Mental health wellness trends 2025: This year has been dominated by an array of wellness buzzwords. Focused largely on recovery, several health professionals have pointed out the increasing relevance of longevity. Lifestyle influencers and billionaires, like Bryan Johnson and Pavel Durov alike, have shared a glimpse into the bizarre fitness this year – sending health experts into a divided frenzy.
This year also saw a digital-analogue balance as wellness experts advocated for a digital detox and slow living trends. Celebrity athletes, like Cristiano Ronaldo, who spend nearly $1 million a year on their fitness, revealed their extensive cryotherapy equipment and how recovery becomes more important than intensive training.
According to Aparna Vashishtha, Clinical Psychologist at Lissun, “Trends like cold plunging and forest bathing sit at an interesting intersection of science and culture. They are not magic cures, but they are also not empty fads.” However, such trends come with their share of warnings, with individuals who can and cannot use it. Here’s a look at mental health and wellness trends that dominated 2025.
- Cold Plunging
Cold plunging or contrast therapy is commonly known as cold water immersion or ice bathing. It involves submerging your body in water that typically ranges from 10-15°C. Cleveland Clinic defines its uses as a post-exercise recovery to help reduce inflammation via blood vessel constriction. Rohan Jain, co-founder of The Wellness Co shared that cold plunging is being used as a technique for “short-term mental reset and long-term mental reset.”
Jain explained, “From a physiological standpoint, controlled cold exposure triggers a surge of endorphins and dopamine, while simultaneously reducing cortisol and systemic inflammation, which are the key drivers of anxiety and low mood states.”
- Cryotherapy
A slightly scientific form of ice bathing, cryotherapy involves controlled application of extreme cold, typically using liquid nitrogen, argon gas, or cryogenic chambers. It involves freezing skin lesions, precancers, or internal tumours via probes. ” Most of these modalities, such as cryotherapy, red-light therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, IV drip therapy, etc. all work by regulating the nervous system. They reduce inflammation, improve circulation, enhance hydration, support mitochondrial health, and vastly boost oxygen,” shared Jain.
- AI Therapy
With the increasing popularity of AI chatbots, conversations have largely turned virtual, most likely with a coded companion. Several trends in 2025 showed that AI was being used in mindful exercises, mood tracking, and crisis management. However, while the model is barely based on machine learning, it is not an ideal solution for a mental health crisis. However, it may be used as a quick-fix and risk flagging, along with sleep analysis or monitoring stress data.
Speaking about tech-integrated fitness devices, Fittr founder JC had previously told financialexpress.com, “A wearable can tell you what you did; a trainer helps you understand why it matters.”
- Forest Bathing
Inspired by the Japanese technique shinrin-yoku, forest bathing involves slow, mindful immersion in nature. It majorly involves walking, sitting, or sensory engagement in wooded areas – for 2-4 hours. As per a Global Wellness Summit 2025 report, unlike relying on technology, it focuses on slow living and ‘analogue wellness’ and a futuristic approach to ‘augmented biology’.
- Digital Detox
In an already over-stimulated world, digital detox is one of the many deliberate attempts to disconnect. It involves a temporary disconnection from digital devices and online platforms – mainly smartphones, social media, and streaming. Carrying on the trends of living consciously helps reduce digital overload, improving interpersonal connection, and making a conscious effort to reduce doomscrolling.
Clinical Psychologist Aparna shared that these trends have become a rising point in conversations. While they may be helpful for “individuals who are physically healthy, emotionally regulated, and curious about somatic approaches, but it’s not something I’d broadly recommend to people with trauma histories.”
Ending, Vashishtha shared, “What I’ve noticed about these trends is that people are more interested in quick fixing their mental health and less interested in sustainable, nervous system friendly practices for different reasons. The real movement in 2025 should have been about regulation, presence, and learning how to feel safe in one’s own body again.”