India’s Stress Storybook
Stress spreads socially. So does regulation.
How do you show stress regulation?
You tell stories.
Of real people. Real shifts. Real change in everyday life.
From homes and hospitals to classrooms, offices and communities — everyday Indians are beginning to change how stress is understood, supported and regulated in everyday life.
Their voices now form a growing, living Movement Wall.
This isn’t just storytelling.
It’s stress regulation becoming visible.
Building stress regulation literacy for India. 🇮🇳
People using Relax Play Thrive for stress regulation
Professions across healthcare, education, defence, research, parenting, business and everyday life
PIN codes From metros to small towns across India
The National Case for Stress Regulation
Two national white papers examining how chronic stress affects physiology, public health, learning, behaviour and workforce capacity in modern India.
Stress looks different on everyone. 🙋🏽
Every person here holds a different experience of stress, regulation and everyday life.
Tap a photo to step into their journey — the challenges they faced, the shifts they noticed, and the activity that helped something finally click.
You may even recognize parts of your own experience in theirs.
😓 Challenge:
Constant stress, lack of focus, procrastination and terrible time management
🏆 Win:
I was able to stick to my to do list
⭐ Favourite activity:
Mandala art
🤝 Played it forward?
Yes, gifted to my sister
Sejal, Ceramic artist and business owner, Mumbai
😓 Challenge:
Overthinking, burnout
🏆 Win:
Feeling lighter, calmer and more in control
⭐ Favourite activity:
The Great Overthinking Escape
Shweta, Nutritionist & Lifestyle Consultant, Mumbai
😓 Challenge:
Felt easily overwhelmed with work
🏆 Win:
A deeper awareness has been life-changing — I can now recognize what’s happening inside me when I’m feeling a certain way
⭐ Favourite activity:
Mood Map
🤝 Played it forward?
Did an Instagram series with Dr. Anuja Luniya.
Aastha, Podcast Host, Mumbai
🏆 Win:
“…it will reduce risk of Diabetes. And, if you prevent Diabetes, you can prevent many complications like blindness!”
🤝 Played it forward?
Yes, gifted to 2 colleagues and a friend
Dr. S. Natarajan, Padma Shri Opthalmologist, Mumbai
🏆 Win:
“The biggest revelation came from her discussion of the vagus nerve.”
⭐ Favourite activity:
Unlocking You
Shailendra, Professor & Entrepreneur, Delhi
😓 Challenge:
Stuck in a negative loop.
🏆 Win:
Helped me look on the bright side with a perspective shift. Felt better and focused. Felt like I’m taking a pause. Felt present
⭐ Favourite activity:
Roll ‘N Relax
🤝 Played it forward?
Shared about it with my LinkedIn community.
Neha, PhD Researcher & Freelancer, Hamirpur
Behind every number is a nervous system. 📊
Every story adds up. These graphs reflect what began shifting when stress regulation became part of everyday life — less stress, better sleep, more energy, and habits that actually felt sustainable.
It’s not just data. It’s people feeling the difference in everyday life.
📉 From survival mode to more capacity.
Stress reduced. Sleep, energy emotional steadiness, and focus improved.
⏱ Just 5 minutes can make a difference.
Real life: How much time people actually spent with Relax Play Thrive
🔄 Small steps, big consistency.
Most people kept coming back — showing how small, repeatable habits are easier to sustain.
🌎 Stress doesn’t discriminate. Regulation shouldn’t either.
From Gen Z to grandparents — stress showed up differently, but regulation still mattered.
are sharing Relax Play Thrive with friends, families and communities — passing regulation forward through everyday relationships.
believe India needs more accessible, everyday tools for stress regulation.
“India is navigating a period of incredible and rapid change, creating a clash between traditional values and modern aspirations. This can be disorienting, especially for the younger generation. What we need is an 'inner compass.' Relax Play Thrive provides exactly that—a framework for developing psychological flexibility ('Play') to adapt to this change, while also helping individuals connect with their own core values to 'Thrive' in a meaningful way.”
Vishal, Advisor - SETU Aayog, Dehradun
“My background is in higher education. I have struggled with no support. We are not taught the vocabulary to express our emotions, and we are quick to judge and dismiss. With RPT I see lives, and relationships saved, individuals happier and fulfilled.”
Neha, PhD Researcher & Freelancer, Hamirpur
“India needs a tool to facilitate unpacking of oneself.”
Anurag, Head CSR, Mumbai
“Today people's concept of work is absolutely wrong. Working long hours and stress has become the new hallmark of productivity and hence the poor mental health. But so be it, its this book which can take India forward.”
Mrugendra, GOI, Pune
"Stress has become basic in everyone’s lives. And regulating it is the only way we’ll be saved from walking around like zombies one day."
Hafsa, Calligraphy artist, Hyderabad
“Each one of us are extremely stressed we don't want to talk about it we are so stressed that we are ageing faster this is a great way to get people to start working on their stress.”
Shweta, Nutritionist & Lifestyle Consultant, Mumbai
Real people. Real shifts. 🌱
😓 Challenge:
Struggling to connect with my body + food and improve my overall health
🏆 Win:
I feel strong and healthy. I have my tools handy. I feel optimistic, hopeful, and confident about life
⭐ Favourite activity:
The Magical Morning Odyssey
🤝 Played it forward?
