As we navigate through 2025, a quiet rebellion is stirring against the digital world that has increasingly consumed our daily lives. Oxford University’s 2024 word of the year was "brain rot," a term highlighting the cognitive consequences of excessive screen time. It's a conversation that centres on the growing concern over the impact of virtual life on our mental well-being, something that the average person may now face as they engage with their devices for hours on end. While these concerns are gaining traction, a new trend is taking hold: analog wellness.
The Rise of Analog Wellness
In January 2025, the Global Wellness Summit released its annual trends report, placing analog wellness at the forefront of upcoming shifts in wellness culture. The term “analog wellness” speaks to a collective return to simpler, tech-free, and more tactile ways of living. This trend is a two-pronged movement: a conscious effort to reduce digital interactions and a growing desire to embrace more creative, in-person, and analogue activities.
Beth McGroarty, Vice President of Research at the Global Wellness Institute, describes 2025 as the year of a “great logging off,” a mass departure from the over-digitalised lifestyles many of us lead. But this shift doesn’t end with stepping away from screens. It’s about the analog-ing on, the deliberate action of immersing ourselves in physical, creative, and face-to-face experiences that nourish our mental and emotional well-being.
Why is Analog Wellness Gaining Popularity?
The “brain rot” associated with excessive screen time isn’t just about the sheer number of hours we spend on devices. The constant stream of information we consume now up to a staggering 74 gigabytes daily, the equivalent of a lifetime’s worth of data just 500 years ago is overwhelming. Studies show that this constant barrage negatively impacts our ability to focus, think critically, and engage in meaningful interactions. McGroarty believes that this has led to a “manipulation” of our senses and a feeling of junkiness in our digital spaces.
It’s no wonder that many are seeking a reprieve from this unrelenting digital overload. Wellness apps that promote mindfulness, focus, and screen time management are seeing a rise in popularity. Apps like ScreenZen help users limit their exposure to distracting social media apps, while Forest encourages a digital detox by growing a virtual tree every time you put down your phone.
The Great Logging Off
The desire to step away from digital overload is not just a passing trend. A 2023 Harris poll found that 77% of people aged 35 to 54 would prefer to live in an era before the ubiquity of the Internet and smartphones, a sentiment shared by 63% of younger individuals, despite their having grown up in an increasingly connected world. The pandemic exacerbated our reliance on screens, leading to longer hours spent on devices and further blurring the boundaries between work and personal life.
Governments are beginning to respond too. In Australia, a law was passed that prohibits anyone under the age of 16 from having a social media account, while another new law, effective in 2024, gives workers the “right to disconnect” from work-related emails and calls after hours. These regulatory shifts highlight the growing recognition of the need to regain control over our digital habits.
The Great Analog-ing On
But it’s not just about reducing screen time; it’s about embracing the analog lifestyle with intention. The past few years have seen a resurgence of “old-school” technologies, from vinyl records to flip phones, as people begin to seek out more tactile and purposeful experiences. This revival is particularly strong among Gen Z, whose preference for these retro items often stems from a desire to escape the overwhelming saturation of the digital world.
In-person clubs are also experiencing a boom in popularity. People are joining running clubs, knitting circles, chess meet-ups, cooking workshops, and even more niche activities like blacksmithing and pasta-making. These events create opportunities for social connection, learning, and relaxation, all without the constant distraction of notifications and screens. According to Yelp’s 2024 trend data, some of these activities have seen search volumes soar for instance, searches for sewing classes have risen by 76%, while those for pasta-making classes have surged by 515%.
Beth McGroarty refers to these grassroots activities as “super inclusive,” highlighting their social nature and their ability to bring people together in a world that often feels disconnected. These spaces are defined not only by their low-tech or no-tech ethos but also by the sense of community they cultivate.
A New Pillar of Wellness
Unlike traditional wellness practices focused on performance optimization, such as using fitness trackers or biohacking, analog wellness centres on pleasure, creativity, and connection. It’s a movement that seeks to restore balance in an increasingly digital world, where mindfulness, relaxation, and community are prioritised over productivity.
McGroarty emphasises that this trend is not about rejecting technology entirely, nor is it a “luddite” movement. Rather, it’s an attempt to “reclaim a real world” that’s not dominated by screens. In this way, analog wellness is a retro-futuristic concept a vision of the future where technology is used intentionally, and the negatives of a hyper-digital world (such as reduced attention spans and social isolation) are left behind.
The Future of Analog Wellness
As we move deeper into 2025, it’s clear that analog wellness is more than a fleeting trend. It's a response to the digital saturation that has permeated our lives, pushing for a recalibration of how we engage with technology. While we may never fully disconnect, it’s evident that there’s a growing desire for a more intentional relationship with our devices, one that fosters creativity, community, and joy rather than mindless consumption.
At its core, analog wellness is about embracing the be
auty of slower, more tactile experiences. It’s about finding joy in the simple, the in-person, and the unplugged — a much-needed antidote to the constant connectivity that has come to define our era. And as the year progresses, it seems that more and more people are choosing to log off and engage in a world that feels more real, more human, and decidedly less digital.
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