Renowned Indian writer Chetan Bhagat on Saturday offered his two cents on the importance of mental fitness at THE WEEK Health Summit 2025 in New Delhi.
The 51-year-old author, who released his latest novel, '12 Years: My Messed-Up Love Story' a month ago, breaks down the essential tenets of 'mental fitness' into simple everyday habits and thought patterns, backed by a clean, no-nonsense PPT presentation.
He began with a broader discussion of terms casually thrown around in the mental health field, relating to fitness, health, and ailment before delving into his own mental health situation in 2018.
Bhagat explained that he had been in a bad mental space in 2018, identifying himself (back then) with most of the traits of a person suffering from a lack of optimal mental health.
He added that this mental health crisis pervaded many areas of his life, making him unhappy, demotivated, and pessimistic, despite his success as an author.
Reflecting on his wonderful transformation over the years, seen in two pairs of before-after pictures in the PPT, he explained that the transformation was slow and gradual, and done using the help of simple lifestyle changes.
In addition to adopting a better mindset and self-reflection, he also spoke about Dr Paul Conti's work on mental models, and how this understanding of mental fitness helped him reframe his thinking.
Bhagat next entered a discussion on the nature of happiness, and offered six lifestyle changes that he felt could do wonders for the soul:
Sleep
He said that getting 7-8 hours of sleep in a properly dark and sufficiently cool room is very important, as is aligning one's sleep with their circadian rhythm and then sticking to a particular sleep time daily.
Light
Exposure to sunlight, long-known to be a great source of Vitamin D, is especially beneficial in the morning, the author said. He recommended ten minutes of sunlight, preferably not from the window of one's room, but outside.
Movement
For Bhagat, moving one's body is extremely important, the effect of which is seen in his own transformation. He advocated at least 3-4 hours of exercise per week, involving a good mix of cardio and resistance training.
Nutrition
The author did not advise people to cut out fats completely from their diet, opting instead for a balanced mix of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. He also recommended consuming minimally processed, whole foods as much as possible.
Social connections
Stressing on the importance of distancing oneself from negative interactions and people, he also highlighted how valuable positive energy interactions could be—especially when these lead to a sense of community.
Stress control
Pointing out the fact that a small degree of (coping) stress was usually useful in getting tasks done, he flagged excess stress as the real problem, offering solutions like meditation, cold exposure, and journaling to curb it.