Referred to my friends
Akshaya, Copywriter, Bangalore
😓 Challenge:
I was always stressed about meeting targets and handling tough clients, which made me feel anxious and tired every day
🏆 Win:
Simple activities which made me feel relaxed and I enjoyed doing those. By focusing on right activities, helped me focus on things which are in my contro. Whath really stuck with me is understanding why I feel stressed and learning how to deal with it
⭐ Favourite activity:
Unlocking You, Mood Map
🤝 Played it forward?
Gifted
Anonymous, Realtor, Hyderabad
😓 Challenge:
High stress levels
🏆 Win:
Using the activity tracker regularly
⭐ Favourite activity:
Still deciding 🙂
Anonymous, Sales, Thane
😓 Challenge:
Stress
🏆 Win:
Feel more energetic
⭐ Favourite activity:
All the varieties 🙂
Anonymous, Retired, Chennai
😓 Challenge:
Challenges at workplace
🏆 Win:
Brought play back into my life, with beyond expectations relief from stress
🤝 Played it forward?
Gifted
Kannaki, Doctor, Pollachi
😓 Challenge:
None per se
🏆 Win:
Helped me relax more
⭐ Favourite activity:
All the simple tools
🤝 Played it forward?
Gifted
Dr. Prabodh, Head Global Regulatory, Thane
😓 Challenge:
Anxiety and overthinking
🏆 Win:
Could breathe 🙂
⭐ Favourite activity:
Connect the Calm
Anonymous, Wedding Planner, Vasai
😓 Challenge:
It's difficult to pick one. It's more about the wrong or right mix of all the necessary elements put together in a package. So, the package was not really well in its optimum or desirable shape
🏆 Win:
Respond, not react, to any given situation
⭐ Favourite activity:
The ACT Matrix
Vishal, Advisor - SETU Aayog, Dehradun
😓 Challenge:
Anxiety and restlessness in my daily chores
🏆 Win:
I feel that there is hope in dealing with tough things
⭐ Favourite activity:
Not yet
🤝 Played it forward?
Promoted it on my groups
Mrugendra, GOI, Pune
😓 Challenge:
Anxiety and work stress
🏆 Win:
Changed in my mediation techniques to trigger specific components of the nervous system
⭐ Favourite activity:
Whistle at work
Anonymous, Dentist, Mumbai
😓 Challenge:
I always found it hard to navigate through the emotional turmoil that keeps pricking throughout the day. Mini pokes that I dint know how to deal with. Which eventually would turn into one big outburst
🏆 Win:
Acknowledge my patterns and use the right tools for each
⭐ Favourite activity:
Ridikulus Revelations
🤝 Played it forward?
Yes, gifted to my cousin
Hafsa, Calligraphy artist, Hyderabad
😓 Challenge:
Get anxious amd stressed every other minute.
🏆 Win:
Feel relaxed and calm within a minute.
⭐ Favourite activity:
Technicolour Tranquility
Jyoti, Influencer, Navi Mumbai
😓 Challenge:
Stress and anxiety
🏆 Win:
Drastic shifts towards cal
⭐ Favourite activity:
Empty to Happy
Plavita, Founder and Architect, Bangalore
😓 Challenge:
Feeling low on energy and on emotions, was feeling stretched out in multiple directions
🏆 Win:
Allowed me to reinvent myself and also allowed me look at things which I thought are no more there…I miss it the day I don’t use it
⭐ Favourite activity:
Stress Sanctuary
🤝 Played it forward?
Yes, gifted to my CEO
Anurag, Head CSR, Mumbai
😓 Challenge:
Constantly overthinking — always stuck in a loop of a thousand scenarios and never really present.
🏆 Win:
Helps me just pause. I’ve become more aware of my present state of mind
🤝 Played it forward?
Referred it to my friends.
Resham, Founder & Architect, Mumbai
😓 Challenge:
Feeling blue
🏆 Win:
Helps me relax
⭐ Favourite activity:
Unlocking You
Anonymous, Neurosurgeon, Chennai
😓 Challenge:
Busy days with little free time
🏆 Win:
Quickly get back my control over stress
⭐ Favourite activity:
Roll ‘N Relax
Shweta, Founder, Kochi
😓 Challenge:
Busy days with little free time
🏆 Win:
Quickly get back my control over stress
⭐ Favourite activity:
Roll ‘N Relax
Rashmi, Founder, Bangalore
Disclaimer: All stories and data here are shared voluntarily, with participant consent. Data is used only to amplify the impact of everyday regulation.
Stress isn’t personal…it’s national. 🇮🇳
Chronic stress affects how people learn, work, recover, relate and function.
Across India, its effects are showing up in our health, workplaces, classrooms and homes.
But regulation can spread too.
If 100 people felt a shift, imagine what 10,000 employees or 1 million citizens could experience.
Fewer hospital visits. Stronger homes, classrooms and workplaces. A healthier, more resilient India for generations to come.
Regulation at scale changes what a society can carry.