19 Trends Shaping Human Sustainability in 2021
The author Stephen King coined the term “gone nineteen” to refer to a moment when everything changes and reality is put on its head. The coronavirus pandemic changed life in an instant. Millions of people were out of work or putting in long hours while caring for their families and communities and feeling the stress of isolation. As the year wore on, women, parents, and people of color burned out at alarming rates.
There’s no telling when we might shift out of burnout culture. However, in some respects the brutal disruption to our way of life has helped us get unstuck. This year we spent more time with family, traveled less for work, and reexamined what is essential to our well-being. Now, having “gone nineteen,” signs point to a more empathetic culture ahead, a society that truly values the quality of life and sustainability of all people — our human sustainability.
Editor’s note: Fads are short-lived. The word “trend,” by contrast, is used here to refer to noteworthy developments with potential to influence long-term change.
1. Recognizing our shared humanity
There was no shortage of difficult topics to address this year, from a public health crisis to racial justice to climate disruption. Pew Research Center found that 45% of Americans have stopped talking about politics with someone in their life. “There’s a good deal of research that suggests that our current polarized environment is having a negative impact on our well-being,” says Caroline Mehl, co-founder and executive director of OpenMind.
There has been an uptick in the number of organizations addressing divisiveness and providing tools to have difficult conversations. This year Search for Common Ground responded to misinformation and used its peace-building programs to inspire trust and coexistence. Living Room Conversations also is working to heal divides by providing conversation guides and restoring a shared narrative based on fundamental facts.
Learning to communicate constructively across differences translates to increased warmth toward others, an increase in intellectual humility, and feeling more comfortable to share our views. It may also improve personal and communal well-being. “In the long-term, this will likely reduce stress levels and improve relationships — both of which have significant positive effects on mental and even physical health,” says Mehl.
While 2020 exposed our divides, it was also a catalyst for important conversations and community support. Even a simple act of kindness, such as picking up groceries for a neighbor, goes a long way. A new study finds that knowing as few as six neighbors reduces loneliness and improves well-being.
2. Shifting from self-care to collective care
Back in April, Reggie Hubbard, a senior political strategist and yoga instructor in Maryland, remained peaceful while noticing others in the yoga world and political space beginning to break down.
“I felt an obligation to offer accessible yoga and meditation,” he says. Hubbard set up a donation-based online community for people to share what’s going on in their lives and “use the asana and breath work to cultivate equanimity to endure the challenges that we all are facing at this time,” he says.
In order for the yoga studio model to have salience and endure post-COVID, Hubbard suggests that studios serve as places for personal and collective care. There’s an opportunity to create supportive spaces focused on sharing practices for the whole individual with the whole community, “as opposed to retreats for a privileged few looking to tune out from the stresses of life,” says Hubbard.
3. Reimagining labor and leisure
While cooped up at home, many of us had time to turn inward and reflect. David Staley, Ph.D., a futurist and associate professor of history at The Ohio State University, imagines one outcome from grappling with what is essential in life might be viewing leisure as an essential human activity.
“Those of us privileged to work remotely during the pandemic have been afforded the opportunity to control the temporal pace of our work,” Staley says. “Some of us have used the opportunity of remote employment to intersperse work with leisure.”
He defines leisure not as idleness or laziness, but rather choosing how we spend our time, which may involve strenuous labor. “I might aid the poor, or read poetry, or daydream, or tend a vegetable garden, or play. Employment means laboring for someone else for a wage. Leisure means engaging in personally meaningful labor.”
If a life of leisure sounds nice in theory but impossible — irresponsible, even — in practice, then it might be worth examining beliefs around rest. We live in a hustle culture that rewards productivity at all costs. I’m slowly, painfully learning that it’s not enough to intellectually grasp the value of rest; I have to actually reframe my beliefs and work at rest. To borrow a reframe from Untamed, by Glennon Doyle:
“Hard work is important. So are play and nonproductivity. My worth is tied not to my productivity but to my existence. I am worthy of rest.”
