Pre-2019, whenever 30-year-old Nilanjana had any health-related questions, she'd try to Google the answer. Now, we all know how that goes, right? One moment, you have nausea, probably because you ate something that didn't suit your system or you're stressed, but thanks to this internet search, you are suddenly dealing with a lethal ailment now.
This obviously is far from the truth but tell our worried self that. Luckily for Nilanjana, 2019 brought some semblance of calm to her life.
A work colleague introduced her to one of those platforms which connect you to doctors for virtual consultations. Today, instead of worrying if her niggling headache for some days is a sign of a brain tumour, the self-diagnosed hypochondriac just talks to an expert.
You see, prior to 2020, most of us had a transactional relationship with health. We worried about it when we fell sick, but the pandemic made us realise the importance of preventive healthcare.
And the pandemic also brought to the forefront the importance of mental wellbeing and mindfulness. Tasked with staying indoors with minimal, in-person, human connection, potential uncertainty about what the future now holds, and the niggling feeling of despair wondering will we ever get out of this 'masked' reality caused many of us to start dealing with chronic stress and anxiety.
That's what ushered in the massive boom in digital wellness, especially the digital mindfulness space. As per a 2019 research by the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness industry stands at a whopping $4.5 trillion, and the business of mindfulness is fast gaining ground to become a significant chunk of the overall pie.
According to the USA's CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) data from 2018, meditation and mindfulness have been the fastest-growing health trends in America, with nearly 40% of people reporting weekly meditation and breathwork sessions.
According to Google, the number of searches around yoga and meditation apps has also increased by 65% YoY; more than 52 million users downloaded the top 10 meditation apps in 2019.
The US meditation industry is now worth $1 billion, as per a report by IBIS World from earlier this year. As per another 2021 report by Grandview Research, the global alternative healthcare industry comprising meditation, acupuncture, breathing exercises, yoga, tai chi, and chiropractic services will be worth a staggering $296.3 billion by 2027. Mental Health Apps Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20.5% from 2021-2027 to reach $3.3 billion by 2027.
Closer home in India, the need for experts and services who can assist with mental health challenges is fast gaining ground, accelerated further by the pandemic.
As per the latest WHO data, 7.5 per cent of the Indian population suffered from mental health disorders in 2020; of this, 56 million suffered from depression and 38 million more from anxiety disorders.
To make matters worse, there are only 30 psychiatrists for every 10 million people. Not to mention the stigma associated with mental health issues and the high cost of therapy which makes it unaffordable for a large part of the population.
It is not that the country and the world wasn't grappling with mental health challenges before the pandemic, 2020 just exacerbated the issues. It amplified many of them ten-fold and brought to light some which were not on the radar until now.
To reiterate the pandemic wreaked havoc on our usual life - the uncertainty with respect to health, jobs, our futures, the frequency with which unfortunate news would come our way, the precariousness of life, everything took a toll on our collective mental health.
While for people who lived alone, the absence of human contact was tough, for families, dealing with the same people every waking moment came with its own set of challenges, not to mention parents who were suddenly tasked with home-schooling their kids.
Add to this the pressure of having to adapt and adjust to working from home. We were suddenly dealing with so much of what we'd never dealt with before.
This is precisely where digital platforms promoting mindfulness and mental wellbeing came in and offered solace, and subsequently grew exponentially. The greatest USP of opting for a digital route is convenience - I can consult a therapist from the comfort of my home, I can join virtual exercise/yoga classes if my gym is shut, I can track my sleep, women can track their periods, there's an app for most things today.
So dynamic is the space now that the world's 10 largest English-language mental wellness apps (especially those for meditation) saw a combined 2 million more downloads across April 2020 compared with January, as per Sensor Tower data.
India isn't far behind either in this global trend.
The second wave of the pandemic saw Indians downloading more fitness and meditation apps to stay healthy. App downloads increased by about 20% during the first few months of 2021, with some apps seeing a surge of as much as 50% since mid-February.
It's no surprise that everybody wants a piece of the digital mindfulness pie. There are apps where big celebrities put you to sleep, apps that have done some of the coolest integrations with other brands to enhance users' engagement with the product, and everyone is after hyper-personalisation so the end consumer gets the best experience when they are navigating through the platform.
In fact, there is a meditation app in the US where in-house music producers and DJs create specific, mood-enhancing rhythms and binaural beats which helps users relax and be more open to trigger positive emotions.
There's a popular meme that says, "Modern problems require modern solutions" and the digital mindfulness industry is perfecting the art, one new platform/product/service at a time.
Rajan Navani - The author is Vice Chairman & Managing Director, JetSynthesys.
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