9 Mental Health Trends We’ll See Everywhere in 2025, According to Our Editors

9 Mental Health Trends We’ll See Everywhere in 2025, According to Our Editors

If the past few years taught us anything about Gen Z, it’s that mental health for them is everything. Despite the fact that we’ve learned that they’re struggling the most with their mental health among any other generation, it remains one of the most important aspects of their daily life.

According to a new Verywell Mind survey, 63% of Gen Z say their mental health in the last month was less than good, compared to 52% of millennials, 49% of Gen X, and 28% of Boomers – stemming largely from sleep problems, loneliness, financial concerns, job stress, social media, and more.

And yes, we get that the term ‘mental health’ is broad; so we asked more than a handful of individuals what it really means to them.

As the first true “therapy generation,” Gen Z has a heightened understanding of how it affects every inch of their well-being. Younger generations have gotten more mental health information from more sources in the past month and Gen Z is the only generation where the majority have worked with a mental health professional before. 

To get a sense of how big of a role mental health plays in our day-to-day, we surveyed 2,000 respondents (995 of which were Gen Z) for our Gen Z Mental Health study from September to October of 2024. In it, we did a deep dive into how Gen Z consumes information related to mental health, the words they prefer when discussing mental health, how they care for their mental health (compared to other generations), and what topics resonate with this audience.

Based on what we learned from our findings and how current trends are shaping up, we’re calling the following predictions for the rest of 2025.

Mental Health Jumps to the Forefront for Brands

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For a long time, “Look Good, Feel Good” has been the dominant subliminal messaging in the world of corporate branding. Groups of impossibly beautiful people having a great time together, implying that you could be in their shoes if only you would use this or that product. While those days aren’t entirely over, the tide is turning, with brands increasingly seeking to embrace mental health, empathy, and authenticity as central pillars of their business. As younger people unite behind the idea that mental health is everything to them, companies are listening.

From Maybelline’s “Brave Together” initiative to the ASICS “Personal Best” campaign, it’s clear that you don’t have to be a mental health brand to think about mental health. In 2025, some of the biggest brands in the world will continue to normalize mental health conversations, helping more of us feel seen and heard in ways we haven’t before.

Male, 24, on mental health

Mental health is the body we have that we don’t see. It’s like a storage tank it can overflow and you have to handle and separate it and organize it or it will become clustered.

— Male, 24, on mental health

This shift will help to break long-standing stigmas around mental health issues, and force more brands to meet their consumers—aka all of us!—on our level rather than some impossible standard we’ll never reach. It’s music to the ears of Gen Z, over 50% of whom would have a more positive perception of a brand that includes mental health in its messaging. Simply stated, younger generations care more openly about mental health and wellness, and want to see this reflected in the actions of the businesses and brands they choose to support.

Over 50% of Gen Z would have a more positive perception of a brand that includes mental health in its messaging.

We live in a consumerist society—there’s no getting around that. But what we can, and will, do in 2025 is lift up the brands that strive to connect with us on a deeper, more personal level.

We’re In Our ‘Social Renaissance’ Era

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The third place is practically a supporting role in any good sitcom. It’s a space where the main characters unwind, have a drink or two, and debrief with their friends/community about the day outside of home and work—think the “Cheers” bar, Central Perk from “Friends,” or even more recently The Crown & Anchor pub in “Ted Lasso.”

Off-screen, however, third spaces have been steady on the decline as more workplaces become remote-first and vital community spaces slowly shutter due to surging rents. Not to mention, many third spaces have become inaccessible due to rising membership fees and food or beverage costs that mirror ever-surging costs of living.

If you can’t think of a ‘third place’ of your own, that could change in 2025. The disappearance of third spaces have recently prompted Gen Z and millennials to step up and create their own location-agnostic gatherings—and there are no signs of slowing down in the new year. Rather than using social media as a vehicle to create online communities, Gen Zers are now using it as a means to promote their offline communities. 

Non-Binary, 25, on Mental Health

A mind capable of dealing with the daily stresses, who knows how to identify emotions and triggers, can work on themselves and weaknesses, aren’t plagued by the horrors of the past but instead have the opportunity and ability to heal. To get through the tough times better for wear.

— Non-Binary, 25, on Mental Health

The last year came the rebirth of run clubs, book clubs, and even supper clubs with strangers. Hungry for in-person interaction, perhaps after graduating college, moving to new cities, and starting new jobs, this boom helped us feel a little less ashamed about acknowledging that making friends as an adult is really hard and a little more relieved that we now have some help in making that happen. According to Strava’s annual Year in Sport trend report, 58% of 5000 survey respondents said they made new friends via fitness groups in 2024.  

