Across the world, mental health has shifted from private whispers to urgent headlines. The World Health Organization reports that 1 in 8 people globally now live with a mental health condition, with depression and anxiety leading the way. The pandemic was not the start of this crisis, but it magnified it — accelerating burnout, digital fatigue, and loneliness.
For women, the burden is heavier. Globally, studies show women are nearly twice as likely as men to experience anxiety and depression, and they often balance professional responsibilities with caregiving, education, and social expectations. In Europe, mental health is now one of the top three health priorities of the decade.
But while awareness grows, solutions haven’t caught up. The wellness industry has flooded us with apps, tips, and one-size-fits-all advice. And yet, the numbers keep climbing. Why? Because care that isn’t personal, holistic, or rooted in deeper wisdom rarely lasts.
The Netherlands: A Quiet Mental Health Emergency
In the Netherlands, mental health has quietly become one of the most urgent conversations of our time. Burnout, anxiety, and fatigue are no longer fringe issues — they’re showing up in GP offices, workplaces, universities, and even dinner table conversations.
The numbers tell a clear story. By 2025, almost 1 in 5 Dutch workers report burnout-related complaints (RIVM, 2025). Women, especially those balancing careers, studies, and caregiving responsibilities, are disproportionately affected. Young adults are especially vulnerable: only 51% of 16–25-year-olds say their mental health is good, while 35% call it moderate and 14% rate it as bad or very bad (RIVM, 2025).
GP consultations for fatigue, concentration problems, and stress are now significantly higher than before the pandemic. Suicidal thoughts among young people have risen nearly 70% compared to 2019, though recent data shows a slight improvement (RIVM, 2025).
These are not abstract figures. They are the lived reality of Dutch women navigating workplaces, universities, and homes while carrying invisible emotional weight.
Why the Old Wellness Model Isn’t Working
For years, wellness has been sold in fragments: a meditation app here, a gratitude journal there, a new workout trend every season. These tools are not without value — but they assume that all bodies, all minds, and all lives can be supported in the same way.
Yet Dutch women live vastly different realities. A 25-year-old student in Utrecht facing exam pressure needs different care than a 42-year-old working mother in Rotterdam balancing deadlines and childcare. And both need care that recognises not just their stress but its root causes: hormonal cycles, sleep rhythms, diet, relationships, and unspoken cultural expectations.
Life is not one-size-fits-all. So why is wellness still delivered that way?
Where AI Can Make a Difference
Artificial intelligence is not a replacement for therapy, community, or care. But it can help us see patterns we often miss:
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Links between sleep, mood, and energy that are invisible day-to-day.
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Early signals of stress before burnout sets in.
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Personalised nudges for rest, movement, or mindfulness at the exact time they matter most.
Imagine two women — one in Amsterdam, one in Groningen. Both experience stress, but their lives tell different stories. One struggles with disrupted sleep due to irregular work shifts, while the other feels drained from constant caregiving. AI can recognise these unique patterns and offer tailored support, instead of sending both the same “try meditation” tip.
In wellness, this is called hyperpersonalisation — and it’s a radical shift. Instead of forcing women into generic solutions, AI listens, learns, and adapts to their bodies, rhythms, and needs.
Ancient Roots in a Modern World
Personalisation isn’t new. Ancient wellness traditions — from Ayurveda to Traditional Chinese Medicine to mindfulness — have always recognised that health depends on individual balance. In Ayurveda, for example, your constitution (dosha) shapes what foods, routines, and practices keep you in harmony.
What AI offers is not wisdom itself but a bridge: a way to translate ancient practices into daily life with precision and consistency. For example:
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Ayurveda recognises the importance of daily rhythms (dinacharya). AI can track your sleep-wake cycles and remind you to realign with your natural energy.
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Yoga emphasises breath and body awareness. AI can detect stress patterns in your heart rate and nudge you toward a 5-minute breathing practice.
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Mindfulness teaches us presence. AI can guide you toward mindful breaks during high-stress workdays.
When a reminder to pause arrives exactly when your stress peaks, that is tradition meeting technology — ancient roots made practical in a modern world.
Holistic Care: The Only Real Care
Mental health doesn’t stand alone. Stress shows up in the gut. Burnout appears in the body. Anxiety disrupts sleep. That’s why a truly effective approach must be holistic — caring for the whole person across mind, body, and emotions.
Holistic care is not about doing everything at once. It’s about recognising that small shifts across multiple dimensions — nutrition, rest, relationships, mindfulness — create lasting balance. For Dutch women, this means acknowledging:
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Mental health affects physical health.
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Physical health affects emotional resilience.
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Emotional resilience shapes how we show up in work, family, and society.
AI supports this by connecting dots. Ancient wisdom supports it by grounding care in timeless practices. Together, they create a system of care that finally reflects real life.
From Burnout to Balance
For Dutch women, wellness ahead isn’t about adding more to the to-do list. It’s about creating space — to rest, to recover, to feel whole. It’s about support that is intelligent enough to be personal, wise enough to be rooted in tradition, and holistic enough to care for the whole self.
The path ahead isn’t just about new technologies or rediscovered rituals. It’s about bringing them together in service of something profoundly human: the wish to feel balanced, strong, and whole.
The wellness model of the future doesn’t ask women to choose between science and tradition. It shows how, together, they can create care that is as personal as your own life.
