected to how well you are protected from a disease. Receiving vaccines for diseases such as Influenza, Tetanus, or COVID-19 are becoming pivotal, and sometimes necessary, practices that allow us to engage the world more freely.
DIGITAL HEALTHCARE
Mental health services have been adapted online over the years, increasing access for those who may not have felt comfortable using these services before. Meditation apps have never been so popular. Now technology has also moved appointments with doctors and therapists online. In the past, you may have struggled to get an appointment with a specialist or complained about the commute to the doctor’s office, but with virtual conferencing and meeting technology becoming more popular, doctors are more willing to meet with you online. Now you can even book virtual sessions with personal trainers, nutritionists, physical therapists, mental health professionals, sleep specialists and coaches.
TRACKING STRESS
In the coming year, we foresee technology as a great means to track stress. Highlighted smartwatches and phone applications, such as the Apple Watch, Fitbit, or Google Watches have increasingly gained a grasp on determining stress through heart rate variability. Measuring the small fluctuations of the heart, the heart rate variable can be used to track stress continuously through the day, producing a score of stress, giving you a clear idea if you are experiencing a stressful moment in your day. This information is important to consider, so that we adjust, take care of our basic needs, and remain aware of how we’re doing overall so that we can ensure a balanced life. Perfect for blending in with your jewelry collection, the Bellabeat Leaf Urban helps you raise awareness of your wellbeing, with results corresponding directly to your personal device. Or, for a more modest design, the Fitbit Sense is amazing for tracking sleep, activity, and stress. These stress devices are also able to help indicate the strain and stresses put on the body after a workout, which shows us how to navigate recovery.
SLEEP HYGIENE
The ritual of going to sleep and waking up is something that we interact with every day; however, how we do so is sure to change in the year of 2022. As we continue to advance technology, tracking sleep hygiene and making the proper adjustments has become a practice that can be reviewed at home. Sleep tracking devices such as Apple Watches, Auro’s Smart Ring, or EEG Headbands have shifted sleep to a more normal and mindful process. Waking up and going to sleep at the same time promotes a space where it is easier to wake up and fall asleep, improved alertness, as well as sharper focus. For a completely holistic sleep ritual, use aromatherapy oils to complement a more restful sleep and avoid electronics at least one hour before your bedtime. Furthermore, use your phone’s Night Shift function. Following a circadian rhythm, it uses the clock and geolocation of your device to determine when it’s sunset in your location and automatically shifts the colors of your display to warmer colors. In the morning, it returns the display to its regular settings.
PORTABLE WELLNESS TOOLS
Take charge of your own wellbeing and take home one of the best buys of a lifetime: personal EKG scanners, self-purifying water bottles, pressure monitors, humidifiers, or portable massage guns. Complementing our wellness routines, technology puts comfort and skill easily in the hands of everybody who should be able to harness the therapeutic benefits. This is important to consider because these products and solutions empower people to take control of their own wellness routines. FlexBeam, for example, is a red light therapy device that helps your body to improve recovery and optimise health, while Therabody takes on wellness and recovery with their quiet, intelligent, and powerful Theragun lineup. Massage therapy has proven to be one of the best treatments in reducing inflammation throughout the body, as well as the best post-workout recovery tool you will add to your arsenal. Perfect for muscle warm-up or helping with cool-down, using these massage guns to target problematic or sore areas will provide a sense of rejuvenation and life among your muscles.
GROW YOUR OWN PRODUCE
For those stuck in the house during the COVID-19 pandemic, furnishing a green thumb and starting a garden has become a place of tranquility and centeredness – a place to take your mind off everyday stress as you immerse yourself in that care of other things. In the coming year, this desirable activity is now shifting to a more self-sufficient harvesting process. Families around the world are growing root vegetables, herbs, or fruits like tomatoes to ensure the quality of all produce. In this light, individuals may be able to take control of their own food and reduce reliance on supply chains. One of the best things about starting a garden will increase overall liveliness and comradery, which may be achieved at home or through community gardening. Growing your own produce can be very therapeutic and rewarding as you watch something grow and evolve in full health – fully from farm-to-table.
