Wellness is a growing movement that encompasses multiple dimensions that affect health on both an individual and societal level. GWI research has shown Gen Z is keen on excursions like forest bathing and fruit harvesting as part of their wellness journey.
Wellness consciousness requires a holistic approach and entails balancing multiple aspects of wellbeing: Physical, Environmental, Spiritual, Relationships and Community. Explore our wellness resources to learn more about how to nurture these dimensions:
Physical
Taking care of your body helps keep you feeling healthy, energetic and resilient. Physical wellness encourages exercise, balanced nutrition and good sleep habits. It also promotes personal responsibility for taking care of one’s own physical health.
Raising your consciousness allows you to see things in a whole new way. It’s like a RAM upgrade for your mind: The more conscious you are, the more information it can hold and process at once.
Being mentally well helps you manage life stress, express your emotions and form healthy relationships. Having a positive attitude and coping with challenges in life are essential aspects of mental wellness. It’s also important to find ways to occupy your mind with activities that are both fun and intellectually stimulating. These can include meditating, reading, writing, and engaging in stimulating conversations with others.
Environmental
The natural environment and your personal space — the spaces where you work, live, sleep and play — have a huge impact on your wellness. You can take steps to promote environmental wellness by connecting with nature, minimising your ecological footprint and taking care of the earth.
Practices like minimalism, avoiding toxic chemicals and choosing a plant-based diet can improve your health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, they can be used in the workplace to create a more eco-friendly culture.
Our team has designed a behavior change program called Mindful Climate Action (MCA) that combines practices derived from empirically-supported mindfulness-based stress reduction with environmental and sustainability education. We are testing the effectiveness of this approach in influencing behavioral outcomes and decisions that support sustainable improvements in individuals’ lives.
Spiritual
Spiritual wellness encompasses a sense of connection to something greater than yourself. It can involve a religious practice, meditation, prayer, spending time in nature or even just a deep understanding of your values and beliefs.
Having a strong spiritual wellness can help you deal with stress and provide a framework for life’s challenges. It can also improve your relationships with others and give you a stronger connection to the world around you.
While mental health receives the most attention, nurturing spiritual health is an important part of overall well-being. In fact, research shows that people with a strong sense of spirituality have better emotional and psychological outcomes. This may be because spirituality promotes feelings of peace and self-worth. In addition, it helps people to feel more empathetic and help those in need.
Relationships
Developing strong, healthy relationships with friends, family and community members. Having fun with others, including laughing, which can decrease stress and put life’s challenges in perspective.
Using a conscious approach to communication and conflict resolution. Learning to listen with open hearts, understand different perspectives and show compassion.
Gen Z’s interest in wellness might seem surprising given their age, but they may have more exposure to health and fitness content than previous generations (for instance, the “FittTok” corner of the app has more than 64 billion views). It’s also likely that many of these younger adults are exposed to holistic healthcare and alternative medicine. Moreover, these young people may have more opportunities to seek mental and social support in their places of worship. This type of support can help them stay resilient through difficult times and overcome challenges.
