Why focusing on being well makes us feel unwell and what we can do about it.
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Almost every single person took more actions—than they did a year ago—to improve their health and well-being. That is one of the staggering conclusions of the latest Lululemon Global Well-being report (2024) by the eponymous brand.
It reconfirms the Healthusiasm trend I wrote about in my first book. People are more than ever occupied with their health and well-being, aspiring to be healthy and happy. However, there is one caviat... Well-being is making us feel unwell. Or is it?
Table of contents
The pressure to be well
However, the Lululemon report is titled "The Pressure to Be Well ". Findings based on the answers of 16.000 respondents from 15 countries conclude that regardless of the increased focus on well-being, the actual well-being did not increase compared to the previous year. But more alarming is the report's central message: the constant pressure to be well is making us less well. In other words, while the importance of well-being is stronger than ever, so is the pressure to keep up.
(Check out the Lululemon Well-being report here.)
Almost half of the respondents reported a feeling of Well-being Burnout*, according to Lululemon. This is unsurprising if you've read my previous newsletters or books. This trend was also already highlighted in the World Happiness Report of 2019, an annual happiness research conducted by Gallup and the Oxford Well-being Research Centre, stating that the excessive (read: addictive) behaviour of pursuing better health & happiness causes the opposite effect. Carl Cederström & André Spicer, authors of The Wellness Syndrome, highlighted this danger in 2015. Lina Raphael built upon it in her latest book The Gospel of Wellness (2022).
Aspiration Moderation
The good news is that these peak numbers indicate that things will evolve more rapidly in the coming years. It's something we already noticed during the pandemic where people evolved from "taking the utmost care of one's physical, mental and emotional health" towards an overall behaviour that can best be summarised with the words "it's ok to be not ok". Yes, people still aspire to be their best version. But this aspiration is becoming more moderated today (see: Aspiration Moderation Trend, 2022).
Becoming the best possible version of yourself is no longer just about improving. Improving oneself was, for a long while, the only thing we could attribute to "aspirations". But that is no longer the case. More and more people aspire to prevent, accept or simply enjoy their lives. These new types of aspirations are at the core of my latest book, "Trends in the Transformation Economy". Being healthy & happy, or pursuing well-being as called in the Lululemon Report, is no longer about improving anymore. And that is also visible in the solutions for this well-being burnout that were mentioned in the report.
Actions to counter well-being burnout
Lululemon highlights 3 different actions people can take to avoid well-being burnout. Each of these actions can easily be linked to the new aspirations described in "Trends in the Transformation Economy".
It starts, of course, with quieting the noise to hear yourself. Take breaks from social media (aspiration: Nothingness), put some boundaries in work and private lives (aspiration: Autonomy) and find some mindfulness (aspiration: Clarity). None of these aspirations are about improving but rather related to preventing and enjoying.
Doing what feels good to you is another recommended action against well-being burnout. It consists of slow living (aspiration: Calmness), bite-sized well-being (aspiration: Kindness) and having fun (aspiration: Joy). Neither of those aspirations focuses on improving but rather on preventing, accepting and enjoying.
Finally, taking care of your health & well-being should preferably be done with others. Human connection (aspiration: Relationships), community (aspiration: Solidarity) and participation (aspiration: Belonging) each contribute significantly to one of the main reasons for well-being burnout: loneliness. Also, here again, these aspirations are not related to improving.
Business strategy
These findings are essential for every single business or organisation. After all, if 9 out of 10 people are more focused on their health & well-being than ever before, then all your customers are in the same boat. Health & happiness are the most essential things in the lives of your customers, consumers and patients. Every business is a health business today. You can help your customers focus on any of the above aspirations they desire to pursue.
But every business also has a role to play in avoiding this well-being burnout. Lululemon mentions unrealistic societal expectations (aspiration: Kindness) and conflicting information (aspiration: Consciousness) as two major causes of this trend. Can you contribute to presenting realistic expectations in your communications? Can you help your customers understand how your products and services influence their health & well-being?
Customer Transformations
In any case, the Life Aspirations Model that is described in my book "Trends in the Transformation Economy" will provide you with a toolbox of ideas that can easily fit your mission, vision and company DNA. It will help to shed light on your contribution to this well-being burnout that impacts almost every single one of your customers, consumers or patients. It will help you to be more meaningful to them. It will help to turn your products, services and customer experiences into Customer Transformations... And that is the value people are looking for in the Transformation Economy.
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Stay in touch,
-Christophe-
Author & professional keynote speaker
Health Business Expert
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Trends in the Transformation Economy
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