Despite our appreciation of a good trend, wellness is timeless.

Our grandkids may not rock the same compression leggings-with-AllBirds combo we’re wearing to grab blue-green smoothies at Erewhon in the future, but you can be sure they’ll be grabbing health-inducing concoctions in something designed for max mobility.

Like fashion, wellness is easily defined by two very different elements: lightening-speed trends that border on the shocking (Kanye and shroom lattes) and seasonless classics that never go out of style (Celine and green juice).

Here’s the thing about “wellness”… in and of itself, it cannot make you well. Only you can do that. If you dabble in all the wellness trends, from charcoal to cruciferous overload, and follow every spike of interest in culturally relevant vegetables, you may have a lot of fun, but you may never give your mind and body the opportunity to root down into lasting habits that will make you deeply vital.

‘Deeply vital’ is definitely something that only someone in wellness would say, but it’s a good phrase to mull over this year. What would it mean for you to be deeply vital in 2019? What would you look like? How would you feel? What would you leave behind in 2018?

While we love exploring new trends, wellness is not a one-size-fits-all industry. Charcoal, for example, is an incredible tool for health and we’re so glad that more people became acquainted with it in 2018, but just look at the way the craze – and the backlash – around this natural substance have been mismanaged by individuals and businesses alike.

The truth is that you can be perfectly unwell while flawlessly executing on a thirty-day fitness plan. You can feel totally lackluster while popping $300 worth of supplements weekly. If applied on their own, these important protocols fall short when it comes to addressing the underlying roots of the luster you lack. Becoming well begins in the heart and mind.

Wellness is deeply personal. At the end of the day, wellness is not an industry at all.

It’s possible that, in 2019, you could get more bang for your buck by resolving emotional family issues than by slurping down algae smoothies (I mean, dream scenario; do both.). This year, learn to accept something you’ve long judged yourself for — it could be more potent than any fitness class you take.

We’ve gotten more woo-woo over the years as more and more of our readers have synched up with us on the idea that wellness begins deep within. Our workouts matter. Our diets matter. But, unless they are built upon a healthy emotional and mental sense of balance and self-worth, they do us little good.

Filter everything that editors, analysts and tastemakers mark as top trends for 2019 through the lens of what your heart is after this year. What is required to set your own personal glow on fire this year could be entirely different than what any of your friends will need. Stay focused on your deepest needs and sprinkle in the wellness trends (cause we’ll be talking about them a ton!) only as needed.