Will we be better at wellness after the pandemic?

“‘You’re going to be happy,’ said life, ‘but first I’ll make you strong.’” – Paulo Coehlo

Personal transformation is a big topic for me. I love the idea of change and possibility especially as it pertains to individual pursuits and evolution. At the beginning of 2020, I decided to dedicate more time to seeking adventures, travel, and ideas in the spirit of holistic mind-body-health wellness. 

But 2020, as we all know from personal experience, had its own plans. It put into stark relief both our human fragility and our inherent resilience. Loss of both tangibles and intangibles accompanied each day. Yet, we collectively found new ways to transform and evolve ourselves and our environments to find wellness in unlikely places and unique spaces.

“I have been pondering lately, “Will we be better at wellness after the pandemic?”

Physical Activity Took On New Forms health-wellness-featured-image

My garage has become a fitness sanctuary, which was never my plan for it. I’ve dedicated a 6-foot by 10-foot section of space for a bench, plates, and a hex bar. The commute from Zoom calls to fitness activities is 30 seconds long. It is a plan created out of necessity.

According to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, at the beginning of 2020, the U.S. had around 40,000 health clubs that generated upwards of $35 billion in annual revenue. By the end of last year, the industry had lost $20.4 billion and 17% of clubs were closed permanently. 

When gyms closed early last year and even after re-opening (with the fear of breathing in enclosed spaces with others), it became imperative to find new ways to get moving in and around the home. Health companies took notice and found ways to amplify these sessions with interactive products and services (look no further than Peloton and its meteoric 172% sales increase).

Mental Health Services Took On Focus and New Dimensions

Digital health services and telemedicine accelerated as statistics around anxiety and depression concurrently rose. Living through a global pandemic can knock the wind out of one’s sails in a whole bunch of ways. 

The necessity of finding solutions for widespread mental health support changed healthcare options and brought more awareness to how daily activities and practices could compound into long-term self-care and wellness. This can be especially said for meditation and mindfulness.

Meditation and mindfulness practices have the power to support healthcare professionals, patients, carers, and the general public during times of crisis, the National Health Institute reported in the early months of the pandemic. “Underlying each of the different meditation techniques is a simple coming to awareness of the present moment. Being aware of what is happening in the present moment allows the individual to observe what is arising and what is falling away. By doing this and by allowing thoughts to come and go without attachment, without trying to hold on to them, we learn that calm and stillness follows. We come to know our own minds over time and to be aware of patterns of thinking that habitually arise.”

Maybe we’re finally doing it right.

It’s almost time to get back out into the world again but remembering the little things that make a big difference like getting plenty of rest, slowing down, remembering vitamins, prioritizing biofeedback meditative breathing, or carving out time for a living room-cardio or on a new favorite walking trail, will aid in our personal transformation and navigating the next normal.

The exercise regimen can always use some perfecting, but I believe it is one thing we will never take for granted again and we will be loaded with an arsenal of at-home tools and favorite walking paths to get outside and move. In addition, and with more awareness, self-care will be treated with more proactive education and practice. I believe that by building stronger replacements and repairs for these things that make up our sum total, we will be more adaptable, resilient, and yes, better at wellness, after weathering the pandemic.