Bengaluru founder says ₹20-30 lakh savings can reduce stress

How much money is enough to feel secure? There may not be one answer, but Bengaluru-based founder Simridhi Makhija has shared her own view on the question. In a recent Instagram video, she spoke about why having money saved can matter far beyond shopping, eating out, or other lifestyle expenses.Makhija focused instead on the confidence that comes from knowing there is money available during an uncertain period. She also spoke about regular cash flow and how financial stability, in her view, can affect a person's overall sense of calm.Her comments have brought attention to the often-discussed link between money and stress, particularly when savings are viewed as a safety net rather than spending power.

‘Nothing calms down your nervous system...’

ID@undefined Caption not available.Makhija made her position clear while talking about the connection between money and stress.“Nothing calms down your nervous system more than having consistent flow of money,” Makhija said in an Instagram video shared yesterday.She believes that earning consistently can give people greater confidence in dealing with what lies ahead.

Why she mentioned ₹20 to 30 lakh

Makhija went on to put a number to the kind of savings she considers reassuring. She spoke about having ₹20 to 30 lakh in a bank account.Her reason was not the lifestyle such an amount could support. She specifically separated financial security from spending on things such as restaurants, shopping, and pubs.The founder said having money is important “not because of shallow reasons such as, ‘Oh, you can go to your favorite restaurant every weekend, you can shop wherever you want, go to your favorite pubs’... but because if you have 20 to 30 lakhs saved in your bank account, you do not have to worry about what comes next.”She pointed to situations where savings could become particularly important.“Even if you lose your job, even if your parents need money, there is a healthcare crisis, whatever it is, you are good because you have 20 to 30 lakhs saved in your bank account,” she said.

What does ‘calm your nervous system’ mean?

The phrase “calm your nervous system” is often used in wellness conversations around stress. Similarly, “dysregulated” is commonly used when describing a state of feeling stressed.Makhija used these terms while making her point about financial stability and its role in dealing with pressure.

Makhija says therapy is not the whole answer

She also mentioned therapy, reading, and hobbies as ways people may try to manage stress.However, Makhija argued that these approaches do not address the underlying issue if financial concerns are the reason a person remains stressed.“So therapy is fine, reading books is fine, trying to calm down your nervous system is fine, but unless you actually go to the root of why your nervous system is actually acting up all the time, you are not going to be better,” she said.She further linked earning one's own money with confidence and the ability to handle unexpected situations.“Because that's when you will feel like you can move confidently in the world: (A) because you have actually earned that money yourself. (B) that is your cushion in any situation that comes your way.”

Her experience with Bengaluru founders

Makhija also spoke about what she said she has observed among founders in Bengaluru.She claimed that founders facing cash flow problems can struggle in different areas of their lives. She contrasted this with founders who have achieved financial stability.“I have seen here in Bangalore as to how those founders who do not have consistent cash flow struggle with everything in their life in every sphere, versus those founders who have made it, and now they are happy in every other sphere of their life. I have seen it firsthand, and that is why I'll continue to say it louder despite the hate,” she concluded.Disclaimer: This article is based on user-generated content. The Times of India has not independently verified the claims, statements, or information presented in the content.Thumb image: Instagram