The Stress Solution: The 4 Steps to Reset Your Body, Mind, Relationships & Purpose

Nice book worth reading

When I first heard about The Stress Solution my initial thought: 'does the world need another book on stress?' So much have already been written on stress. People kept recommending it to the point I had to find out for myself. This book provides a new perspective on stress. It's packed with simple and practical solutions to live a calmer, healthier and happier life. Dr Chatterjee has a warm and personal writing style which makes it feel that you are sitting next to him having a conversation. He explains the science behind the practices he recommends in a digestive way to non-medically trained persons. His approach to stress can be broken down in 4 pillars: body, mind, relationships & purpose. I was particularly inspired by the assertion he makes about having a strong sense of purpose in life as the single best way of living a calmer and happier life. He makes an interesting link between purpose in life and stress that is not often talked about. Research shows people with a strong sense of purpose enjoy significantly better health compared to those who do not. He encourages us to ask ourself: why do we bother getting up in the mornings? The French calls it a Raison d’etre, reason for being. What is your purpose in life? Dr Chatterjee highlights living a life that’s devoid of meaning and purpose is inherently stressful. So often, people make poor lifestyle choices because they are not in touch with their true purpose. They compensate for the lack of meaning by drinking too much alcohol or eating unhealthily for comfort. He recommends start seeing life in a more positive way. Dr Chatterjee recommends the Three Habits of Calm. An incredibly powerful practice that’s simple to do. 1 Affirmations Your mind is a powerful tool in the creation of happiness and success. The mind consists of two parts: the conscious and the subconscious. The conscious mind is the logical part of the brain. It is where you do your thinking and planning. Your subconscious mind is the part you are not aware of. It ensures your heart keeps beating and your lungs continue breathing. According to scientists, the subconscious part occupies 90% of our mind. The subconscious mind is the emotional part of the brain. It runs on autopilot in the background and is responsible for your habits. It stores information such as your personal beliefs, memories, skills and life experiences. The data points you have gathered shape your subconscious mind. In an affirmation, you talk to your subconscious mind, re-programming what you want out of your life. Think of it as an upgrade of the operating software. So many people are not aware they need to upgrade their operating software. They are running on outdated programme that’s 5 years, 10 years old. Regular affirmation practice re-programmes your brain, gives you more control of your life and start changing how you see yourself and the world. For instance, your affirmation could be 'I am calm and stress- free.' Or, 'I choose to be happy' or 'I am the architect of my own health.' 2 Reframing the day The personal story Dr Chatterjee shared about reframing stress is fascinating. He relates a struggle he experienced when the GP practice he worked has been taken over by a private owners. This meant he lost much autonomy at work. He was micromanaged and even told what time of the day to look through daily blood results. He became extremely frustrated and this impacted negatively in his personal life. He would feel wounded and stressed such that the thought of going to work the next day was dreadful. His wife vidh suggested to leave but he couldn’t as he had bills and mortgage to pay. He felt stuck but decided to do something about it. Dr Chatterjee reminded himself of psychological studies indicating people are happier when they are at the service of others. He started going for a walk at lunch and would reflect on the good he has done in the morning. Focusing his thought on the people he helped relieved his personal pain and suffering. The way he chose to interpret a stressful event is crucial in his ability to manage himself. Reframing shifts the focus away from the negative pattern of thoughts. Take control of how you're framing your life and make it work for you rather than against you. 3 Gratitude in the evening The human mind has been programmed to focus on threats for our survival. We pay more attention to negative things than positive things. We overlook many goodness that happen in our life as our mind may live in the past or worry about the future. We do not appreciate the good things. Dr Chatterjee claims gratitude is an antidote to rumination. Practicing gratitude is an affirmation of goodness. We affirm good things in life. We recognize that the sources of these goodness are outside of us. A useful framework in the book I like is the three Ps Person Pleasure Promise The 3 habits of calm is an incredibly powerful practice I would recommend you try. Affirmation, reframing and gratitude.

Un livre pratique conçu pour vous accompagner dans votre gestion du stress. Des conseils actionnables et concrets. L’auteur est un médecin britannique reconnu. A lire absolument!

Easy to read, medically sound and very helpful. Would recommend for anyone looking for good and practical strategies to manage stress.

Dr Chatterfjee has written another brilliant, non condescending, essential read - ‘ The Stress Solution’. If you’re a human reading this, then you will benefit from this enormously. Stress is an epidemic in our lives that affects our health (both mental and physical). The book is laid out in clear sections and the advice and steps are very doable with great background science. I particularly like that it’s not overwhelming, it’s all doable, all small steps that add up to a big difference. Thanks to Dr Chaterjee’s first book ‘The Four Pillar Plan’ I was able to reduce my medication for a chronic condition to the minimum. I have slept better, exercised in different ways and that’s had a positive overall effect on my daily life. These books are something of a health bible in our house. The Stress Solution focuses more on our mental and emotional health and again is laid out well, easy to follow steps and suggestions. I love the section on reframing your day and on taking some social media breaks. The benefit to taking some social media breaks is astonishing. I’ve found that we lose our identity somewhat on social media and taking breaks is really calming, it actually gives you brain space and more energy to use in new ways. For me, Dr Chatterjee’s more holistic and lifestyle approach is one I favour. I don’t want to take a pill and put meds into my body if I can, instead, implelemnt small lifestyle changes. These books, I feel, are a proper, solid investment into long term health. What could be more important? If we don’t function well, then every area of our lives are impacted negatively. I bought my copy for about the price of a prescription ... as a result of the advice, I’m on less medication and now take less prescriptions.... so I’m saving money too!!