Wellness pressure actually causing wellbeing ‘burnout’ says new report

Wellness pressure actually causing wellbeing ‘burnout’ says new report
Athleisure company Lululemon has released its fourth annual Global Wellbeing Report with some surprising results about our desire to be well.

This year’s findings highlight a counterproductive cycle where the relentless pursuit of wellbeing is making us less well. ‘Wellbeing’ is defined by three core elements: physical, mental, and social.

The report surveys 16,000 adults from the general population in 15 countries around the world, including Australia and New Zealand.

While the importance of wellbeing is stronger than ever, with 89% of people taking more action than they were a year ago to improve their wellbeing, so is the pressure to keep up. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they were are struggling with this growing societal demand to support their wellbeing in specific ways.

This pressure is causing almost half of respondents to experience “wellbeing burnout.”

The report cites three “pressure points,” including societal expectations, conflicting information and feelings of doing it all alone.

Australia and New Zealand top ‘burnout zones’

Australia topped the list of ‘global wellbeing burnout zones’, followed by New Zealand, then Canada, Malaysia and the United States.

Theses zones are the areas within the survey that experience the highest levels of burnout when thinking about their physical, mental, or social wellbeing.

How to improve ‘wellbeing burnout’

Lululemon said in a release it hoped the report would stimulate conversations and offer some strategies to ‘quiet the noise’ and move beyond these issues.

“Often, the pressure to improve our wellbeing causes us to overthink and fixate on what’s lacking in our lives, says Dr. Murali Doraiswamy, professor, Duke University and lululemon Mental Wellbeing Global Advisory Board member.

“I recommend setting gradual, achievable goals, turning the pursuit of wellbeing into a source of joy and anticipation rather than stress,” says Dr. Doraiswamy.

As part of this focus on solutions, the report offers three strategies to help people move beyond “wellbeing burnout.”

  1. Quiet the noise – Focus on mindfulness, take social media breaks and set boundaries. For example, those who practice meditation report 12% higher wellbeing.
  2. Do what feels good to you – Practice doing things at your own pace, move your body throughout the day, spend time in nature, or use physical activity to socialise. Those who move their body a little throughout the day report 16% higher wellbeing.
  3. Invite others on your journey  Connect with your community by working out with a friend, sign-up for a team sport or fitness class, or vocalise your needs with your family, friendships, and relationships. Those who use physical activity as an opportunity to socialise with others report 23% higher wellbeing.

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