Are You Just As Overwhelmed As Me With Wellness?

I don’t know about you, but I feel like the wellness industry for me has become completely overwhelming.

And I say that as someone who works in this space and loves this space but something is wrong. I almost can't put my finger on it, but it just doesn't feel right anymore.

I think maybe it's because of instead of it making us feel better, it feels like it’s making us more stressed.

There is so much information, so many “rules” and so many things we should be doing, that it’s starting to feel like a full time job just trying to be well. And the irony is, the more we try to do everything, the worse we seem to feel.

You wake up and check your Oura ring (or other tracking device) and it tells you that you’ve had a bad night’s sleep. Even though, up until that point, you felt absolutely fine. But now you don’t feel fine, because the data says you shouldn’t. So you start your day already on the back foot, already thinking you’re tired and wondering what’s wrong with you.

Then there’s food, which feels like a minefield in itself. You’re intermittent fasting because it’s meant to be good for you, but then you read that it’s not great for women and can affect your hormones. So now you’re questioning that. You’re trying to eat more protein because we all need protein, but don’t forget fibre, and don’t forget that carbs are important, but also maybe you should be keto, but not too keto because that can mess with your hormones as well. It’s a constant form of gaslighting and it's driving me (and my clients) insane. "Have you heard that you shouldn't do this?" or "Make sure you never eat this or wear that". "You have to be doing this new thing... oh my god! Why would you do that... it's so bad for you!"

I AM LITERALLY LOSING MY MIND OVER HERE!

And then come the supplements. Magnesium for sleep, vitamin D because we’re all deficient, omega oils, collagen, greens powders, something for your gut, something for your hormones, something for your stress. And I’m not saying any of these things are bad, but how many of us actually know what we need?

How many of us have really looked at our own body, our own hormones, our own lifestyle, what medication we might be on, how everything interacts together… and made a decision based on that? Because are you a dietician? Do you have the clinical data to prove you need to take extra magnesium, zinc and everything else? Do you know what happens when you take maca powder and ashwagandha together?? In short, it can send you loopy - trust me! I've been there, done that, lost my mind and cried to my mother for thirty minutes before I realised, oh it's the combo of those two 'mood balancing powders'!

Also, why are you taking these things? Because you should? Should though why? Who said so? Are they actually right? Because that influencer you follow on the tikoty toks told you you need to take these things? Are you sure it isn't because they need the commission??

Because it's a very expensive way to feel like you’re doing something without actually knowing if it’s doing anything at all.

And then you look at how much you’re spending. Supplements, gym memberships, wellness apps, classes. And you have to ask yourself, is this actually making me feel better, or is it adding another layer of pressure? If you took that same money and put it towards something that genuinely made you happy, would that do more for your overall wellbeing than an Oura ring ever could?

What I find the most exhausting is that everything seems to contradict itself.

You should be cold plunging, because it’s amazing for you, but maybe not if you’re a woman, because it can affect your hormones. You should be running for your mental health, but it’s not great for your joints, your skin, or your boobs. You should be lifting weights, but don’t get too bulky, but don't worry you won't get too bulky because it's not easy - because of your hormones, nothing is easy!! You should be ageing naturally, but also don’t look like you’re ageing. Have Botox, but make sure nobody can tell. If they can tell, that’s not good either. Or maybe just have surgery, but definitely don’t tell anyone about that.

It’s constant, and it’s confusing, and it’s no wonder so many women feel like they’re getting it wrong.

Because the rules keep changing over and over again, all at the same time.

And on top of all of that, you’re expected to live a normal life. Work, run a home, maintain relationships, possibly raise children, navigate perimenopause, look after your health, look after your skin, and somehow look like you’ve got it all together while you’re doing it. Stay calm, stay positive, stay grateful, keep going and above all... don’t make a fuss.

We’re told to listen to our bodies, but also to override them. Then we’re told to slow down, but also to do more. Take care of ourselves, but not in a way that inconveniences anyone else.

"Don't stop when you're tired... stop when you're done" - don't tell me when to stop thank you, let me be the judge of that.

You wouldn’t say half of this to a man, would you? Women are expected to mask, internalise, smile at all times, be kind and above all else, politely shut the eff up.

This is what I would call wellness fatigue. It’s not that we don’t want to feel good. It’s that we’re trying to do too much, all at once, based on information that isn’t always relevant to us. We are constantly being told what we should be doing, how we should be eating, how we should be exercising, how we should be ageing. And somewhere along the way, we’ve stopped asking what actually works for us.

And of course, this shows up in the skin as well. Stress, confusion, lack of sleep, overthinking, overdoing… it all has an impact. The skin becomes dull, reactive, inflamed, harder to manage. And then we try to fix that by doing more, adding more, buying more, when sometimes the answer is actually to take a step back.

I don’t think the solution is doing everything better. I think it’s doing less, but doing it properly. Choosing the things that genuinely make you feel good, not the things you feel like you should be doing. Understanding your own body rather than trying to follow a blueprint that was never designed for you in the first place.

Remember wellness shouldn’t feel like pressure and it definitely shouldn’t feel like you’re failing at it every single day.

(BTW, if it does, something has gone categorically wrong.)

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with your skin, your routine or everything that comes with trying to “get it right”, you’re not the only one. If you want help fighting through the noise and working out what actually matters for you, you can book an online consultation with me here. It's just an old fashioned chat about real life and normal skin problems - all wrapped in a 2026 style Zoom call.

Do you feel the same or is it just me? Let me know in the comments below.

Thank you so much for reading,

Emmaline