Wellness has been in accelerator mode. The sector, which has grown exponentially over the past few years, has fallen victim to a narrative that tells consumers they must constantly achieve more. Turning this on its head, our 2019 wellness macrotrend Conscious Deceleration explored how the quest for constant optimisation is leading society towards a state of burnout – and how the sector must respond.
‘We’re pushing too much into our lives and as a result they’re bulging at the seams. We’re using short-term strategies to keep pushing stuff in,’ says Stella O’Malley, a psychotherapist and author of Fragile.
In turn, as consumers realise that the pursuit of wellness is complicit in this collective burnout, in 2020 and beyond they'll replace a quick-fix mentality with a focus on slowing down to build up long-term endurance. Wellness brands will allow consumers the space to breathe, both physically and metaphorically. Brands will also realise that they need to streamline their offerings with products and services that can ensure health and fulfilment without feeding our anxiety-laden culture, tapping into consumers’ physiology or using technology to understand their innate wellbeing needs.