In a study of 5,000 adults from around the world, Young Living analyzed the wellness habits of consumers and discovered that the COVID-19 pandemic created a greater awareness and understanding of personal wellness and the importance of self-care and mental health.
Of those surveyed, more than half (57 percent) say they focus more on their mental health since the pandemic began, 53 percent said they created new healthy habits during the pandemic and 42 percent plan to set aside more time for personal wellness in 2021.
Another big finding: stress is now common for the average consumer (48 percent say they feel stress daily and 5 percent are so stressed they report finding it difficult to function), but typical outlets for relieving it have been unavailable. Work-life balance is a factor, with 28 percent of women and 23 percent of men reporting that they took zero vacation days in 2020. In the United States specifically, 33 percent of women and 23 percent of men did not take any days off of work in 2020. Guilt creates more stress for women (23 percent) than men (11 percent) when they actually do take time for themselves.
As a result, mental health has become an important component of wellness for more people than previously, and consumers are developing new habits to take care of themselves during a limiting pandemic season, including:
- Drinking coffee or tea (78 percent)
- Going for walks (60 percent)
- Connecting with people and pets (74 percent)
- Using aromatherapy or essential oils weekly (20 percent)
- Yoga (16 percent)
- CBD products (12 percent)
- Religious or worship activities (81 percent—U.S.; 94 percent—UK; 80 percent—Australia; 77 percent—Indonesia)
Consumers expect this routine of considering wellness and self-care a priority to continue into the future, with almost half of consumers (48 percent) saying they are making wellness and self-care a top priority.