4. Democratizing health and wellness
The pandemic has disproportionately affected the well-being of low-income communities and people of color. There’s an opportunity for new solutions in health and fitness to be created with and designed for underrepresented communities most affected by an unjust system.
According to Fitt, investors have poured more than $1B into digital and connected fitness companies since March. But many digital fitness products are designed for affluent customers. As the industry changes rapidly, leaders have a chance to step up and close gaps in access and opportunity to fitness and wellness.
Organizations like CTZNWELL are committed to dismantling the systemic barriers that interfere with being well through resources and conversations on topics ranging from race and resilience to the politics of community care.
5. Rethinking business as usual
According to Spotify, I listened to 1,572 minutes of The Ezra Klein Show this year. I was bummed to hear, in Klein’s final episode of the year, that it would be his last. What really struck me was his reason for leaving Vox. “Being a founder has been the most rewarding experience of my career, but it has also without any doubt, without any real runner-up, been the hardest. And I am burnt out on it,” Klein told his listeners.
Research shows that burnout is disproportionately high among founders. This is particularly troubling at a time when many people are venturing out on their own, starting their own company or taking on side gigs. Coming out of this pandemic, we’re going to have to create new jobs and innovative business models, and we’re going to have to find new ways to go about it so entrepreneurs and employees everywhere don’t crash and burn.
6. Working out at home
Prior to the pandemic, Andrea McCoy held several boutique fitness memberships. A consultant with more than a decade of coaching experience in the fitness industry, McCoy curated a varied routine for herself while connecting with like-minded fitness enthusiasts at her studios. When gyms shut down, she purchased a Peloton, looking to replicate that experience online.
“Companies like Tonal, Tempo, Mirror, and Peloton are thriving because they have found a beautiful cross-section between variety and community in the digital space,” says McCoy. Sales for digital fitness brands soared this year, while interest in at-home fitness equipment increased 500%, according to Fitt.
No doubt, there are elements of the in-person experience that are difficult to recreate online, but innovations in artificial intelligence and virtual reality, plus other emerging trends, may also produce elements that will be difficult to recreate in the gym. Regardless of where and how people train in the future, McCoy says convenience, accessibility, connectedness, and entertainment are key factors in how consumers determine value.
For fitness professionals navigating this changing space, platforms like MindBody and Future offer new opportunities to connect with personal training clients, while certifying organizations like the National Academy of Sports Medicine have developed virtual coaching resources to create a successful virtual coaching business.
7. Leaving town
1 in 4 Americans want to live someplace else, fueling a mass migration out of big cities, according to a survey by Redfin. The real estate site predicts 14.5 million Americans will move in 2021.
“When the pandemic hit, it put in perspective how little space we had, especially with multiple people working from home,” says McCoy, who was living in San Francisco at the time with her boyfriend. They had been looking at homes outside the city prior to the pandemic, so they were able to quickly move into a house in Marin County. Although they miss the city’s culture, the move has been a welcome shift to nature. She says they’re more active now, hiking, mountain biking, and exploring the woods.
The pandemic has encouraged McCoy and others to examine what’s most important in a living space. “The appeal of SF isn’t the same,” she says. Now, she’s trying new things, like driving for the first time in 10 years.
8. Reconnecting with nature
Human sustainability doesn’t exist without a stable planet. In 2020, there was a boom in people biking, camping, and growing their own food. Outside magazine referred to Mother Nature as this year’s It Girl. We coped by gathering and exercising outdoors, but we could not outrun the devastating wildfires that now burn through all our seasons.
From snowboarders to mountain bikers, the outdoor community took a stand to protect the environment and wrestled with systemic racism. With the announcement of several progressive appointees to environmental offices, including Deb Haaland as the first Native American interior secretary, there is hope for our public lands, environmental justice, and transformative change for our planet.
9. Taking back our attention
“The Social Dilemma” helped expose the role of addictive social media in our attention economy to millions of people. “We need radically reimagined technology infrastructure and business models that actually align with humanity’s best interests,” states the Center for Humane Technology.
