52 things I learned in 2020–Medium, December 1, 2020 A yearly celebration! Always fun to read with invariably a few insightful snippets like: “For the first time ever, Americans are saying they want more immigration, not less,” or “For VC companies in 2004, the average time from first contact to funding was 90 days. Today, it’s just nine days.” Our favorite: 10% of the GDP…
The Wellness Moonshot for December is to express more thanks. Science teaches us that living and leading with gratitude improves our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health. Gratitude is part of the daily practice of virtually every world faith, according to psychology professor Robert Emmons. A heartfelt thank-you reminds us that we’re part of a human community, brings the spiritual into our lives, helps us forge more…
A new study from the University of Limerick-Ireland found that a basic, twice-weekly program of lunges, lifts, squats and crunches (sometimes using equipment like dumbbells) led to 20% better scores on tests for anxiety. The researchers noted that the effect was larger than expected, and with so much anxiety in the world, resistance training looks to be a promising stress-management tool. ACCESS STUDY
Fitbit recently aggregated its user activity data (March–September 2020) to see how people worldwide are adapting their fitness and wellness practices during the pandemic while gyms have been shuttered and people are forced to stay at home. The data shows that people are desperate for stress relief. Meditation saw a massive 2,900% increase globally (New Zealand saw the largest spike in meditation at 9,017%, followed…
A panel at the recent Global Wellness Summit brought together top journalists and future-forecasters to predict the big wellness trends of 2021. Here are six trends they argued would gain serious momentum next year: A powerful new convergence between healthcare and wellness A big focus on strengthening the immune system Wellness expanding its boundaries to once-taboo issues like money, death and sex Nature, nature, nature…
The least we can say is that the current situation (after 8+ months of the pandemic) and the difficulties coming ahead are not conducive to greater wellbeing and happier societies. Indeed, there is so much going on that makes us collectively unwell and affects our sense of subjective wellbeing. In no particular order, some obvious “wellbeing-crushers”: anxiety, lockdowns, social and political polarization, deep uncertainty about…
