Five Habits to Mitigate Chronic Stress and Enhance Well-being

Key Quotes

"I think that chronic stress is without question the most important thing for us to get our heads around these days. I really do think if I had to choose one thing that is having the most negative impact on the state of our lives, I would say that it is chronic stress."

Dr. Rangan Chatterjee identifies chronic stress as the paramount issue impacting modern life, suggesting it is the single most significant factor negatively affecting well-being. He emphasizes that understanding and addressing stress is crucial for improving health and happiness.

"The stress response gets activated when it thinks you're in danger. So let's go back in time maybe 50 or 100,000 years ago and let's imagine we're just going on with our day we're hunter-gatherers and we're just doing our thing and then let's say as you're doing your thing you notice out of the corner of your eye a predator approaching the camp in an instant your stress response gets activated."

Dr. Chatterjee explains that the stress response is an ancient survival mechanism designed to protect individuals from immediate threats, like predators. This response triggers physiological changes to prepare the body for fight or flight, a process that was vital for ancestral survival.

"Here's the big problem in the modern world today for many of us, dare I say most of us, our stress response is not being activated by wild predators. It's being activated by the state of our daily lives: email inboxes, to-do lists, three or four social media platforms we're trying to keep up to date with, negative news headlines, elderly parents we're trying to care for at the same time as looking after our own young children, and the list goes on."

Dr. Chatterjee highlights the critical difference between ancestral threats and modern stressors, explaining that daily life challenges like work demands, technology, and caregiving responsibilities constantly activate the stress response. This chronic activation, he argues, leads to long-term health issues.

"A micro stress dose is a little dose of stress that in isolation you can handle just fine. The problem comes when those micro stress doses accumulate one on top of the other. Now, the reason they become a problem is because all of us have our own unique personal stress threshold."

Dr. Chatterjee introduces the concept of "micro stress doses," defining them as small, manageable stressors that become problematic when they accumulate. He explains that exceeding one's personal stress threshold, which is unique to each individual, leads to negative consequences.

"The way you breathe is literally information for your body. A lot of people don't realize that. So if you're feeling stressed, the way you breathe typically will start to change. In fact, there was a study published a few years ago, I think out of UCLA, that showed 80% of office workers changed the way they breathe when they're doing email."

Dr. Chatterjee emphasizes the profound connection between breathing and the body's stress response, noting that shallow, rapid chest breathing is a common physiological indicator of stress. He suggests that consciously altering breathing patterns can send calming signals to the brain, counteracting stress.

"The reality is that most people's behavior has nothing to do with you. It is a reflection of their inner state. And when you stop absorbing other people's emotions as your own, you will start to increase your peace, your calm, your contentment immediately."

Dr. Chatterjee advises against taking others' actions personally, explaining that their behavior often stems from their own internal state rather than being a direct reflection of the individual. He posits that by not internalizing others' emotions, one can significantly enhance personal peace and contentment.