"If I could fit all the tried-and-true wellness habits I stand behind in a day—red light therapy, lymphatic drainage massage, morning sunlight, etc.—I’d be a new-and-improved version of myself: energized, less anxious, more positive, you get the idea. But who has the time? With a 1-year-old, work, and some semblance of a social life, I’m lucky if I get to one self-care ritual in a 24-hour period. TikTok creator Brigette Muller (@hummusbirrd) has a solution to my (first-world) problem: wellness stacking. Muller sets aside time every day to carry out multiple healthy habits simultaneously, taking the pressure of time-consuming self-care out of the equation: “The best part about wellness stacking is it’s only 20 minutes, and you get so much done,” she said in a TikTok video. Keep reading for everything you need to know about wellness stacking, including tips to make your very own wellness stacking routine.
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What is Wellness Stacking?
Putting her own spin on habit stacking (the concept of implementing new habits with habits you already do), Muller created a challenge for herself to do as many acts of self-care as she can in a 20-minute period, stacking one additional practice each day. “I just started this series on TikTok, and I’m actually obsessed because it makes me excited to do things I don’t normally make the time for, and it’s SO EFFICIENT,” Muller said in the caption of an Instagram Reel. Rather than finding the time to fulfill your healthy habits throughout the day, wellness stacking involves batching them all together in a single session—in Muller’s case, one that lasts 20 minutes.
Here’s what Muller’s wellness stacking breaks down to: On Day One of her “Adding Something to My Wellness Stack Until I Can’t Add Anything More” series, you see her lying on a PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field) mat (said to reduce stress, support deep sleep, increase energy, boost mood, and more) with a neck supportive device designed to help treat tech neck. On Day Two, it’s another day, another stack—on top of using her PEMF mat and neck device, she tacks on wearing vision therapy glasses (a treatment prescribed by her eye doctor) “because multi-tasking is efficient, and it feels amazing.” Fast forward to Day Seven and her wellness stacking looks like this: PEMF mat, neck hump reverser, vision therapy glasses, whitening strips, dry brush, hair oil, toe spacers, and lip mask.
“The best part about wellness stacking is it’s only 20 minutes, and you get so much done.”
What are Its Benefits?
It saves time
By wellness stacking, you knock out all of your wellness activities in one short window, especially those that you tend to forget or have difficulty finding the time to incorporate. For example, if you already make it a point to get your steps in daily, combining it with drinking a water bottle’s worth of water and manifesting is a no-brainer rather than scheduling separate time to check everything off the list you want to accomplish in a day. You can also habit-stack your self-care routines with other activities throughout the day to save even more time. Think: wearing a face mask and playing a guided meditation while cleaning up the kitchen, or putting on a red light and diffusing essential oil when working from home.
It makes self-care more purposeful
Aside from helping you get more done in less time, wellness stacking brings a more intentional aspect to self-care. In the time frame you set—10, 20, or 30 minutes—you give yourself permission to focus on yourself, checking off your favorite TLC pastimes and health to-dos. It’s your “me time” to do whatever you want and need to decompress and recharge. While you journal self-love prompts, why not put on a face mask and hair oil at the same time?
It helps you stay consistent with self-care
Batching your wellness tasks into one time block can make accomplishing them feel less daunting, helping you stick with them consistently. Let’s say you want to take a cold shower, meditate, dry brush, and wear your LED mask for 20 minutes. This seems like a long to-do list that may seem hard to fit in during a busy day. When self-care practices are sprinkled throughout the day, it’s more likely that distractions and interruptions can get in the way of accomplishing everything. But dry brushing while taking a cold shower and then immediately after meditating while wearing your LED mask? You’ll get it all done in under 30 minutes.
You’re more likely to try more practices without getting overwhelmed
In addition to the time and effort it takes for the basic necessities (eating vegetables, getting in movement, sleeping eight hours), there are so many wellness rituals, routines, and products that seem fun and can help you feel better or optimize your health. Stacking new rituals with old ones makes it easier to add in more activities you want to try without feeling overwhelmed. For example, if you want to do more face masks or listen to more self-help podcasts, it may seem like you don’t have time or energy if you’re spending your only possible free time on meal prepping and exercise. But think of stacking instead of separate activities (such as listening to a podcast while you work out or putting on a face mask while you meal prep).
“The only purpose of wellness is to feel good. If your wellness routine is making you more stressed, you’ve lost the plot.”
How to Try It
Start simple
Trying to pack in too many wellness stacks at once can lead to feeling overwhelmed and drained, defeating the purpose. Remember that the only purpose of wellness is to feel good. If your wellness routine is making you more stressed, you’ve lost the plot. So be mindful of not being too ambitious when first starting out, and begin your wellness stacking practice small and slowly add to it when you feel ready to take on more. As for where to start, think about one easily attainable wellness ritual you already do regularly or want to do. Is it working out in the morning or drinking a glass of water before you have coffee? Once you have that one habit down, build onto it with something else you want to turn into a habit.
Customize your wellness stack
While Muller’s wellness stacking regimen may look appealing, it’s what works for her and helps her feel her best. There’s no one-size-fits-all routine, so personalize your wellness stack based on your needs and what you want to achieve for your well-being. Instead of adding one new stack a day like Muller, you can throw in an additional habit once a week and take note of how it makes you feel. If you find that it’s benefiting you, consider adding another stack the following week. If it’s causing you more stress, hold off on adding any new habits until it feels right.
Set a timer
By designating a set amount of time to complete your wellness stacking routine, you create and honor a healthy boundary with yourself, limiting distractions and prioritizing your self-care. It makes you in charge of your time and getting all of your wellness habits done more manageable, not to mention sustainable. When the timer starts, you’ll (ideally) hone in on accomplishing your self-care rituals and nothing else. But don’t forget to enjoy your wellness stack—it’s your precious time, after all.
Katherine Chang, Wellness Staff Writer
Katherine Chang is The Everygirl’s Wellness Staff Writer with over five years of experience in the health and wellness space. She navigates the latest wellness topics and trends through studies, articles, and is always first in line to try them firsthand.