We also need more accountability and responsibility for the use of tech. “Politicians and media companies are leveraging outrage as a tool to capture and monetize attention and engagement,” says Mehl. “This is having a negative impact on individuals’ mental health and relationships.”
A study published in March in American Economic Review found that going off Facebook for a month leads to improved well-being, including more time socializing with family and friends offline.
With more time at home this year, we streamed more than ever, but we also went offline and got creative with home-improvement projects. Pinterest’s rising popularity had something to do with that. As Pinterest CMO Andréa Mallard told CES earlier this year, “Our goal is never to keep people online. What we really want is people to find hopefully what they’re looking for, to be inspired, and go off and do it.”
10. Eating well at home
This year it seemed as if everyone started ordering takeout, groceries, and meal kits, and baking sourdough. Meal delivery companies, such as Freshly and Trifecta, grew exponentially. “The subscription model of meal delivery services will continue to take off in 2021,” predicts Mario LimaDuran, executive performance chef for the organic meal delivery service Trifecta.
Two years ago LimaDuran had never tried meal delivery. As a chef, he scoffed at the idea. That same year LimaDuran left the restaurant industry. Now, during the pandemic, meal delivery helps him stick to his health goals and cuts down on the time and stress of planning and cooking every meal, allowing him (and others) to accomplish more at home.
Whether ordering ready-to-eat meals or à la carte, meal delivery can inspire exploration and experimentation so you don’t suffer from what he calls “meal prep burnout.” And what about the future of cooking? “I’m never not going to be cooking,” says LimaDuran. Meal delivery isn’t an either/or proposition. “If it helps people take their health into their own hands, as a chef, I’m behind that 100 percent.”
11. Standing up for human rights
Hubbard, who is the owner of Active Peace Yoga, has seen more outspoken yogis and yoga teachers this year who are no longer tethered to the excuse of not wanting to bring politics into the yoga space. He describes yoga as “political, confrontational and transformational, not apolitical, milquetoast and inauthentic.”
The trend of more people practicing yoga at home has helped people transition to practicing yogic values in service to the greater good rather than just practicing asana (the physical postures) for aesthetic reasons. “For me, the practice of yoga requires a personal practice that incorporates journaling, service, discipline and consistency,” says Hubbard, “and that level of discipleship seems to be taking root.”
12. Coming together virtually
A report from the Pew Research Center found that most people working remotely would like to continue working at home post-pandemic. One result: Virtual events are here to stay. At least that’s what I heard at a virtual event. The event hosts cited a survey from Bizzabo, which found that 80% of event marketers were able to reach a wider audience with virtual events compared to in-person events, and they predict a larger hybrid event strategy to come.
This trend is changing the way we connect, interact, and learn from people all over the world. If fewer people travel for conferences, for instance, this has positive implications for reducing our carbon emissions while freeing up more time for family and leisure activities.
13. Recognizing and amplifying diverse voices
This year millions of people marched, protested, learned and listened, demanding equality. Change is taking place across industries, including health and wellness.
“A space has been created for diverse voices to be heard,” says Hubbard. “Prior to the pandemic I do not think there was much opportunity for different identities, shapes and colors to be seen on the same level as the stereotypical fit, white female teacher.” Hubbard continues:
“As we rebuild our society and reimagine all things macro/micro, I do think that the gravitas that someone like myself (and others) bring(s) because of our activism, expertise, and difference from the norm offers a broadening of perspectives that deepens the types of expertise being offered, thereby offering more depth and substance for everyone.”
14. Connecting more with family
With less travel and no commuting for remote workers, there was a silver lining for many parents: more time with their kids. Even though parents were tasked with the impossible balancing act of childcare, homeschooling, and work, 66% of people surveyed in a poll of 2,000 Americans, which included 1,200 parents, said the pandemic has brought them closer to their family than ever before.
