According to a recent survey conducted by Young Living in which 5,000 adults from around the world were asked about their wellness habits, the Covid-19 pandemic has driven a greater level of awareness and understanding of personal wellness and heightened the importance of self-care and mental health. 
 
The survey found that more than half (57%) of global participants report they place more emphasis on taking care of their mental health since the Covid-19 pandemic began. Furthermore, 53% of participants report they’ve developed new wellness habits during the pandemic; 42% of participants resolved to set aside more time for their personal wellness in 2021; and 36% want to maintain the wellness habits they established during 2020.

The survey also revealed that stress is a huge barrier to happiness, affecting participants daily lives, jobs and more. With typical outlets for stress relief unavailable due to the pandemic, the survey revealed that more individuals conceptualize wellness as a component of mental health now than they did before the pandemic.
 

• 48% of participants stated they are stressed on a typical day, and 5% are so overwhelmed they almost can’t function.
• 73% of participants spend less than an hour a day engaging in wellness practices. 
• 28% of women who responded didn’t take any days off work in 2020, compared to only 23% men.
• In the U.S. specifically, 33% of women who responded didn’t take any days off work during 2020, compared to 23% of men. 
• Also in the U.S., 23% of women who responded report they feel guilty spending time on themselves, compared to 11% of men.
• The reason most participants cited for not spending more time on wellness right now are Covid-19 restrictions. This is a particularly high factor in the U.K. (47%), Brazil (47%) and Indonesia (42%). 

 
The Silver Lining of the Pandemic
 
Many individuals have taken this time to learn how to take better care of themselves to work through the stress the pandemic has caused. 
 

• Top weekly habits across the globe include drinking coffee or tea (78%), connecting with people and pets (74%), and going for walks (60%). 
• 1 in 5 participants across the globe use aromatherapy/essential oils at least weekly, 16% practice yoga, and 12% use CBD products. 
• 81% of participants in the U.S. who engage in religious or worship activities consider it a wellness practice, compared to 94% in Brazil, 82% in the U.K., 80% in Australia, and 77% in Indonesia. 

 
Looking ahead, the data shows that individuals are planning to continue the wellness habits they picked up over the last year:
 

• Almost half of participants (48%) are making wellness and self-care a top priority. 
• Practicing yoga and attending counseling/therapy sessions are the top habits picked up during the Covid-19 pandemic. Meditation, acupuncture, use of CBD products, and at-home spa or skincare treatments, also ranked highly. 
• 86% of participants who started meditating during the pandemic expect to continue doing so after the pandemic is over. 
• 85% of participants who started practicing yoga plan to stick with it.
• 32% of participants who regularly use aromatherapy/essential oils report it’s a habit they picked up during the pandemic.
• In the U.S., women who responded are more likely to have wellness goals than men, for example – 44% of women want to set aside more time compared to 32% of men, and 29% want to set aside more money compared to 21% of men. 

 
Young Living conducted this research using an online survey prepared by Method Research and distributed by Dynata among n=5,000 global adults ages 18-64, with 2,000 from the United States, 1,000 from the U.K., 1,000 from Brazil, 500 from Indonesia, and 500 from Australia. The sample was evenly distributed across age and gender within each individual country. The U.S. sample was balanced across census targets for race and geographical region. Data was collected from February 2 to February 17, 2021.