Some say that wellness is a journey, not a destination – an ongoing process where personal health is incorporated into every aspect of your life. And few would disagree that looking after and maintaining personal wellbeing is a positive aim. Occasionally, however, it can go awry, particularly if the pursuit of optimum health involves following every new wellbeing trend, competing with others or setting unrealistic goals – in these cases, a desire to be well, to be fit, to be able can result in stress, pressure and even burnout.
If you’ve ever felt this way, you’re not alone. Fitness retailer Lululemon’s 2024 Global Wellbeing Report, for example, revealed that ‘the constant pressure to improve our wellbeing is actually making us less well’.
Under pressure
While the focus on wellbeing is stronger than ever – the report found that 89 per cent of people were taking more action than they were the year before to improve their wellbeing – so is the pressure to keep up. Nearly two-thirds of respondents reported struggling with the ‘growing societal demand to support their wellbeing in specific ways’. This pressure, says the report, is causing almost half of respondents to experience ‘wellbeing burnout’. Of course, many will associate burnout – defined by the National Health Service as a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged stress – with work and family responsibilities. But, as discussed by elite swimmer Amber Keegan in Breathe (issue 66), it can come at any time and in any arena.
All too overwhelming?
In societies where choice is often only a swipe away, it feels understandable that a desire for wellness might become blurred to the point of burnout, when every week seems to bring yet another announcement of the best new fitness option or health regime. For some, it might appear negligent not to give them all a go – surely anything else would be failing to look after yourself. Indeed, according to the Lululemon report, there are three key pressure points fuelling wellbeing burnout: overwhelming societal expectations to appear well, conflicting information about the best ways to improve wellbeing and loneliness. The result, however, can include anxiety, loss of motivation, irritability, fatigue, a dip in performance and social withdrawal.
Claire Plumbly is a clinical psychologist and author of Burnout: How to manage your nervous system before it manages you. She believes that technology is one of the factors behind the prevalence of wellbeing burnout because it exposes people to more options, more comparisons and more advertising about upcoming fitness trends – leading to a feeling of being overwhelmed and overloaded.
‘There’s too much choice of wellbeing fads and this creates choice-overload,’ says Claire. ‘Also, with social media bombarding users with images of what self-care and wellbeing options should look like, we get even more overwhelmed and feel like there’s a perfect routine that will lead to calm, if only we can get it right. And, annoyingly, [because of] the way social-media algorithms work, if you click on something, it then shows you more of the same, which adds to this [sense of overwhelm].’
Hooked on comparison?
Other factors are at play, too, including an urge to compare yourself to others. It might be a friend, a sibling, another gym-goer or yogi practitioner, or an influencer. Whoever sets the standard, however, comparing your progress to them often brings a sense of inferiority and overwhelm.
Lara Zibarras is a UK-based psychologist and eating disorder recovery coach. She attributes a noticeable rise in overwhelm among her clients to the comparison effect, as well as conflicting advice concerning health and fitness. While one post in your social-media feed might preach that the Mediterranean diet is best for overall health, for example, another will quickly sing the praises of keto.
‘Social media paints a filtered picture of health and fitness that’s often unattainable and leaves people feeling inadequate,’ says Lara. ‘Trends like “What I eat in a day” are particularly harmful – they promote unrealistic, non-expert advice and encourage comparisons. The sheer volume of advice – often contradictory and from unqualified sources – leaves people overwhelmed and anxious about finding the [so-called] right way to be healthy.’
A recent survey, conducted by nutrition tracking app MyFitnessPal, in partnership with Dublin City University, found that 57 per cent of millennial and Gen-Z TikTok users reported being influenced by or frequently adopting nutrition trends they learned about on the platform. Yet preliminary findings from the research team suggested that only 2.1 per cent of the nutrition data analysed matched public health and nutrition guidelines.
In need of balance?
Arguably, the key to overcoming wellbeing burnout lies in finding balance rather than automatically dropping elements of a health and wellbeing plan. For 30-year-old Zarina Elahi, from Chicago in the US, it involved embracing things that filled her cup without allowing it to overflow and spill across the table. Having realised that scrolling on social media left her negatively comparing herself to others, for example, she decided to consciously limit the time she allowed herself on the platform and has noticed an improvement in her mindset as a result. ‘Putting the [social] feeds down for a few days every month helps me recalibrate and focus on myself instead of trying to keep up with strangers online,’ says Zarina. ‘Filtering through the noise online is just as important a skill as incorporating new habits into my life.’
For Zarina, who’s recovered from a 13-year eating disorder, implementing a more flexible and balanced mindset towards her wellbeing has helped her to find joy and balance in her approach to wellness. Before adding something to her routine, she now pauses and questions her reasons for doing so, aware that adding inappropriate or less-than-suitable items to her to-do-list could lead to burnout. She explains: ‘For example, is yoga right for me, as someone with hypermobility? Are supplements good for me, as someone who had an eating disorder and needs to eat nutrient-dense, solid food to keep up my good eating habits?’ Tuning in and questioning how each fitness option will serve her personal needs has helped Zarina curate a routine that’s more effectively aligned with those needs and her values.
Looking for another way?
Many wellbeing activities are done solo – think meditation, running, meal-prep or journalling – but it’s also beneficial to find ways to incorporate a sense of community. Lululemon’s report found that 89 per cent of those experiencing wellbeing burnout quoted loneliness as a contributing factor. It also noted that those who used physical activity as an opportunity to socialise with others reported 23 per cent higher wellbeing.
For people who feel that non-home-based sessions might add to their burnout, however, a sense of community might be found virtually instead. Live-streamed fitness classes with online chats are one option, but you could also set a wellness goal with a friend, by signing up to the same virtual walking or fitness challenge, for example, so you can both work together while still in your own space.
Setting small, achievable goals, either solo or with friends, can also help to prevent burnout. Physical activities don’t need to be intense to be effective, after all. ‘When people set big [unrealistic] goals, they often set themselves up for failure,’ says Lara. ‘If they don’t meet the goal, they feel like they failed. They feel disappointed and frustrated.’ Getting the dopamine hit of reaching bite-sized goals can keep you feeling energised and joyful, instead of exhausted and burned out.
What next?
So, how do you know if you’re close to wellbeing burnout or if you’ve already gone over the edge? According to Lara, the key signs are increased pessimism about reaching your wellness goals, a feeling of overwhelm, lacking motivation and skipping once-loved wellness activities because they’ve started to feel pointless.
In her book, Claire suggests taking a micro-pause when overwhelmed. Frustrated that you didn’t get eight hours of sleep or didn’t hit your daily step-count goal? Do something completely different – take a relaxing bath, read a book or listen to an uplifting podcast. Switching your focus to another activity, even if only briefly, can help regulate your body’s nervous system during stress.
Ultimately, achieving balanced, sustainable and long-lasting wellbeing doesn’t start with what’s on your plate or which workout you do, it’s about finding a routine that best suits your body and mind and complements your needs and values rather than aligning yourself to other people’s preferences or goals. As Lara says: ‘It’s about finding balance and tuning into what your body truly needs, rather than chasing perfection.’
Find out more about Claire’s work at drclaireplumbly.com and follow her on Instagram @drclaireplumbly. Contact Lara at drlarazib.com and follow her on Instagram @drlarazib. To hear more of Zarina’s thoughts, go to delightcollective.org and @z.arazela