“Work is so stressful these days, I am looking forward to my vacation, just kick

back and do nothing. The stress is so bad that sometimes I grind my teeth at night. Last

month, I had a terrible back pain and the doctor told me that it’s mainly because of

stress. But it’s so common, I don’t think I should be complaining,” says Rita. She knows

she is stressed, and wants to do something about it, but there’s always another

deadline to meet, something to do.

“Yeah man, if you can’t handle the heat, get out of the fire, know what i am

saying? Don't do this job if you can’t deal with stress. We work hard, we party hard.”

Harish loves his work, and has a hectic social life but of late, he feels exhausted during

the day and sleepless at night. He has gained a few kilos and has started to drink a bit

too much. He had a recent medical checkup and was diagnosed with high blood

pressure and high cholesterol. His doctor was blunt, “You have to change your lifestyle,

or you will get a heart attack,” he told Harish.

Stress is a word commonly used to describe the feeling of being keyed up, tense,

on edge, overworked and overwhelmed. Stress occurs for several reasons, but

ultimately it is felt when you feel a sense of threat.

Thousands of years of evolution have ensured that your brain is designed for

survival: parts of the brain are exquisitely sensitive to threat, responding immediately to
threat by sending signals to the rest of the body, releasing stress hormones and

creating what is commonly called the “fight, flight, or freeze” response. The muscles

tense up, the eyes widen, heart beats faster, blood pressure goes up, the blood

increases its propensity to clot, the sweat glands increase their output, and the mind

becomes vigilant and irritable. We are ready to fight the threat, or run away from it, or if

these are not possible ,then we freeze in the face of danger.

This response occurs without conscious thought and so rapidly that the conscious brain

cannot stop the process.

This response helped our ancestors, the cavemen, survive physical threat in

forests but it’s now causing us untold pain. Our ancient biological systems were not

designed to deal with the subtle but pervasive threats of modern life.

In today's world, we are relatively safer from a physical perspective; most of us

are fortunate not to face physical attack on a daily basis, and yet statistics tell us that

we are more stressed and anxious than ever before.

Our identities have evolved, our aspirations, our needs, our ambitions have all grown

and transcended the physical domain.

The brain cannot differentiate between threats to the emotional self and the

physical self - the same brain circuits that respond to physical threats are activated

when we feel the subtle emotional threat of day to day life: A boss criticizes you, a

partner ignores you, someone cuts you off in traffic, you are behind on your EMI

payments, you have an impending appraisal -the brain perceives these just like physical

threats and generates the fight, flight or freeze response

 In a materialistic, capitalistic globalised world, your sense of self is increasingly

derived from your career - You feel that you are what you do. Unfortunately, constant

rapid change, competition and a pressure to succeed makes jobs more insecure,

increasing the sense of threat and stress.

Other than work, it is our intimate relationships that are often a source of stress.

Relationships take time, patience and empathy, all of which are in short supply in a fast

paced world.

The internet and the smartphone revolution has brought us many benefits, but it would

appear that mental health is not one of them.

Social observers all over the world have noted how social media increases envy,

loneliness and isolation - Facebook and similar sites give us a semblance of connection

but actually decreases empathy and compassion. As more people migrate to urban

areas to work, as communities fragment, India is facing an unprecedented epidemic of

loneliness and loneliness is stressful.

To add to this, we are sleeping less and exercising less than we should.

Sleep deprivation has become an epidemic , with some studies estimating that more

than 80% of people in urban areas are sleep deprived. The less you sleep, the more

you are at risk of suffering from stress , depression and physical disease such as

diabetes and high blood pressure.

Our food habits have also changed, and more people now eat food loaded with

preservatives and artificial flavouring, and not enough fruits and vegetables. Research
suggests that our intestines are like a second brain. Many of the chemicals in the brain

(neurotransmitters) are synthesised in the gut, and unhealthy foods alter the bacterial

colonies in the intestine, decreasing the production of hormones and neurotransmitters.

In short, eating bad food can make us depressed. and stressed.

Urban life has also taken us far away from nature. We don't get enough exposure to

sunlight, we don’t get enough fresh clean air to breathe, and we are not usually able to

see a green vista in the distance, or a verdant scenery of trees and plants. This affects

our brain too - studies show that nature is very relaxing for the brain, while seeing an

urban environment suburban environment actually stresses out the brain.

With so many factors pushing us over the edge, it is not surprising that studies

show that over 40% of people in india may be suffering from significant stress. The

rising incidence of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, anxiety

and even suicide are all a result of this increasing amount of stress.

Fortunately, a few simple strategies are very helpful in significantly reducing stress.

Lifestyle and healthy habits are the mainstay of decreasing stress.

A healthy and balanced diet: The gut is our second brain and maintaining good

gut health improves brain function and reduces stress. Eliminate refined sugar, and

processed food, increase fruits and vegetables and reduce animal protein. Fermented

food like curds also helps in maintaining a healthy digestive system and brain.
 Get adequate sleep - research proves that 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, helps

prevent stress and improves mood,

Regular exercise, about 30 minutes a day, 3 to 5 times a week reduces stress

hormones and improves mood. Almost any kind of exercise is useful including walking.

Yoga and pranayama has also been proven by science to help significantly reduce

stress.

Many studies now prove the remarkable power of meditation in reducing stress

and improving mood. Research proves that even 10 to 15 minutes of a mindfulness

meditation practice, that involves bringing the mind to the present moment, decreases

stress hormones, reduces blood pressure and heart rate, and improves brain health.

Meditation reminds us that stress is ultimately a result of our own thoughts, our beliefs

our desires, and ambitions. We can learn through patient practice , that we can be

productive, we can work hard, and enjoy the many opportunities we have while letting

go of all that we cannot control.