The wellness industry might be booming but is it a good thing? There are more books, blogs, and products than ever, all promise to help us improve our health and well-being. But what happens when we take our wellness too far?
That’s the question and it leads to wellness washout. Wellness washout is when businesses, companies, organisations feel that they have to do something. People are asked to find something, with no budget, clue or direction. So they find the most recent, shiny, good looking answer rather than what is right for the audience.
Staff are feeling overwhelmed or exhausted by all the different wellness trends and practices as companies pile on more new and exciting ways to help wellness. The constant changing of direction and advice leads to feelings of anxiety, guilt, and inadequacy in many people.
There are a few reasons why wellness washout can happen. First, the wellness industry is constantly bombarding us with new information and trends. It can be hard to keep up, and it can be easy to feel like we’re not doing enough. Note 1 – stick to one practice for a fixed period of time and monitor the results.
Second, many wellness practices are designed to be challenging. This can be motivating at first, but it can also lead to burnout if we’re not careful. Note 2 – People who are already struggling do not need to be challenged.
Finally, the wellness industry often relies on fear-mongering to sell its products and services. This can make us feel like we’re not good enough if we’re not doing everything perfectly. Note 3 – Be careful of really polished marketing pitches, always check the provenance.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the wellness industry, here are a few things you can do:
- Take a step back. It’s okay to take a break from all the wellness noise. Step away from social media, stop reading wellness blogs, and put away your self-help books for a while. Think what you want, and what you have enjoyed and what worked.
- Focus on what’s important to you. What are your health and wellness goals? What are the things that make you feel good? Once you know what’s important to you, you can start to create a wellness routine that works for you. Cherry pick, use what need to, from what you have already learned and ignore the rest.
- Don’t be afraid to say no. You don’t have to do everything that’s out there. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s okay to say no to new wellness trends or practices. Don’t get stuck with choice paralysis, with too many choices blocks our ability to make progress.
- Be kind to yourself. It’s easy to be hard on ourselves when we’re not perfect. But remember, everyone is on their own journey. Be kind to yourself and give yourself grace. We have one life so make it a good one.
Wellness washout is a real thing, and it can be easily resolved. Stop changing mental health direction, stick to the basics, look after your staff and more importantly stop chasing after the latest and greatest development in Mental health.
Here are some additional tips to help you chose a great speaker, and prevent wellness washout:
- Personal Stories: Listeners relate more to stories and journeys than they do with techniques and theories.
- Overcoming Adversity: Someone who has been there and done that, can connect better with listeners.
- Great energy: Engagement, energy and motivation to keep things going.
- STOP: Introducing new ways of working, create stability and look after your staff
Remember, wellness is about taking care of people in a way that feels good to them. It’s not about doing everything perfectly or following the latest trends. The most important thing is to find what works for your team and to be kind to everyone along the way.