In my health and wellness era: Are we actually bettering our health or just perpetuating our chronic anxiety and consumerism?

Every day, social media floods us with the latest and greatest things we need to have or do to supposedly live life to our best. Protein coffee, sea moss, and ice rolling are just a few of the many things we are pushed into doing to live some sort of more fulfilled, improved life. According to the internet, we can always be doing better.

These trends that dominate today’s social media, advertising, and marketing are endless – from the food we consume to the products we put on our skin or the sheets we sleep in – this era of health and wellness is taking over. Whilst there is definitely room for many of these trends, like adding more protein to our breakfast or taking a multivitamin, the issue lies in the obsessive and excessive nature that it breeds.

Many of these trends trigger health anxiety, a real and valid experience for many people in today’s world. Health anxiety is a form of anxiety disorder but is also often used to describe excessive anxiety and stress about health. Health and wellness trends, whilst at first seem calming to the health anxious, tend to make the situation worse. As someone who experiences health anxiety, I often fall victim to doom-scrolling on TikTok about different deficiencies or diagnoses I might have. These tend to be exacerbated when I see content about why a particular health product will ‘cure’ the issues I’m experiencing. Often, this all happens before I even experience it, leading me to question my health and feel inferior.

This becomes a toxic cycle when we see a health and wellness trend online, we begin to question and feel anxious about our own health and then spend the time or money engaging in this activity or product. Before we know it, we’ve either given up and it's been a waste, or we’ve taken on way too many trends, or for the small minority, it may have genuinely helped our health and wellbeing. I know for myself, my cupboards are filled with tried and failed supplements, protein powders, greens powders, and facial serums.

It’s obvious to say, but it really is just about marketing and consuming. I’ll see a TikTok, and the primary goal will be to advertise a protein powder. The creator or influencer might start by saying they didn’t know how they were managing without said product, or they might say they have been so tired and stressed recently, and this product has made them feel so much better. Sure, one video of this might not make a huge difference to someone, but we all know the way the TikTok algorithm works, and one video means many, many more. Suddenly, I’ve seen countless videos telling me that I’m tired, exhausted, stressed, and to fix it, I need to buy something.

I’d love to think that at my age and with my exposure to social media and marketing, I wouldn’t be one to fall victim to this cycle. Yet, I seem to be the quickest to jump on every new health and wellness trend. I’m sure I’m not alone. There is something truly exciting about a new product or supplement that will make you feel this alluring sense of betterness. $50 to fix my never-ending fatigue? I’m in.

So, how do we stop? To be honest, I’m not too sure. I think having a wake-up call definitely helps; mine was throwing out a pile of barely touched supplements and powders. If I want to buy something that might be a bit of a trend, I try to do further research on the product before buying it and committing. I’ll also look at the ingredients and see what they all do. Often, brands will have a product for ‘the best sleep you’ll ever have,’ and it is mostly just magnesium.

At the end of the day, all we are trying to do is look after ourselves, and that's typically an easier thing than we think it is. As hard as it is, it's important not to overthink it and let our bodies and our minds be and do their job.