In the days before the pandemic, we tended to treat our wellness when it became an emergency. Burnout was worn like a badge of honour, therapy was whispered about behind closed doors, and if you weren’t “doing it all,” you were falling behind.
Five years on from our version of the Great Plague, we’re in a different season. While the world didn’t exactly get softer, (rising living costs, loadshedding fatigue and increased rates of depression), the people did. Especially younger South Africans. Despite what some may think, being soft is not a bad thing. Millennials and Gen Z are significantly more inclined to seek therapy compared to older generations. A 2023 survey revealed that 55% of individuals from these younger cohorts have pursued therapy, with 40% actively seeking it in 2024. In contrast, only 11% of Baby Boomers have engaged in therapy since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What used to be survival mode has become a quiet rebellion: one that chooses wholeness over wealth and connection over competition. Half a decade on from the pandemic, we’re now committed to designing lives, not just managing crises.
Wellness has left the spa and stepped into the real world.
In 2020, wellness was reactive. Now, it’s proactive and deeply personal. You’ll find it in sunset walks with friends. In fact, a Global Nature Survey revealed that South Africans now spend more time in nature than anyone else in the world. More than 92% of the global respondents prioritise spending time outdoors.
Wellbeing is now as much about sleep routines as it is about step counts. In group chats, people now openly share therapy tips instead of pretending everything is fine. More South Africans are openly naming their mental health struggles and seeking real tools for help. One in six South Africans lives with anxiety, depression or substance abuse, yet public access to psychologists is limited, with only one psychologist per 100,000 people in the state system. The result? We’re turning to technology. From mindfulness tools like YuLife’s app, to digital therapy platforms, technology is helping make healing something you can access in your own time, in your own space. The YuLife app, for example, uses gamification to encourage users to engage with wellness activities. These can be anything from guided meditations to walks, activity tracking and other wellness goals. Unlike other apps YuLife’s app doesn’t try to push its users to become super athletes but rather to gently embrace wellness at their own pace. This doesn’t just help people, it helps businesses too.
When employees aren’t well, it doesn’t just show up on sick days, it shows up in the bottom line. Rising healthcare costs, mounting insurance claims and drops in productivity from preventable conditions all takes a toll on businesses.
“When people feel genuinely supported, mentally, physically and emotionally, they show up differently. They collaborate better, perform with more energy and feel more connected to their work. Prioritising wellbeing isn’t just the human thing to do, it’s a smart, sustainable business move,” says Jaco Oosthuizen, MD and co-founder of YuLife SA.
This new era of wellness isn’t a trend. It’s a correction. A cultural deep breath. And in the quiet that follows, people are choosing themselves, not in a selfish way, but in the most sustainable, collective sense possible.
We’re not just trying to live longer. We’re trying to live better. And that changes everything.