While our numbers last year showed that 74% of Gen Z sometimes or always feel alone (compared to a year ago at 69%), we predict that loneliness will be in better company this year.

‘Radical Stability’ Is the Real Flex

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Inflation was one of the defining buzzwords of 2024. For younger generations, though, it’s nothing new. Rent is too high, college is too expensive, and houses are almost impossibly unaffordable. For a big chunk of the Gen Z and millennial population, high costs have made it exceedingly difficult to start an adult life. That’s a big part of why 39% of Gen Z say that personal finance negatively impacts their mental health. So what is there to do in the face of so many barriers to financial independence that are largely out of our control?

In 2025, we predict that Gen Z will respond to these forces with a radical pursuit of stability. Does that sound boring? It might be, and that’s OK! It’s time to recalibrate our unrealistic dream job ideals and focus on making the slow and steady changes that can bring about a dream life.

Could that mean staying in a job that doesn’t get you jazzed to wake up every morning? Opening a retirement account you can’t touch for 40 years? Reading up on how to set a budget? Making safe choices? Yes to all of the above. The good news is that Gen Z is already primed to make this happen, with 57% saying that maintaining a personal budget and an investment portfolio have a positive impact on their mental health.

57% of Gen Z says that maintaining a personal budget and an investment portfolio have a positive impact on their mental health.

This year, we’re all about embracing the boring and reaping the rewards. Along with this commitment to the mundane, we also anticipate stronger boundaries and better adherence to a healthy work-life balance. Since work will be less tied to personal fulfillment, the hours outside of work will be devoted to pursuits of creativity, self-improvement, and socialization. With all of the boring old budgeting we’ll be doing, we’ll suddenly find ourselves with more financial freedom to make the hours from 5 to 9 more fulfilling than ever.

‘Sleepmaxxing’ Dominates Our Bedtimes

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Sleepmaxxing—with nearly 130 million posts on TikTok—is the massively popular wellness trend that involves getting your most optimized night’s sleep through techniques like mouth taping, magnesium, tart cherry juice, nose strips, sleeping on your back, eye masks, and binaural beats. But the tips certainly don’t end there. 

Male, 24, on mental health

The overall stability of your mental state. Mental health can fluctuate on a variety of factors; sleep, not eating enough, being depressed, etc.

— Male, 24, on mental health

Why the sudden obsession with sleep? According to the internet (and everyone we know) sleep is one of our most coveted routes to wellness, and unsurprisingly 74% of participants said that getting enough sleep positively impacted their mental health. Yet sleep was the top stressor for Gen Z—according to our survey—in the last 30 days. What’s more, 41% of those we surveyed reported sleep problems negatively affected their mental health 

We predict sleepmaxxing will proliferate throughout 2025, but as concerns around orthosomnia—the unhealthy obsession with getting perfect sleep—grows, we’re advocating for fewer “hacks” at bedtime and more mindfulness and intentionality around bigger picture reasons you aren’t getting enough Zzzs.

The Concept of Beauty Gets a Makeover

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Beauty and style are highly personal things, and yet—often at the cost of our mental health— we put so much unnecessary pressure on ourselves to fit some ‘ideal’. That’s getting even worse with the mainstreaming of “Instagram face” aka a deluge of smaller procedures to make you look effortlessly snatched and “ageless” (whatever that means).

But when you zoom out and look at the bigger picture, aesthetic culture over the past several years has become totally oversaturated with everchanging microtrends and “-cores.” It becomes impossible to settle on any semblance of personal style when it feels like there’s pressure to adapt to a new popular look every three weeks.

57% of Gen Z/young millennials are interested in the connection between mental health, beauty, and style.

Still, we’re not going to stop loving fashion and beauty—these things make us feel good! We learned that 57% of Gen Z/young millennials are interested in reading about the connection between mental health, beauty, and style. The key is finding that sweet spot where style is fun and invigorating instead of overwhelming.

Forty-six percent of survey participants said beauty and style had a positive impact on their mental health. When you look good (and feel confident about your appearance), you are more likely to feel good, too. There’s no way to fit into the mold anymore—we’re predicting that 2025 will be the year that eclecticism and truly dressing for yourself become the norm. 

Kids Are Out, Fur Babies Are In

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Turns out our chosen family extends far beyond our favorite people, and the numbers don’t lie. According to a recent Harris Poll study of 2,000 Americans, Gen Z spends $6103 annually on their pets leading millennials who spend $5150—suggesting that our fur babies are more than just our pets, they’re family.