15. Investing in facts and better content
A Buzzfeed report called 2020 the year of the infodemic (information crisis). Disinformation polarizes us and strains relationships. Social media companies’ attempts to combat disinformation have not sufficed. Here are some tips to help stop the spread of falsehoods.
It’s not just false content that’s a problem. Contently reports that content investment by brands is on the rise for 2021 due to a backlash against mediocre content. This has potential to be good for digital wellness if brands prioritize quality over churning out posts to grab attention. (At Nineteen, we’re interested in exploring ways to help focus people’s attention rather than vying for it. If you’re working on this, let’s connect.)
16. Learning to be bored
A pair of new articles examine The Year of Boredom, and explain why it’s so hard to be bored. Kendra Pierre-Louis reported on a study that found boredom might be affecting the spread of the coronavirus. Basically, if you can’t stand to be bored, it may be harder to socially distance, the research suggests. Your environment, personality, and motivation all play a role in how you deal with boredom.
Shaya Love, author of a new Vice article, cites an interesting correlation between boredom and a productivity-obsessed culture. “Our desire to wield boredom for productivity and creativity could be seen as further proof that we’re incredibly uncomfortable with just sitting with a difficult emotion,” Love writes. “If you can only be bored if it leads to something positive — you may struggle with moments of boredom that don’t serve that function for you.”
Simply put, boredom can be scary. This year is teaching us to confront our fear rather than run from it, and to view boredom as a signal to pause, reflect, and consider what’s meaningful in the moment.
17. Eating in your rhythm
Nutrition, like many issues today, has become polarizing. From keto to vegan, paleo to intermittent fasting, “everyone feels what worked for them is the answer,” says Karla Wright, RD, CSSD, a dietitian in Phoenix, Arizona. “But each person is different. And we need to respect that.”
In 2021, the trend toward personalization in nutrition will continue. Wright predicts at-home blood tests will increase in popularity, allowing more people to identify nutrient deficiencies or toxicities based on lab work. There will also be greater interest in adjusting diet to sleep-wake cycles. Wearables such as Whoop and Oura help you understand your sleep patterns and recovery needs, so you can learn how to eat at the best times for your natural rhythms.
18. Influencing for good
“The role of the influencer has largely been transactional, promoting items on social media in order to inspire purchase,” writes the strategist Jennifer Der in BITES. “But as we open up to each other in new ways, ‘influence’ is taking on a more selfless form, allowing us to engage in conversations we’ve never had before, in places they’ve traditionally been unwelcome.”
Der predicts the next class of influencers will be “authorized by lived experiences and a commitment to the greater good, not image or personal gain.” For instance, Lebron James’s “More Than a Vote” campaign recruited more than 40,000 volunteers to sign up as poll workers for the 2020 election.
19. Getting comfortable with uncertainty
As we continue through this global health crisis, with so much change, Delilah Rene is still taking calls and offering comfort every evening, as reported in this feel-good episode of The Daily, hosted by Andy Mills and Bianca Giaeve. As Mills described the power of Delilah in this moment: “To just listen to people, to perform the most essential act of love, giving people attention…right now it’s almost subversive in its earnestness.”
I’ve had lots to be uncertain about: losing a job and starting Nineteen, living in an extended honeymoon with my wife who is also out of work, and wondering if we will be among the lucky couples to create a COVID baby. But when I’m able to relax for a moment, I can see how all of this uncertainty is teaching me to trust that things will be OK.
Looking Ahead
Thanks to our readers and creators, we launched Nineteen in 2020 and built a small audience on Medium, LinkedIn, and Instagram. We published a handful of articles on burnout, mindfulness, and entrepreneurship. And we introduced a premise for human sustainability: living in your rhythm instead of operating in survival mode.
In 2021, we plan to explore new dimensions of human sustainability, and we want to make Nineteen more of a dialogue. We would like to hear what you think of these trends and how you’re feeling about your own sustainability. Here’s a question to reflect on and comment on, if you like: What is essential to living in your rhythm?
