Top 6 Wellness Coaching Trends for 2022 (Rejoice! They’re Promising)

Sometimes it’s hard to believe how much the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our lives and work as wellness coaches or trainers.

Even now, while COVID restrictions have relaxed, it's hard for us (and our clients) not to default to fear-based thinking — which rears its ugly head in our behaviors and our bodies. 

With the omicron strain making headlines, you’re likely experiencing some level of emotional or mental discomfort in response to the major distortion-effect COVID is having.

2019 awakened us to the fact that life can change instantly. 2020 was about embracing the new changes and accepting the new normal. 2021 has been about growth and reckoning. With 2022 having just turned the corner, you can’t afford to let this momentum wane. 

But have no fear, my fellow professionals, the trends in wellness coaching that are likely to shape this year are pretty promising. Dare I say it: they’re hopeful! 

The Top 2022 Wellness Coaching Trends for Professionals

The New Normal Normalizes Our Mental Health and Wellbeing

While we saw a tinge of it in 2019, 2020 and 2021 called our global family to the mat on all the uncomfortable stuff we’d collectively been stuffing down rather than facing. Fear, loss, social isolation, disconnection, daily routine interruption and new ways of living, relating and working together took many of us well past our mental/emotional thresholds, triggering traumaversaries galore. 

And what’s the result when we’re collectively overwhelmed? A breakdown. But breakdowns tend to lead to breakthroughs, and part of this one was an organic detachment of the stigma often associated with struggling and asking for help. 

In 2022 with more private access to telehealth from home, more people working from home, and more cultural permission to raise the white flag on our mental health and wellbeing — the new normal will effectively normalize our mental health and wellbeing.

Sound Healing Will Resonate

This health and wellness trend is taking the industry by storm, and it's unlikely to stop anytime soon. The sound healing method invites participants to use virtual or pre-recorded auditory experiences to improve emotional and physical health and wellbeing. 

The Safe and Sound Protocol, or SSP,  is a non-invasive application of Polyvagal Theory, based on decades of research and developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, Unyte’s Chief Scientific Advisor. 

Sound healing is diverse and ranges from calm meditations to music therapy. Recent research by Dr. Steven Porges on the vagus nerve’s role in helping us self-regulate our nervous systems to a place of safety (rather than trigger or trauma) has played a crucial role in sound healing’s basis in science and its efficacy in clinical practice.

Enter: a New Era of Trauma-Informed Clients

The conversation around mental health has been on the rise, and more people are willfully learning about its impact on their mind-body wellness. 

“I encourage other millennials to keep using their voices. With social media, our platform is a lot larger than the platforms earlier generations have had. The more we talk about mental health, the more we’re able to help break down the stigma that keeps people silent. The more knowledge we take in, the more truth we’re able to spread.” — Diamond James, Social Worker

Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Diamond James, calls more people to speak up about their experiences sparking open discussions on mental health, wellbeing, trauma and the nervous system.

Spiritual Self-Care Will Take the World by Storm

Since COVID arrived and knocked down the door, more people have dedicated time to their spiritual wellbeing, and this trend will carry on to 2022. The spiritual self-care segment will further enhance this wellness coaching trend through its broad social audience appeal on platforms like TikTok. 

Accessible Digital Healthcare Tech Will Continue to Mature

Telehealth has been on the rise, and mind-body professionals will continue to offer their clients services from the comfort of their homes. And digital healthcare technology is rapidly maturing given the exponential need COVID introduced. The increase in technical maturity means increased wellness coaching access for anyone with a stable internet connection and smartphone.

More Clients Will Adopt Stress Tracking

Access to wearable devices has increased, and people can now track their overall health at home. Stress tracking devices help clients customize their mind-body wellness routine based on their vitals. 

Here are more health and wellness-focused coaching niches in 2022:

• Sleep hygiene
• Advocacy on portable wellness tools
• Regenerative travel
• Manifestation journaling
• Entertainment wellness.

Our Takeaways

The future of wellness coaching is almost here, and it’s gently, but loudly, a-knocking at your virtual door. As the poet Rumi suggested: you may want to invite it inside for tea. 

Your clients’ wellness is so closely tied to your own. Make sure you take your own sage advice by understanding this year’s trends and, wherever necessary, engaging the services of a wellness coach yourself. 

As a solo wellness coach or trainer, offering clients a more mature, secure and integrated experience with your services, courses and programs can reflect the health and wellness of your practice. So try Profi’s all-in-one wellness coaching platform yourself (FREE for 30 days). 

For teams and corporations wanting to get ahead of the 2022 wellness coaching industry trends that we covered here, but needing a scalable online platform to do it with, book a demo with us today.