Mind Over Money: How Vipassana helps this CEO to relieve stress, improve mindfulness & mental wellbeing

“Practicing meditation, including Vipassana, may help increase your brain plasticity. It helps relieve stress, improves mindfulness, self-awareness and mental wellbeing,” says Mayank Bathwal, CEO, Aditya Birla Health Insurance.

In an interview with ETMarkets, Bathwal said: “According to various surveys, mindfulness-based training programs with Vipassana components may improve such factors as self-control over habits, decision-making, and response inhibition, all of which are crucial to reducing drug use and maintaining abstinence” Edited excerpts –

With over 25 years of rich experience in the insurance industry which has its own ups and downs – how do you keep yourself mentally fit?

a. Being physically active/ Get physical exercise. Working out can relax the mind and relieve stress and tension.
b. Eat and drink smart. Staying hydrated and a variety of multi-colored fruits and vegetables daily supports optimal gut health and brain health.
c. Meditate daily. Just fifteen minutes per day is enough to see significant changes over time and consistency is key.
d. Connecting with people: Good relationships are important for your mental wellbeing. They can:
• Help you to build a sense of belonging and self-worth,
• Give you an opportunity to share positive experiences,
• Provide emotional support and allow you to support others

e. Learn new things: Research shows that learning new skills can also improve your mental wellbeing by:
• Boosting self-confidence and raising self-esteem
• Helping you to build a sense of purpose
• Helping you to connect with others

f. Joy of giving: Research suggests that acts of giving, and kindness can help improve your mental wellbeing by:
• Creating positive feelings and a sense of reward
• Giving you a feeling of purpose and self-worth
• Helping you connect with other people

g. Cultivating community – You are building and maintaining relationships that ground you in your values and help you challenge your thinking and beliefs. Community is both nurturing and supports your growth.

We have heard that you practice Vipassana. How it all started and how does it help you keep calm?
It started during the COVID. With all the stress, anxiety, and uncertainty around, I found Vipassana very helpful. Initially it took some effort to concentrate but now it has become a part of my daily routine.

However, one must understand, it is helpful only if we can do it regularly. It is a journey, and the positive impact can only be seen over a period of time.

Now that the COVID is behind us, we must not go back to our pre-pandemic routine. While managing the work life, one must try and take some time out to practice meditation/ physical exercise daily.

Vipassana can help you with the following:
• Practicing meditation, including Vipassana, may help increase your brain plasticity. It helps relieve stress, improves mindfulness, self-awareness and mental wellbeing.
• According to various surveys, mindfulness-based training programs with Vipassana components may improve such factors as self-control over habits, decision-making, and response inhibition, all of which are crucial to reducing drug use and maintaining abstinence.

Does diet play a role when it comes to keeping the mind at ease?
Yes. Healthy diet means, healthy brain/mind.

• Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep and appetite, mediate moods, and inhibit pain. Since about 95% of your serotonin is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, it means the digestive system doesn’t just help digest food, but also guide emotions.
• Eating high-quality food that contains a lot of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress or the “waste” produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells.
• Our brain can be damaged if we consume anything other than a healthy diet. For instance, diets high in refined sugars are harmful to the brain. In addition to worsening the body’s regulation of insulin, they also promote inflammation and oxidative stress.

Apart from Vipassana, do you also play any sport?
I like Cycling and running.

Why is mental health more important in current times and especially for the ones who are in leadership roles? Your views.
Mental health issues have become one of the emerging health concerns across all age-groups especially after COVID.

Symptoms of mental illness like depression, anxiety and addictions tend to increase especially when they are internalized.

However, the stigma attached makes it even more challenging for the ones affected to feel comfortable speaking about it.

According to the recent survey by India’s National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), nearly 150 million Indians need mental health care services, but fewer than 30 million are seeking care.

Hence as leaders we need to be more forthcoming and acknowledge the fact that anyone can be vulnerable to stress, anxiety etc, and it is okay to not be okay.

Leaders should encourage their colleagues to open up about their issues related to mental health.

Research also showed that if mental health issues like stress, anxiety and depression are addressed upfront, then allied health conditions can also be resolved. So as an organisation we offer mental health counselling to colleagues.

Similarly, we also introduced mental health counselling features in our ActivFit and ActivHealth plans. Through this feature, our customers could talk to specialists for all their mental health related problems.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)



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