Nine out of 10 Indians suffer from stress, reveals a 2018 study conducted by Cigna TTK Health Insurance. While the study points to workplace and financial pressures as being the key reasons, Dr Rangan Chatterjee, author of the recently-released book The Stress Solution (PenguinRandomHouse UK), believes that the causes (and solutions) for stress are rooted in our bodies, brains and environment. In the book, he describes "stress ecosystems" that we inhabit.

The stress ecosystem
"Human beings today are bombarded with information from multiple sources. Your brain is constantly monitoring something, from your breath to your hormone levels. Your gut is taking information from the food you eat to determine whether you are in a state of feast or famine. Your immune system is drawing cues from your physical and emotional wellbeing. All these sources of information are talking to each other to ultimately answer one simple question: am I safe or am I under threat?" he explains.
Most people have unwittingly built their own stress ecosystems. As a result, one of the biggest reasons why conventional stress management therapies fall short is because they attempt to tackle stress from a single direction. "Attacking psychological stress from overwork by practising meditation or by booking a spa day, for example, might have a limited effect if the lifestyle choices you are making in restaurants and bars are generating constant stress signals in your body, through your gut," he points out. This makes it especially vital to address psychological, emotional, dietary, physical, technological stress and life stress concurrently, so that the information relayed to our brains convinces it that we are safe, and not under threat. Here are a few strategies to help you get started.