One good thing that the pandemic did to us was to make us more conscious and receptive of our bodies and minds. We’ve grown healthier by eating better, exercising more often, understanding our bodies and talking more openly about our mental health.
We’ve devoted our time and space to caring for ourselves. The ‘new normal’ has urged us to revisit our priorities and focus on what’s important in new ways. And while we’re ready to try out new trends, we would love to see the self-loving wellness trends continue over to the next year.
1. Functional exercise
We took some time to understand the unique needs of our bodies. Whether gentler workouts work better for us or should we continue extreme weight-based gymming? Is yoga what we need the most or is a cardio-based session more effective for us? We continue to understand and acknowledge the demands of our bodies and work our way to find functional exercises that are curated according to us.
2. Mental health conversations
COVID broke us all down at some point or the other, in one way or more. Conversations about anxiety, stress, paranoia and depression have never before been so confident, open and frequent. We accept that we’re not okay, and definitely not alone in dealing with our struggles. This global acceptance of mental health conversations have allowed us to seek help, talk and consider various kinds of therapy - at every stage of our lives.
3. Digital boredom
Screens took over our lives during the various lockdowns, and we’re truly tired of the virtual world. Stepping out has never been so exciting. We’ve rerouted our interests and took to reading, cooking, gardening and every form of art that we had the courage to try. We’ve listened to more music, played a lot more board and card games and enjoyed it all. Here’s hoping we’ll love the screens even less next year.
4. Mindful eating
We’ve tried plant-based diets, immunity-boosting ingredients, we’ve cut off sugar and a lot more. But mindful eating is what stuck with us. This technique involves a relationship of awareness and appreciation with our food. Mindful eating is dependent on the cues of hunger and the nutritious needs of our body, instead of emotional cravings. It allows us to understand the how, why and when of our hunger cycles.
5. Sleep hygiene
For the first time since we were kids, we started making note of when we sleep. In fact, we took this process a step further by understanding how we sleep and what can make our nights more comfortable. Sleep hygiene involves everything from eating right before bed to making a cosier environment with silk sheets, dim lights and less screen time. Achieving a perfect sleep cycle according to your body takes time, and even though we’ve been trying through the past few months, it’s definitely going to spill over to next year.
6. The sustainable talk
Everything you do can be done in a better, earth-friendly way. We’ve noticed how the first lockdown affected the environment in a good way, but how to sustain this? Sustainability is a lifestyle choice, where you can take various steps to reduce your carbon footprint - from opting for a plant-based diet to reducing waste as much as you can and choosing slow and lasting fashion. Even when you pick the recycled bottles of shampoos and lotions, you’re making one right choice and preparing yourself for others.
7. Movement outdoors
The pandemic curated our lifestyles in phases. All together, we first became extremely hyperactive about having to stay inside the four walls of our houses. Then, together we got comfortable and lazier by the day. And now, even the slightest movements fascinate us. We’ve started appreciating life outdoors, whether it's a walk, or a dip in the lake, or a frisbee game in the park, every movement makes us happier.
8. The microbiome universe
It’s always been inside us, on top of our skin, and everywhere around us, but as laymen, we never talked about the microbiome universe much. Our bodies, inside and out, are breeding grounds for billions of microorganism and their colonies. These microorganisms help with our body functions, our health, our skincare and overall well-being in general. Any disturbance in these universes, including a slight change in our skin’s pH levels, may cause harm to our bodies, which is why our lifestyles should be dedicated to keeping the microbiome safe and running.
