Top 10 Wellness Trends for 2020
The 2010s are closing out with some real wellness gems to keep our vibrations “good only” in the next decade. However, these trends weren’t formed without some coal-crushing, if you know what we mean.
We started with an economic recession and Shake Weights, global protests and avocado toast persisted throughout, and by the end of the decade, people are still wondering what Keto is.
What came through, though — those diamonds — are cultural movements that deem self-care as the ultimate one-size-fits all revolution for the 99% and Gwenyth Paltrow alike.
Check out the Top 10 Wellness Trends we absolutely need to stay fashionable in the 2020s.
meditation aPps (ohhhm, the irony).
This ain’t your mama’s Peace, Love & Hippies self-love fest. Today’s spirituality is decidedly not about the escapism of the sex, drugs & rock-n-roll 60s, and is more about taking the sobriety of your yoga mat into the world, and sometimes doing so with a goat nearby.
Corporations are offering more wellness benefits, yoga rooms popped up in airports, and the Instayogis show us regular folk what daily practices of stretching and veganism can do for people and planet.
Sure, there are more social media filters now than we ever used on MySpace, but being our authentic selves is what’s in, and of course, there’s an app for that.
Subscription Boxes.
The world wide web has us making connections like we never have before. By following a hashtag, we make “pen pals” and tribe with people in lands we may never be able to afford to see IRL.
We’re able to share customs and wisdoms that transcend time and space, and while that may very well exasperate our social anxiety, the good news is, we don’t have to leave the comfort of our home to go on a spiritual journey.
With a few simple clicks, we can have our Eat. Pray. Love. delivered directly to our door — discounted athleisure wear, organic feminine products, artisanal teas, and even pre-planned dinners are all subscription-based options for our wellness routine.
Adult Baths.
Nah, not that kind of adult bath. We mean the kind with essential oils, flower petals, and organic bath salts in lieu of the rubber duckey we had when were tots. Throw in a glass of kombucha and an aura-cleansing podcast and we’re full-grown adulting by the time the water is cool enough to dip a toe in.
Doubt us? There was suddenly a proliferation of #flowerbaths on IG, as proof of the mainstreaming of self-care.
Now, if you choose to include a significant other in your Self-care Saturday, well, that’s none of our business ;)
Weighted Blankets.
Adult baths and naps are apparently the best way to grow up in the new millennium. While we wait to see if Elon Musk ever gets his Tesla to the moon (that’s what he’s doing, right?), us earthlings at least have the Gravity Blanket to help us through the night.
Weighted blankets that cuddle us into a more restful sleep indicate the trend towards slowing down — our absolute Number One “Must Do” for 2020.
We’re overworked, whether we’re in the 9-5 flow, or we launched our dream life of working from home that — surprise, surprise — actually requires a 24-7 flow. Sleep studies abounded in the 2010s and the results are clear: the lack of quality Z’s disrupts our productivity and our personality.
It seems like a no-brainer to spend a couple hundred on sprucing up the bedroom, if it somehow de-stresses us enough to keep us out of the emergency room.
Electric Cars.
In 2010, the Nissan Leaf hit the market in the U.S. and Japan. It was the first all-electric, zero tailpipe emission, five-door family hatchback mass produced by a major manufacturer, and set the tone for a global shift in how we drive.
By 2011, the Mistubishi i-MiEV made the Guinness World Records for 10,000 units sold. And in October 2013, an all-electric vehicle was the best-selling new car across all categories in Norway.
Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to see an EV (electric vehicle) charging station in a metropolis such as Washington, D.C., or for your Lyft to shut off a stop light (because it’s hybrid, not bootleg).
Water.
After two years of a dip in water consumption, 2010 saw a growth spurt that defined the rest of the decade. Raw water became a thing, and boxed water, and both Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump got in on the alkaline water trend.
Because of its effect on the eco-system, and our individual body system, the mindfulness about H2O quenched our collective thirst for a more eco-conscious world. It even seeped into the packaging, as more companies sold BPA-free water bottles to promote healthy living as a legit lifestyle.
CBD.
The stress-relieving non-high of CBD piqued the interest of the 2010s, when the accessibility increased as much as states were legalizing weed.
From aphrodisiacs to dog treats, CBD has been manufactured into every facet of healthy living. Its the chic new “accessory” for your massage, your tea, your gummy snacks, your pet’s snacks, your yoga, your lotion, and your facial serum.
Part of its popularity may still be its mystique — there are very small loop holes through which a company must journey to keep their products legal — but the idea that it supports our mental and physical health without impairing our driving is what indicates the industry’s projected growth of some 30%+ in the next five years.
Upcycling.
Gone are the days when merely recycling paper into more paper is the cool thing to do. In the 2010s, the real way to show your eco-consciousness is to upcycle, that is taking something you no longer use and making it something even better.
FoodCycler is one brand that gets this by making a luxe-quality compost pail a must-have for the kitchen area. Your trash could sprout into a lovely dinner with some righteous meal planning. Talk about thinking of the future.
Clothes, furniture, shoes, purses and backpacks are some other items benefiting from our innovation. Those yoga leggings you love to lounge in? They used to be plastic water bottles.
717.8k Likes, 13.3k Comments - Miss Universe (@missuniverse) on Instagram: "The official portrait of #MissUniverse2019 @ZoziTunzi wearing the @mouawadjewelry crown. ✨ Photo by..."
Melanin Poppin’.
Increased diversity means increased wellness. Much of our collective ability to respond to climate change, achieve gender equality, and innovate best practices for health & healing are stifled, when we silence the cultures of marginalized people.
Because of that, this past decade was an intense look at patriarchy (a side eye, if you will) and an embrace of the real meaning of “the divine in me bows to the divine in you.”
Even Yoga Journal, arguably one of the “whitest magazines in history,” gave space to racial and body diversity with more frequency in the 2010s.
And by December 2019, six black women won the crown in major pageants. As Miss Universe 2019, Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa noted, it’s about time we look at her and see ourselves.
[Editor’s note: I love me, but I definitely wouldn’t mind looking like her :) Namaste to that.]
Going Au NaturEl.
Clean eating and clean beauty weren’t just blips on the radar when “you can milk anything” became a thing (almonds, rice and soy, oh my!), Beyoncé started promoting her #Greeprint plan (meatless Mondays and vegan breakfasts), or when Alicia Keys wiped her face make up free for the Grammys red carpet.
Several celebrities in fact began pushing back on the “filtered” life when they demanded that magazine editors stop over-photoshopping their images. Kate Winslet really brought the issue to light the decade before, but by the mid-2010s, Lorde, Lady Gaga, and Zendaya were all in a battle with print media for not protecting their fans from the fakeness of it all.
The ultimate effect, however, is that while more of us are relishing in the idea of being Insta-famous stay-at-home entrepreneurs, the self-love movement is also making us more willing to go au naturel in public.
Yoga studios became a publicly held franchise in the 2010s, wellness retreats have become the go-to vacay, and meditation meet-ups and sister circles no longer have that “witchy” taboo attached to it. Trust us, it’s not just for the A-List anymore; everyone wants in on the magic for 2020.
What’s your favorite wellness trend? Tag us on IG @urbanwellnessmag.