Photo: Sandbox Beach Club, Ghana.
If you are experiencing wellness fatigue, you are not alone. To be fair, it is probably from the endless content featuring the same picture of what wellness should look like. If the image of slim women in yoga pants drinking green juice after a hike does not resonate with you, you’ll be glad to know that letting your mind wander while you doodle on a page also qualifies as an act of wellness.
According to the 2023 Global Wellness Economy Monitor, the wellness industry has been growing by 12% annually since 2020. The current value is a record US$5.6 trillion and there is a forecasted growth of 52% by 2027.
The wellness economy is vast, including segments such as personal care and beauty, wellness tourism, spas, workplace wellness, mental wellness and more. A University of Texas course on Creative Wellness has defined it as “nur turing and suppor ting one’s creative impulses, exploring artistic endeavours and finding joy, fulfilment and a sense of purpose through creative outlets.”
Creativity in this context has nothing to do with talent. When we are being creative in any capacit y, a result is produced, that achievement releases dopamine (a feel-good chemical), which immediately improves our mood. Although it may not seem as urgent as food and sleep, creativity is the ultimate form of self-expression, making it a real human need, essential to our holistic wellbeing.