WELLNESS MATTERS: The Self-Care Spectrum
A REPORT ON HOW AMID GLOBAL AND PERSONAL PRESSURES, SELF-CARE IS BECOMING A DAILY TOOL FOR THE PUBLIC
PUBLISHED MAY 2025
Aspiration for Wellness, Identity, Control
Across the Irish public, the desire for wellbeing is clear and culturally consistent. Four in five adults believe that rest is just as important as productivity. Most say they want to make time for themselves, to slow down, to feel better. The aspiration for balance isn’t marginal, it’s mainstream. But aspiration is never just about goals; it’s about identity. Wellness is no longer a fringe interest for the few—it’s a symbol of agency in uncertain times.
What this report reveals is that aspiration often begins as a quiet promise to feel more like oneself again. For some, it looks like becoming more grounded and structured. For others, it’s about seeking joy, flexibility, or energy. Many are guided by internal narratives: to be better, to feel better, to cope. Whether they align with the Self-Improver, the Rest Seeker, or the Realist, the common thread is this: wellness has become a way to reclaim control in a world that often feels out of control. But aspirations don’t always turn into action.
Action Gap Undermines Wellness Intentions
Despite strong intention, most people are not consistently engaging in wellbeing behaviours. While 63% say they make time for themselves, only 36% give themselves full permission to stop and rest. Just 41% report spending time with people who make them feel good. Fewer still engage with reflection or expression: only 22% journal or write, and just 19% allow space for emotional release like crying or venting.
This reveals a significant gap between mindset and motion, between wanting to care and knowing how or being able to act on that care. The reasons are multi-layered: lack of time, emotional fatigue, the influence of social media, and a broader culture that still quietly rewards productivity over pause. Some segments, like Aspiring Jugglers, are trying, often too hard. Others, like Cautious Minimalists, remain quietly on the edge of the wellness conversation. Burnt-Out Caregivers, meanwhile, are stuck in a loop of responsibility and depletion, where self-care feels both necessary and unattainable. The result? A public ready for wellness, but without clear pathways.
Permission and Pause:
A Realistic Approach
If this research shows us anything, it’s that real self-care in Ireland today is grounded in simplicity, not spectacle. People don’t need more perfection; they need more permission. Permission to pause. Permission to be inconsistent. Permission to find comfort in the ordinary.
Wellness, for many, is not about achieving optimal performance; it’s about surviving the week. A hot shower, a decent sleep, or a walk outside are often enough. And that’s the point. The rise of personas like The Realist and The Rest Seeker signals a shift away from optimisation culture and toward practical, emotionally honest care.
The most resonant strategies are those that fit within the messy, beautiful reality of modern life: care that can be done in five minutes, without guilt, without a filter, and facilitated by a brand. This is not a retreat from wellness, it’s a redefinition. One that favours rhythm over rigidity, recovery over reinvention.
It’s not about doing it all. It’s about doing what matters when it matters most..
