Published: 5 January 2022
It’s a brand new year and the Health and Wellbeing team are looking forward to the biggest trends in taking care of yourself.
Read on for their insights and a few tips on how you can go into 2022 in the best way possible.
“With the new year upon us comes the start of the inevitable flurry of emails finding their way into our inboxes with titles like ‘New year, New me!’
It’s true that, for some of us, the notion of New Year’s Resolutions is a helpful one, for others not so much.
Instead of focusing on huge promises of giving up this or that, turning our lives around and becoming our idea of ‘perfect’, we wanted to focus on creating long term, sustainable change to improve our wellbeing.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the wellness trends you may see popping up this year.
Immune System
Understandably, there’s been a global focus on immunity and the function of immune systems over the past few years.
In 2022, however, it seems that more of us will be focusing on boosting our immune systems.
According to the Harvard Medical School, there are several small steps you can take to do this.
Things like quitting smoking, eating lots of fruits and vegetables and exercising regularly all contribute to a stronger immune system.
Mental Fitness
There has been an increase in the focus on mental wellbeing in recent times, how to improve it and how to spot the signs that you may not be doing so great.
This year the popularity of focusing on your mental fitness is set to continue.
Like with the immune system, exercise and diet play a huge role in improving your brain health.
To go the extra step, try writing a gratitude diary (where you put down three things each day you’re grateful for), meditation or practising ‘savouring’.
You can do this last one when you’re eating. Just turn off your phone and think about every bit of food you eat.
Some people try chewing each mouthful ten times before swallowing to get the most out of the experience.
Gut Health
2022 will see a rise in uptake for information and support on how to improve our gut health.
It’s now widely thought there is a direct link between your gut and your brain (called the gut-brain axis) and that the two feed (pardon the pun) into one another.
This topic is something we have been championing in the Health and Wellbeing Team for some time.
To start building a healthy gut, make sure you eat a diverse range of foods. This will introduce a wide array of (healthy) bacteria into your system.
Another trend that is likely to continue is the growth of fermented foods (such as kimchi, kombucha and gochujang), which is great as they often contain lots of lactobacilli bacteria - something hugely beneficial to your gut health.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a practice that has existed for thousands of years and recently gained much traction in the Western world.
This is set to continue into the new year with a focus on meditation and being in the present moment seen as vital to maintaining your overall wellbeing.
The basics of mindfulness include: putting time aside to do it, observing the world around you as it is, ignoring your judgements, always coming back to the present moment and being kind to your wandering mind.
If you’re interested in becoming a bit more mindful, there are loads of resources online to help.”
If you need support with any of the issues raised in this article and finding out what help the University can provide, the Health and Wellbeing team are here for you.
Book your appointments through Compass, email them at londonhealth@sunderland.ac.uk or call on 0207 531 7343 from Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm
Find out more by following #WeAreSunLon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.