This tracks with our survey that also reports that 75% of pet owners admit that purchasing healthy food for their pet makes them feel at least one positive emotion we listed whether it’s happy, confident, and/or excited. In fact, among the 829 Gen Z pet owners we polled, 70% of them noted that pets had a positive effect on their mental health.

But get this: we love pets so much that 43% of Americans actually prefer having pets over children, with many Gen Z and millennials noting that pets are easier to care for and come with fewer financial burdens. While this preference is still emerging, we predict that pet parenthood will be even more prevalent in 2025. As we see an increase in pet-friendly establishments to workplace benefits like ‘pawternity’ leave, pet care may as well become a new chapter of self-care.

More Staying In Together

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Ever since the pandemic forced us to stay home for a year, we’ve all turned into homebodies who are finally recognizing the undeniable connection between our lived-in spaces and our mental well-being. It’s not that we don’t want to go out and hit the town and experience the world like we used to, we’re just now seeing the untapped potential our homes have to satisfy so many of our psychological needs. 

And a major element of this? The massive popularity of interior design and making it feel personal. Eighty percent of those surveyed said making decor updates to their home had a positive impact on mental health, and 61% said that maintaining the exterior of their homes was good for their mental health.* In many ways, our homes have become a reflection of our inner worlds, so fostering a cozy, inviting environment is one way to help us heal. 

Male, 18, on mental health

Mental health means having a balanced state of mind, where you can handle stress, connect with others, and manage your emotions in a healthy way. It’s about feeling good emotionally and mentally, being able to cope with life’s challenges, and seeking help when needed.

— Male, 18, on mental health

Similarly, inviting people into our personal “comfort zones” has also proliferated. Dinner parties, supper clubs, and smaller food-centric pop-up events were all the rage last year and will continue to be popular in 2025. According to our survey, entertaining guests had a 68% positive impact on mental health*—when you invite your friends over to spend time in a place designed with love, that number is even higher. ICYMI, staying in is the new going out.

Brainrot Content Goes Mainstream

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Oxford Dictionary’s word of 2024 was brainrot; and whether you know what that really means or not, we all engaged in it to some degree. The 2025 Webby Trend Report defines brainrot as “a genre of nonsensical, absurdist internet humor.” In the throes of doomscrolling and chronically online behavior, trends that were dominating the zeitgeist had one thing in common: they were a little offbeat, unhinged, and yet oddly comforting (think: Moo Deng, golden retriever boyfriends, or brat culture).

62% of Gen Z say their mental health impacts the type of entertainment they watch or listen to.

According to our survey, 62% of Gen Zers say their mental health has impacted the type of entertainment they watch or listen to. So what did trending content like the above tell us about our collective mental health? In an era of “unprecedented times,” we’ve resorted to entertainment as a means to fully disconnect—particularly the messy and authentic over polished and perfect productions; the stuff we didn’t have to think too hard about to find pleasure in. Case in point: our survey shows that the top reason Gen Z “watch videos online” is because they are just passing the time. 

Brainrot content has taken over our screens. And whether we like it or not, we predict it’ll be a mainstay in 2025. 

Mindful Tech Replaces Relentless Overtracking

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We’ve come a long way since manually checking your pulse was the only way to determine your heart rate and counting your steps would require, well, counting your steps. From fitness trackers to smartwatches to sweat patches and beyond, there is no shortage of technology that can tell us exactly what’s happening in our bodies at any given moment.

Wearable technology is a revelation and a glimpse into a future where everyone can take charge of their wellness routines. In fact, 61% of Gen Z say that using a wearable health tracker has a positive impact on their mental health.* Too often, though, these devices can lead to levels of self-monitoring that border on obsessive.

In 2025, it’s time to stop letting wearables wear us out and take a more mindful approach to tracking our personal successes. We have to remember why we’re wearing them in the first place. It’s not for the daily dopamine hit of reaching some gamified movement goal—it’s to get our bodies moving, feel invigorated, and be healthier along the way. For too long, we’ve been too focused on the destination. In 2025, we’re letting go of goals for goals’ sake and embracing the journey.

Female, 18, on mental health

It’s all about feeling good about yourself and being able to enjoy life.

— Female, 18, on mental health

Methodology

The Verywell Mind Gen Z Mental Health Survey asked 995 Gen Z individuals about what is impacting their mental health in positive and negative ways. The survey was fielded online from September 30th to October 12th, 2024 via a self-administered questionnaire to an opt-in panel of respondents from a market research vendor. Quotas were used to ensure representation to match U.S. Census estimates for gender, race/ethnicity, region, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

*Base size is under 100 should only be looked at directionally.

Research and analysis by Kyle Riefenberg, Amanda Morelli, and Maria DeSio.


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