Capt. Akshat Arora, Senior Risk Assessor at UK P&I Club, enjoys spending time in nature with his children, traveling with his family, and immersing himself in diverse cultures. In response to the challenges posed by COVID-19, he has embraced a daily gratitude practice, deepening his appreciation for life’s blessings and finding joy in each experience.
Within the maritime sector, Akshat is a strong advocate for prioritizing the mental well-being of seafarers. He emphasizes the importance of providing access to counseling services and urges an end to the blame culture. Instead of attributing incidents and accidents solely to human error, industry should highlight success stories where human intervention prevented potential disasters and underscore the vital role of seafarers in facilitating global trade, he argues.
SAFETY4SEA: What does ‘wellness’ mean to you? What do you do in your everyday life to embrace wellness?
Akshat Arora: Wellness, to me, is about maintaining a balance in all spheres of life: physical, mental, and emotional. It’s about having a life with meaning, in which joy manifests itself along the way. I usually begin my days with mindfulness practices like meditation and deep breathing. I strive to follow a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and cherish spending quality time with my family.
S4S: What are the two things to do that can make you feel happy after a challenging day?
A.A.: Nature has a remarkable ability to rejuvenate the soul, so, usually after work, I go for outdoor runs or walks. I also love spending time with my children and helping them with their school projects or homework. It allows me to unwind and find joy in the moment.
S4S: What is the most worthwhile wellbeing investment (in energy, time, money) you’ve ever made?
A.A.: I enjoy travelling with my family, exploring new destinations, and immersing in diverse cultures. Apart from breaking away from the routine and gaining new perspectives, it also allows us to strengthen our bonds and create lasting memories.
S4S: What do you do to keep balance between your personal and business life?
A.A.: There are days when I have to travel for work, and then there are days when I have to attend to urgent matters at home. For me, the key to achieving a good work-life balance is through regular self-reflection and prioritisation. I have allowed myself to remain flexible and open to redirecting my energy depending on the needs of the day.
S4S: In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your personal life?
A.A.: In the past five years, despite the upheaval caused by COVID around the world, I believe that the pandemic somehow gave most, if not all, of us the time to pause, introspect, and put things in perspective. Since then, I picked up the habit of practicing daily gratitude, and that has greatly benefited my personal life. Taking a moment each day to reflect on what I’m thankful for has shifted my perspective and helped me discover joy in even the smallest of moments.
S4S: What would you like to change in the current maritime landscape with regards to wellbeing?
A.A.: In the current landscape, the maritime industry often only makes the news after an incident occurs, and seafarers are frequently portrayed in a negative light and blamed for what happened. Unfortunately, the impact of such incidents on seafarers and the stress they experience is often overlooked. It is crucial that we understand, recognise, and respect the role of seafarers and ensure that they have access to the necessary mental health support, including counselling services. Although human error is often cited as the primary cause of incidents and accidents, the instances where human intervention has prevented potential disasters often go unrecognized. We need to showcase such success stories and highlight the efforts of seafarers in enabling the global trade.
S4S: What wellness-promoting initiatives would you like to see in the workplace?
A.A.: At Thomas Miller, we are fortunate to have a robust array of health and wellbeing related benefits, ranging from flexible working hours to subsidised gym memberships, cycling to work and massages at work, etc. However, if I were to suggest additional initiatives to further enhance our workplace wellness programme, I would advocate for the introduction of mindfulness retreats and more team bonding activities.
S4S: What is the one thing that you are feeling grateful at the moment?
A.A.: I am grateful for the opportunity to connect with others through this platform and share my perspectives.
S4S: What are your hobbies/ favourite activities?
A.A.: I love hiking in nature, reading, writing and watching stand-up comedy acts.
S4S: What is your personal motto?
A.A.: Live life to the fullest, cultivate gratitude and radiate positivity.
The views presented are only those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.