USING DNA TO DETERMINE HEALTH RISKS
Uncovering your ancestry and using your DNA to determine health risks may minimize some of the guesswork when trying to make lifestyle changes, allowing you to make more strategic decisions that will lead to better health. Genealogy examinations require a saliva sample and analyze your DNA to infer where your family originated from, whereafter the analysis can also potentially detect relationships to wellness and health with information on cancer risks, health predispositions, and more. Known for empowering longer and healthier lives, CircleDNA is a great starting point for anyone who is serious about wanting to improve their health and wellness, making prevention personalized to every individual. These personalized results can be taken to your health professional to continue making positive changes for your health in the coming years.
REGENERATIVE TRAVEL
Try new food locations, new activities, take a domestic road-trip, be involved in local festivities or parades, or fall in love with the places around the world – all while giving back. Regenerative travel, the emphasis of feeding back into the system from which we benefit, has gained attention as sustainability, eco-friendly practices, and environmental responsibility have become a priority to both travelers and locals from communities across the globe. In this coming year, our beloved hotel destinations and spas emphasize connections with nature and serve as a catalyst for change that generates economic, social, and environmental wealth.
WELLNESS ENTERTAINMENT
After a long day of work, taking time to meditate or practice yoga is not always optimal or desirable. Turn the television on, kick your feet up, and learn how to further your depth of wellness and uncover different perspectives of wellness professionals through different streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu, who bring us productions such as Unwell, Headspace Guide to Sleep, The Goop Lab, and Tidying Up. Other sites, such as YouTube or Reddit, also feature content creators that specialize in education about or adapting to a lifestyle of wellness, found in TedTalks or colorful seminars on meditation or creating meaningful relationships. Bringing a visual representation of wellness to our modern communities is an effective way to continue bringing wellness into our group spaces. If you are feeling unproductive, there are still ways for you to engage in wellness from the warmness of your bed or sofa.
BATHING RITUALS
Take a restorative soak and just lean back – it’s helping you. Bathing rituals are known for being meditative and deeply calming for the nervous system, while relieving stress and fatigue, reducing pain and inflammation, and benefitting overall skin health. Epsom salt may help your bath become even more relaxing by soothing tired muscles and easing stress, as well as helping the body to absorb magnesium; or, mineral-rich volcanic sand is naturally alkaline, known for its detoxifying and anti-inflammatory properties. Or try using essential oils for a holistic experience, exfoliate rough spots, apply a facial mask, or deep condition your hair. Whatever you fare, remember to always be sure to drink water after a soak.
SKINIMALISM
Skinimalism is all about reducing the multi-step regimen down to the necessities. In the year of 2022, we are bound to see more equitable and sustainable skincare products, be reduced to the face washes, serums, creams, cleansers, toners, and moisturizers that are important to the routine of men and women of all ages. Heavy skincare products may clog pores, cause rashes and itchiness, or inflame irritable areas and begin to adversely react to these products. Empowering the skin and serving to protect from external aggressors, your skin will reflect the brightness and radiance from skincare routine and products – so it’s important to keep it natural to bring the best to your face and body. Season’s change can bring about adjustments to your skin care and maybe the products. In the winter, double-down on moisturizing products; and in the summer, oil-free cleansers are great to use as the skin is generally oilier. Noticing your skin’s patterns is important in understanding how to optimize your look and feel; moreover, taking the time to involve yourself in a skin care routine daily allows you to address and prevent future skin problems before they arise.
MANIFESTING JOURNALS
Journaling can be a rewarding experience that reflects on the moments of the past, future, and present. To take your daily routine to the next step, manifesting has proven to give positive benefits in improving awareness and motivation, reducing anxiety, and raising your physical and spiritual vibrations. Manifesting has seen to be on a gradual increase even before the pandemic; however, as we return to “normal” life, a lot of us find the need to reimagine our goals and how to navigate through them. New Mindset, Who Dis’ 60 Day New Mindset Journal is a pre-designed memoir where you can have the perfect mix of guided and unguided writing, complete with creative, thought-provoking questions and quotes. For stressed-out overthinkers, Unbothered is a 60-day journal focused on removing anxiety and centering yourself. Matched with effective goal making, remember that is important when manifesting as it may open the path to the many possibilities that are beyond with wellness trends for 2022 that may gain more focus this year.
(Destination Deluxe-Christian Donald)
