In a new book, a personal finance expert says mental peace is paramount to financial wellbeing

The best health decision I’ve ever made didn’t involve a six-pack diet, a fitness app or a gym subscription.

It was choosing to live in a home that felt like peace.

I stretched my budget by 30–40% to rent a place in Juhu, a lush, quiet area five minutes from the beach.

In a city like Mumbai, where noise, chaos and pollution are part of the daily package, this felt like rebellion. Breezy mornings, birdsong instead of honking horns and air that doesn’t feel like punishment.

I often joke that you blindfolded someone and dropped them here, they’d never believe they were in Mumbai.

Every evening, when I head home, it doesn’t feel like I’m escaping the day, it feels like I’m returning to myself. In fact, I look forward to coming home every day.

That calm? That clarity? That’s health, too.

And easily the best investment I’ve made.

Health isn’t just about what you eat or how much you move. It’s the air you breathe, the space you return to, the pace at which you live. It’s the energy you have for the things that matter: work, relationships, creativity.

It’s not one of those things. It’s everything. And the earlier we start taking it seriously, the more life gives back in return.

Now, I know not everyone can shift to a beachfront apartment or find a green bubble in the middle of a chaotic city, and that’s okay. But even small changes can create a healthier environment.

Open your windows, let light in. Get a few indoor plants – they’re not just aesthetic, they also calm your mind. Keep your bedroom screen-free and quiet. Declutter your space. Walk to the grocery store if you can. Spend weekends in parks instead of malls. Create tiny pockets of stillness in your everyday life. Your surroundings don’t need to be perfect; they just need to support your peace.

Okay, so that’s peace on the outside. But what about the inside? Let’s dive into that too.

We don’t talk enough about how much our mental health influences everything: our energy, our motivation, even our physical body. I used to think working out was just for the physique. Abs, arms, stamina – all of that. But over time, I have realised that it’s not just about how you look, it’s about how you feel. There’s something deeply stabilising about moving your body every day. It grounds you. It gives your restless mind something to anchor itself to. And, honestly, the biggest benefit of working out for me hasn’t been physical, it’s been mental.

Because here’s the thing: the mind is an explosive box. If you don’t know how to manage it, it runs wild. With constant overthinking, anxiety, and worry, it becomes a storm that never ends. And most people live in that storm all the time, without even realising it.

I’ve been there. Days when you’re just spiralling inside, constantly thinking about the what-ifs, replaying things people said or certain situations, worrying about the future, feeling like something’s always about to go wrong.

And when you’re someone who’s naturally anxious, it’s even harder. Anxious people tend to be more sensitive. We feel more, think more, get overwhelmed faster. Our minds jump ahead to worst-case scenarios, and even a small problem can feel like a catastrophe. But I’ve learnt, slowly, that you can train your mind the way you train your body. You can teach it to slow down, to breathe, to respond instead of react.

That’s where mindfulness came in for me. Now, I’m not saying I sit cross-legged on a hilltop for an hour a day. I just try to take a moment. A pause. Maybe while brushing my teeth, or in the middle of a tense conversation, or when I feel my chest tightening for no real reason.

I’ll take a breath and just ask: “What’s actually happening right now?”

Not in my head but in front of me. Most of the time, it’s nothing. Just noise in the mind. Just fear of things that haven’t even happened.

Meditation helps too. Just five to ten minutes of stillness. Sitting, breathing, letting thoughts pass like traffic instead of trying to chase each one. It’s hard in the beginning; your brain will rebel. You’ll itch to check your phone, solve a problem, do something “productive”. But stick with it, and something shifts. You start noticing how much of your anxiety was just background static. Not real.

Another thing I’ve realised – and this one took a while – is that you need to stop waiting for life to feel “sorted” before you feel okay. We think, “Once this situation ends, once this person stops, once this deadline is over … then I’ll be fine.” But there’s always another problem waiting. The better thing to do is learning to find calm inside the storm. Because the storm isn’t going away.

And, let’s be honest, everyone’s going through something. It’s easy to think you’ve got the worst deal. There’s this spotlight effect we all carry, where it feels like the world is out to get you. That people are targeting your weaknesses and your life is uniquely messy. But when you look around, you realize that everyone’s just figuring it out. Quietly. Imperfectly. With their own chaos.

One of the most freeing realisations I’ve had is: just calm the hell down.

Seriously. Take a breath. Smile. Remind yourself that we’re all heading to the same finish line in the end.

This whole thing – life – it’s not supposed to be perfect. It’s supposed to be lived. That doesn’t mean we don’t try hard or ignore our responsibilities. But it does mean we give ourselves grace. We drop the drama in our heads and stop treating stress like a badge of honour.

Today, mental health is my top priority. Not because I’ve “solved” it, but because I know how bad things get when I ignore it. I work out not just for strength but for sanity. I sleep not just for energy but for emotional stability. I meditate not to escape my thoughts but to understand them.

And more than anything, I remind myself that I don’t need to have it all figured out. I just need to show up calmly, consistently and with kindness to myself.

Excerpted with permission from Rise to the 1%: The Smart Indian’s Playbook for Wealth and Early Retirement, Sharan Hegde, Penguin India.