Acclaimed Canadian-Hungarian physician and bestselling author Dr. Gabor Maté has dedicated his life to uncovering the root of illnesses. His mission is to empower people to heal. But what he offers isn’t quick-fix solutions. His work, which includes five bestselling books, explores topics like addiction, childhood development, and stress. And his latest, The Myth of Normal, weaves together scientific research, case studies, and his own experience as a doctor to investigate the links between stress and illness—something he believes is widely misunderstood in society. Here, he shares what you can start doing today to combat stress in your own life.

As booklovers we value the power of reading to escape and unwind. What do you think is the connection between reading and wellness?

“Books take us into the realm of play and imagination, characteristics of our childhood innocence and unlimited possibility. Or they allow us to see reality in new and exhilarating ways, which, even if we read about difficult subjects, is a source of joy and wonder and curiosity. These are all states that support mental wellness.”

What are you currently reading to unwind?  

“I’m always reading a combination of fiction and non-fiction. For example, at present, I toggle back and forth between Naguib Mahfouz’s Noble Prize-winning Cairo Trilogy, a triptych of lyrical and deeply felt novels set in the first half of the 20^th century in Egypt, and, on the other hand, Andrea Elliott’s 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winner, Invisible Child, a beautifully written and sobering account of a poor Black family in the racialized trauma-vortex of New York City.”

Some critics say that the wellness culture and self-care industry create more stress in people’s lives. What do you think?

“The wellness and self-help industries don’t need to create more stress—life in this toxic culture generates enough to go around, thank you very much. But insofar as they address only the symptoms and surface manifestations of stress, they simply mask and even prolong suffering. The only sense in which they may create more stress is by fostering an expectation or pressure on people to be ‘better’ and ‘happier’ than they are, or else be counted as failures, without really showing a way out.”

What are some surprising and overlooked indicators of stress? 

“When physical symptoms show up, we need to listen: our body is talking to us. The most common signals of stress are often dry mouth, fatigue, abdominal bloating, stomach aches, poor sleep, back spasms, recurrent headaches, frequent colds, irritability, frequent anxiety, neck pains, being accident prone. Not to mention more serious diseases…”

What is the No. 1 most important thing for people to do to navigate stress in 2024? 

“The most important task for all of us is to find, recognize, and embody our true, most authentic selves, not succumbing to the seductions and false expectations of a synthetic culture. As one of my intellectual mentors, the great Hungarian-Canadian physician and stress researcher János (Hans) Selye wrote: ‘Most of our tensions and frustrations stem from compulsive needs to act the role of someone we are not.’ ”