Featured in Healthline Media
5 Trends in Whole-Person Mental Health by Max Leader
Our overall wellness is closely linked to our mental states. Here’s how we can speak to the needs of more people and provide them actionable support.
In the United States today, we’re facing a crisis in mental well-being. In our recent survey, we found that 40% of U.S. consumers are experiencing anxiety, 28% are experiencing depression, and for many people, these conditions worsened during the pandemic.
Taking an effective, empathetic approach makes a difference. With Healthline launching a new, dedicated page for mental well-being in partnership with Psych Central, we’ve identified five trends that inform our commitment and content strategy. Our holistic, accessible, and evidence-based content is focused on providing condition information, resources for support, and other much-needed guidance.
Below, learn more about these top trends and how they show up in the lived experiences of the Healthline team.
Let’s Talk About the Mind-Body Connection
When we stay active, eat well, and sleep soundly, it can help improve our mental health, too. More wellness brands should consider how their solutions can also help ease anxiety, address stress, or create calm.
I find it much easier to reach for healthy foods over comfort foods when I've done the work to be mentally well. — Carly Christensen, Senior Marketing Manager, Consumer Brand Marketing
I find that when I combine body movement with the great outdoors, whether it is a walk, run, or hike, this has positive impacts on my mental well-being that last well beyond the time spent in action. — Alyssa Kopelman, Director, Corporate Marketing
When I get enough sleep, I have the mental/emotional energy to make healthy food choices and the physical energy to exercise, which boosts my mood, discharges stress, and helps me get deeper sleep so I can wake up and do it again. — Crystal Hoshaw, Special Projects Editor, @simple.wild.free
Everyone Has Unique Needs for Self-Care
About 67% of U.S. consumers have recently felt stressed or anxious, due to factors like money, world events, work, relationships, and physical health, including chronic conditions. Socioeconomic factors and life stages, like parenthood, can cause additional stress. As we aim to reach more people, we must acknowledge their diversity of experiences — and recognize that everyone has their own way of feeling better.
I never miss my skin care routine. Washing and moisturizing my face no matter what helps to provide some stability, certainty, and even comfort on the days when I need it. — Natalie Rinehard, Assistant Consumer Brand Marketing Manager
I have found a new love for silence! With our heavy workloads and working in social media that is 24/7, finding time completely offline in the evenings by myself, whether it’s on a walk, grocery shopping, or taking an hour-long bath, has been so restorative for me emotionally and mentally. — Mary Catherine Bookwalter, Social Media Manager, Healthline.com
I try to take a walk after lunch every day and move my body. That time is just for me, and as a parent, also thinking about my own needs is very important. — Maria Santucci, Director of External Communications
Small Steps Are the Most Supportive
Whether we’re offering content or products, we all hope to inspire people to take action. The best way to support people on their journey is to make sure the steps are small. There’s no one path forward, but it’s always easiest for people to take action if it feels accessible.
For me, the first step is talking it out, either with my therapist or my husband or a close friend. There’s a special magic that happens when you can give something a name. That helps me get unstuck, and I feel like I can move on from there. — Erin Edge, Editor in Chief, Healthline.com
The first step I take is grounding myself in the present moment. It is something I learned from Psych Central content. I step outside and I take slow deliberate breaths and take inventory of my body. Is my heart racing? Do my legs feel cramped? It is like a traffic light for my mental health. It gives me a chance to regroup, slow down, and pay attention to what’s coming before I hit the road again. — Faye McCray, Editor in Chief, PsychCentral.com
For starters, I prioritize rest. I let these be "cocoon" instead of "butterfly" periods. The cocoon is an insulated, withdrawn, gooey mess, but if given the right support to let the process happen, it becomes a butterfly. In my cocoon, I rest, I eat comforting foods, I do gentle exercise, I do lots of yoga nidras, and I reach out for emotional support. — Crystal Hoshaw, Special Projects Editor
Keep Up with Mental Health Advancements
The future of mental wellness is here. Stigma is being acknowledged, the science behind mental health continues to change, and brands are making exciting new innovations and technologies available to consumers. Of course, as research evolves, our mental health advocacy must too, bringing today’s updated information and most promising solutions to the fore.
During the pandemic, there was a massive shift to telehealth and new laws and provisions allowing mental health professionals to practice in multiple states. That gave us so much more choice in how and where we seek our care. That is so important for those seeking therapists that are competent in different cultures and identities. — Faye McCray, Editor in Chief, PsychCentral.com
I think calming apps, CBD, microdosing, online therapy, and chronic condition communities have made some interesting cases for helping people cope with mental challenges and promote awareness. — Sanchez Stanfield, Creative Director
I've seen a tremendous shift in talking about mental health, both in the workplace and within my circles of friends and family over the years, even with employers offering mental health benefits that reduce the burden and expense of finding care on your own. — Alyssa Kopelman, Director, Corporate Marketing
Let’s Acknowledge Reality, but Embrace Hope
Positivity alone isn’t enough. An empathetic approach means recognizing the difficult realities first, which helps people feel understood and can be critical for those needing crisis support. Then we can talk about how to maintain a sense of hope.
Hopping on a call with a friend to check in and see how they're doing is a great way to get out of my head, while reminding me that I have a support system in place. I usually leave those conversations feeling as though the situation is not nearly as dire as I imagined. — Kevin Bender, Director of Special Projects, Content
I come from a first-generation immigrant family that has endured more than I could ever imagine to create a happy, healthy life. When I am facing difficult situations, I remind myself that others have faced much more difficult scenarios and found a light at the other end, so I can too! — Mary Catherine Bookwalter, Social Media Manager, Healthline.com
Making Strides in Mental Well-Being
With these trends informing the new Healthline and Psych Central hub for mental health, our content strategy is purpose-built to ensure we reach audiences in an empathetic and effective way. Our mission is to reach more people, while offering each of them information, guidance, or solutions that will resonate with their personal needs.
This article was originally published on Healthline Media.
