“Ambitious or not, accommodating your psychological needs matters more,” says Neha Lakhwani, a 37-year-old employee at Capillary in Bangalore. She is an ambitious and resourceful Talent Acquisition manager for her team and a caring mother and wife to her husband.
Born and raised in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Neha moved to Bombay after her 12th grade, where she did her college. She settled in Bangalore for her work and eventually married a South Indian. She has a beautiful five-year-old daughter.
“Being a Sindhi and marrying a Tamilian, our family is the melting pot of two cultures. We have made it into a lovely family with openness, liberal thoughts and consideration of each other’s emotions.”
Neha explains that she was also passionate about dancing in school, which was supposed to be her first career choice. However, she pursued a different field and made dance her hobby. Apart from that, Neha also loves to bake and prepare sweets for herself and her family during her free time, which she defines as ‘therapeutic’ for her.
Neha is part of the Human Resources team and has known about YourDOST for several years. She sees the platform as a forum to create a top-down effect on mental well-being.
“Helping corporates understand mental well-being is equally important to knowing their productivity. I think YourDOST does a commendable job of influencing the leadership teams, and through that, the benefits come down and penetrate the pipeline to every employee.”
Neha is also intrigued by the anonymity feature for the employees while they use the resources and take the sessions. She points out that having someone outside their professional and personal life who could listen and give them a neutral view becomes crucial for every life issue.
She believes that therapy should be normalised and not seen as a ‘Western concept’ anymore. Neha expresses that physical and mental health should be given equal importance and should start from school.
Neha recollects her participation in one of YourDOST’s campaigns on ‘Stress Management’ in her office campus and her interaction with them regarding awareness about monitoring employee stress levels. Although stress is part of our lifestyle today, Neha felt that using a measuring scale can help us become more aware of ourselves.
Neha shares her coping mechanism for her busy routine to have a good state of mind in her day-to-day life. She elaborates that she starts her day very early and takes a moment with a cup of tea. Between managing her family and work, Neha elucidates taking a 30-minute walk every day without fail in the neighbourhood with her husband.
“The morning walk of 30 minutes is more than physical activity for me. More than creating discipline for the rest of my day, it gives me a space to talk and spend time with my husband. It gives me mental peace and makes me calmer. We know that this time only belongs to us, and it is like our ‘golden hour’.”
Neha elucidates that balancing ambition with family can be difficult with a child, but it can be manageable with all hands on deck. She explains that her family plays a vital role in keeping up with her days. As she understands the value of having a great support system in life, Neha adds that therapy is something people should not shy away from or ignore.
She listens to podcasts about unhealthy and healthy mental habits and reads various resources to stay informed about physical and psychological health. She also uses the ‘circle of life’ concept taught by therapists for people struggling to find balance in life.
“A senior leader explained the concept to me beautifully. The inner circle is ‘the self’; then comes your family and friends, and towards the peripheral circle comes work. Our priority should be aligned this way, too. Once we realise the core aspect of caring for the core circle, we can have a sound mental health.”
Neha explains that these techniques helped her cope with burnout and improve herself. As she works on cracking the code of finding the right balance, she rates herself a 3.5 out of 5 in terms of feeling better. We are glad that Neha stands as an example for many ambitious women and wish her success in her personal and professional life.
Neha Warrior Tips:
1.“People should come forward to talk more about mental well-being because it is worth it to impact at least one person’s life with our help.”
2.“Never compromise on family to climb the corporate ladder; always find a balance.”
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