Wellness, What Does It Mean?
I work in the wellness space and my constant struggle is holding discussions on what wellness means to any one of us. Particularly when corporates discuss their employee wellness programs, there might be an intellectual understanding of the concept but somewhere maybe work pressures take over and the sensitivity to others problems is lost.
I remember this one incident where I was sitting in the cafe at the India Bulls Centre, a prime corporate building in Mumbai, sipping on a juice, while people's conversations floated in and out of earshot. My ears popped open when I heard someone making a passing comment about their colleague being on an overdrive and a real pain to work with. The conversation that unfolded went on to talk about his constant fidgeting, his procrastination, his loud behavior and even the way in which he stands always too close to his peers.
It's a little bit of a hobby of mine to decode behaviour and this instantly fits into symptoms of adult ADHD. I peered at the ID batches and made note of the company, called the centre and asked them to connect me with the CEO.
Through working with corporates at various stages, our firm has had the opportunity to get to know the pulse of corporate India in an intimate and intensive manner. As it turned out the CEO or the company for that matter were not aware of the implications of mental health challenges.
A BOSS WITH ADHD
In yet another intervention, at an upscale advertising agency in Mumbai, we came across one of the most unique and challenging cases we've faced.
One of the executive directors of this firm, a 45-year-old with over 19 years of experience in the advertising world, was a challenge for the employees who worked for him. While his name was brought up in one or two therapy sessions, he had never approached us for therapy. His peers had an issue connecting with him on more than one occasion.
Nimesh (name changed for confidentiality) at times was said to have 'zoned out' from high power brainstorming sessions and important work meetings. While meeting a key account in the previous month, he would fumble, forget or be unable to comprehend questions about the account, which ended up in the account leaving the company after being dissatisfied with his performance for the past few months.
Nimesh was one of the core team members, he was perfectly charming, he was witty, hthe e had the innovation to engage brands with younger and older audiences alike, his copywriting and creative skithe lls were unmatched, however when it came to certain things, he was a bumbling mess.
I wasn't happy with the way this agency was dealing with his issue- through hostile undercurrents and frustrations for their situation. Neither the CEO and some of the team members, they did not want to replace such a brilliant asset, at the same time he was being a liability. It was quite the catch 22 situation for everyone involved, including me and my team, since we figured this person could be going through an affliction that could be treated with intervention.
It was a breakthrough moment for my team when Nimesh requested a therapy session with our counsellors. During his intake, my senior therapist noted certain aspects of his behaviour:
- Inability to focus on one task for a small or extended period of time
- Hyperactivity and fidgeting when sitting and standing
- Talking loudly and abruptly during a normal conversation
- Starting sentences and losing the trail of thought mid-sentence
- Unable to stick to financial commitments
- Procrastination which has led to the loss of clients
- Unable to understand and interpret social cues
We don't like to make assumptions based on a few symptoms; however, it was clear to my senior therapist that Nimesh was suffering from adult ADHD.
Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder is a chronic condition marked by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and sometimes impulsivity. ADHD begins in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Two out of every three children with ADHD continue to have symptoms as adults. Some of the symptoms of ADHD include:
- Trouble focusing or concentrating
- Restlessness
- Impulsivity
- Difficulty completing tasks
- Disorganization
- Low frustration tolerance
- Frequent mood swings
- Hot temper
- Trouble coping with stress
- Unstable relationships
NEUROSCIENCE FOR ADHD
While his regular therapy sessions were going well, I felt Nimesh would greatly benefit from Neurofeedback, which is proven to work with adult ADHD.
At his first session, I could sense his skepticism and disbelief- after all; he was only instructed to watch a video on the screen in front of him. How on earth would that ever help anyone?
The science behind Neurofeedback, is the process on how you receive feedback about your brains functioning, the brain builds healthy brainwaves and maintains a balance. Through each of his sessions, he started feeling a change long after the session had ended.
Neurofeedback requires a commitment of at least 10-20 sessions as it involved training the brain in a subconscious therapy. His misaligned brain waves were bought to an optimum level with each session. He is currently in his 11th session and the difference in Nimesh last month and now is more than palpable. This was a life-changing personal event for Nimesh.
From a body-mind perspective, every illness has a psycho/emotional connection; some are simply more obvious than others. Mental and emotional disorders are real, and they are not cured by medical intervention. Anti-depressants or any another sort of medication are not a cure. Modern medicine is grappling to deal with mental disease, as the answer is not in the prescription of the drug. Or look at a therapy aimed to make us 'normal' according to what society views as normal. Rather we need a more holistic and tolerant system that celebrates our uniqueness and there is no one size that fits all.
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