The New Language of Wellbeing: From Burnout to Belonging and Safety
By Rani Sheilagh - Cyberpsychologist | Wellness & Lifestyle Futurist
We used to talk about wellbeing and wellness like it was a checklist.
Drink more water. Get your steps in. Remember to step away from your desk for a moment. Meditate before you scream.
But even with all the apps, team meetings, those check-ins and wellness Wednesdays, something still feels off. People are tired and uninspired. Not just the “need a nap” kind of tired, but the down-to-the-bones, soul-tired.
That’s because the old language of wellbeing was mostly about coping. The new one is about connecting, communicating, and feeling safe enough to do so.
The Old Language: Fix Yourself
For years, workplaces treated wellbeing and whole wellness like something to be managed.
“Manage your stress.” “Set boundaries.” “Develop coping techniques.” “Find balance.”
Lovely ideas. But they put all the responsibility solely on the individual. If you were overwhelmed, or worse, if you were burned out, it was your fault for not doing enough yoga or downloading the right mindfulness app.
Meanwhile, the real issues of digital overload, blurred work-life boundaries, not feeling safe and lack of belonging went unspoken.
I know this because I’ve been there.
Years ago, I hit burnout. Not overwhelm, but real burnout. It has taken a long time to begin to recover from it.
I was working hard and doing my best, with fantastic colleagues, in an environment where I and others were sometimes undermined, micromanaged and made to feel small. It wasn’t personal, and apologies and acknowledgements were often given by people who were equally overwhelmed. I even had one boss who went to coaching and meditation training in an effort to change their own behavioural patterns. It was the result of an unhealthy organisational culture that didn’t yet know how to support people differently. That was simply what we knew.
I tried all the things, breathing, journalling, gratitude lists, juices, rest days, you name it. And I felt more than a little embarrassed. After all, I have years of yoga and meditation in my repertoire. But I still felt disconnected and overwhelmed. It wasn’t because anyone was bad or unkind or trying. It was because we didn’t yet have the language or tools for real support. We didn’t know another way.
That experience changed how I see wellbeing and what a positive work culture really is. It taught me that wellness and culture aren’t just individual practices, they’re collective ones, built on connection, safety, communication and belonging.
The New Language: We Belong (and Feel Safe) Here
The truth is, we don’t need more coping. We need more connection, more creativity and more safety.
The new vocabulary of wellbeing and real wellness looks something like this:
What We Used to Prioritise >>> What We’re Learning to Cultivate
Burnout >>> Belonging and Safety
Coping >>> Resilience and Regeneration
Self-care >>> Collective care and Kindness
Productivity >>> Presence and Pleasure
Mental health days >>> Joy and Creative Freedom Days
Belonging and safety change everything. When people feel seen, supported and safe, they thrive. Work becomes lighter. Conversations flow. Communication deepens. Laughter and ideas return.
And when leaders and organisations create spaces that feel human and emotionally safe, wellbeing happens naturally and business benefits.
The Power of Lunch (Yes, Really)
Food is one of the easiest ways to bring belonging back. A proper lunch break isn’t just a pause. It’s a ritual.
When we eat together, we stop performing and start connecting. We look up from screens. We listen. We laugh.
I’m developing The Yummie Workplace Experience™, a collection of research-informed, workshop-style sessions, including Yummie Lunches™ and Yummie Coffee Talks™, that explore how shared food, conversation and digital balance can help reshape how we connect and collaborate at work.
Even a shared coffee or biscuit break can be an act of rebellion in a world obsessed with productivity.
Digital Belonging
We live in a hyperconnected world that often feels strangely lonely. Digital wellbeing is part of this new language too.
It’s not about deleting every app. It’s about using technology in a way that feels kind and conscious. About being fully present where you are, whether online or off.
And yes, this means the use of technology is considered, for the benefit of the business, the tasks and the individual. Tech use should be experimented with, not blindly adopted for the sake of it. That’s true innovation in action.
When leaders, managers and each individual model that kind of balance and innovation, the whole team breathes easier and feels safer to show up as themselves.
Leadership That Feels Human
The next wave of leadership isn’t about charisma, uninspiring check-ins or KPIs or OKRs or SMART goals. It’s about creating spaces where people can show up as themselves and feel safe doing so.
The leaders who will shape the future are the ones who know how to listen, laugh and make others feel safe to say anything. They’re willing to be vulnerable themselves and make others feel that they belong.
Bringing It to Life
In 2026, I’ll be expanding this work through The Yummie Workplace Experience™, a series of research-informed, workshop-style gatherings designed to help teams reconnect, communicate and thrive together.
Each experience is grounded in the same idea that joy, safety, communication and belonging aren’t side notes to good work. They’re the foundation of it.
Just like any aspect of our life, whenever possible work should feel delicious.
YUMMIE TAKEAWAY
Work doesn’t have to drain us. It can nourish us.
When we build cultures that centre safety, belonging, communication and joy, everyone thrives (people, teams, organisations, you, everyone!)
If you’d like to follow my insights and be the first to hear about upcoming launches, join my email list.
If you want to be part of The Yummie Workplace Experience™, explore Yummie Lunches™, or are ready to transform the way your team works, connects and sets themselves up for thriving, reach out to me directly at hello@ranisheilagh.com.
Let’s bring more play, joy, pleasure and genuine connection back to the heart of how we work, lead and succeed.
Pull up a chair. Let’s start there, together.
