mental heath: Mind Over Money: Prakriti Poddar of RoundGlass explains 4 healing techniques to lift mental wellbeing

In an interview with ETMarkets, Poddar said “At RoundGlasss, we are trying to democratize Wholistic Wellbeing for the world. Our app offers an integrated approach to help people develop healthier habits and live more fulfilling lives,” Edited excerpts:

You have travelled across the world, tell us a little bit more about why mental health has become so very important for working professions in every field – be it trading or managing money.

Thanks for having me here. We are here today because mental health has emerged as an urgent medical challenge of our times.

As the world becomes easier to navigate with the benefits of technology in every aspect of our lives, our expectation for immediacy provides an equal amount, if not more, of stress making life more complicated and anxious.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the mental health crisis in the world. Across the globe, there has been a 25 per cent increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression since 2020.

Nearly 1 billion people across the world have a mental health condition.

Mental health is important for everyone, for every professional in any field.

If left untreated, poor mental health can lead to more serious health issues and steep medical bills. For instance, the risk of heart attack and strokes is twice as high in people with untreated mental health issues than in the general population.

Similarly, they are twice as likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. This all adds up to absenteeism at work and loss in productivity which can significantly affect the performance of an organisation. According to the Centers for Disease Control, depression causes 200 million lost workdays each year.

Also help us understand what RoundGlass. If someone wants to be part of it how can they reach out?

I lead and oversee the content across the RoundGlass platform. I create communities, initiatives, and outreach for mental health awareness and support, and focus on integrating peace and harmony to address mental and emotional health.

As part of RoundGlass Living, I have hosted numerous fireside chats with mental health and wellbeing experts for RoundGlass Living, discussing how wellbeing tools, such as meditation and mindfulness, can be used to live with greater joy and health.

For me, mental health and wellbeing aren’t just a passion but a purpose that drives my everyday life’s mission. I come from a family of bankers and from an early age saw how everyone was getting burnt out.

This experience helped shape my life’s path which is to help people cope with mental health issues. And I decided to pursue psychology and learn various healing practices.

If you are a wellbeing seeker, you can download the RoundGlass Living app on Apple and Google stores and start your wellbeing journey with us.

We offer wellbeing pathways such as meditation and mindfulness, yoga, healthy eating and end-of-life guidance to help you reduce stress and anxiety, nurture relationships, develop healthy habits and manage difficult emotions.

Mind Over Money: Regular meditation & mindfulness can help traders maintain their mental wellbeing

“Mental health is important for everyone, and for every professional in any field. It is aggravated especially when you manage people’s money or while trading,” says Prakriti Poddar, Global Head, Mental Health and Wellbeing, RoundGlass – a global Wholistic Wellbeing company.

Your organization deals with people of various ages – what is the kind of response you have seen from kids, teens, students, and working professionals? Who is more adaptable to change?

As a mental health specialist, I am part of the RoundGlass Living app. At RoundGlasss, we are trying to democratize Wholistic Wellbeing for the world. Our app offers an integrated approach to help people develop healthier habits and live more fulfilling lives.

It offers authentic content on meditation and mindfulness for wellbeing, music for wellbeing, food for wellbeing and end-of-life planning resources and knowledge.

The response has been encouraging and it inspires us to keep at our work. Most people, whether they are old or young, are open to change and want to transform into their better selves.

Professionals across the world are choosing to prioritise their mental wellbeing. They are demanding more sensitised work environments, better work-life balance and employee wellbeing programs tailored to meet their mental health needs.

We also need to focus on the mental health of children and adolescents. Adults need to modify their behaviours towards them and be more sensitised to what they are going through. For instance, try not to label the child but allow him/her to grow and develop freely.

It is also vital to create holistic development strategies for the youth. Sport is a powerful tool to bring about a transformation in the youth.

We need to create opportunities for the youth to take up sports for their Wholistic Wellbeing, focus on their nutrition in addition to creating workplace wellbeing interventions.

Through our work and resources, we enable this transformation. We are inspiring people to live with greater joy and health and develop healthy habits that will help enhance their physical and mental wellbeing.

Any technique(s) which is used for the sessions? Please elaborate.
I use different techniques and here are a few:

a)
Counselling: It is the first step in the healing process. During counselling, people get a chance to start talking about the challenges they are facing in a safe environment. Talking helps in understanding the root cause of distress and an individual’s way of thinking. It helps understand the issues better and figure way forward.

b)
Meditation and mindfulness: Practising meditation and mindfulness is a great way to improve your mental wellbeing, especially at work. By cutting through the clutter and chaos of thoughts, meditation makes the mind clearer, calmer, and sharper. Multiple studies have now established that regular practice of meditation can alleviate stress, reduce anxiety, improve our relationships with others and help us sleep better.

At work, shorter meditations, spanning about two minutes, can help you reset before your next task, help set an intention before an important meeting or help you feel confident before a presentation.

c)
Sound: I firmly believe that sound will be the medicine of the future. In sound, we are born and in sound, we are healed. Research shows that specific sounds have the ability to target disruptions in the mind and body. Certain sounds and beats can even invoke peace and harmony. Studies have shown that listening to upbeat music improves our mood and happiness and that people who listen to music before, during, or after surgery experience less pain and anxiety.

d)
Biofeedback: In my practice, I use EEG Biofeedback or Neurofeedback to help people deal with issues such as ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, substance abuse, certain addictions, depression, anxiety, migraines, stress and more. Neurofeedback is a non-invasive procedure that measures an individual’s brainwaves and provides real-time feedback about how his/her brain is functioning. This feedback can help people understand how their brain reacts to certain triggers. I was one of the first mental health experts in Mumbai to introduce this therapy.

Tell us more about faith healing which you learned from your grandmother?

My grandmother was a prolific healer and soothsayer who taught me faith healing before I learned how to read or write, making it a part of my natural development.

She used to be part of a church and would read stories from the Bible to me. In fact, she taught me how to pray at the age of two and would involve me in prayers.

My grandmother was the first person in my life to teach me about ‘mindfulness’ and how it is vital for our wellbeing. I also learned healing techniques from her.

Depression cases have gone up suddenly, especially after COVID. We have seen that in stockbrokers and traders’ communities as well. How can investors deal with depression? Any programs that are being organized?

The first step is to be aware of what your body and mind are telling you. From awareness stems acceptance. Once you accept that you have a mental health issue, you will seek medical help.

There’s a stigma associated with mental health problems and people – men, in particular – try to brush them under the carpet. You need to attend to them as you would to fever or high blood sugar.

There are various treatment pathways available. For example, somatic, cognitive, physical workout… it is up to your mental health professional to understand what will work for you.

Stockbrokers and investors spend most of their time sitting. They should try to get up and walk around at regular intervals for better health.

They work in a high-stress environment. Practising regular meditation and mindfulness can help them deal better with work stress and minimise its impact on their wellbeing.

Any books you would like to recommend to our viewers?

Here are few suggestions —

• Your Erroneous Zones by Wayne W Dyer
• The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
• Unwinding Anxiety by Dr Jud Brewer
• Permission to Feel by Mark Brackett, PhD
• Emotional Agility by Susan David, PhD

I have met and spoken to some of these authors and these books can truly help us in understanding our mental wellbeing better and enable us to have greater control over it.

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