Stress is the response of the body and mind of an individual to any situation in which stress hormones are secreted, which brings the person to the state of alertness, readiness, focus, and preparedness. In this way, stress is a state of preparing the mind to face the challenges. Thus, stress can be considered as a positive element of life. However, it turns negative when it persists for long. Scientific researches have explicitly revealed that to a certain point, stress contributes to improving the performance, but after the peak point, it begins to have adverse effects on the physiology and psychology of a person, and the performance begins to decline. In such a situation, the harmful effects of stress begin to manifest in the body, mind, conduct, and life of a person. This adversely affects his focus on his work; his memory weakens; decision-making power begins to fade, and procrastination increases. He may get stomachache and headache, his appetite either decreases considerably or increases out of proportion. He may also suffer from insomnia. Either he develops symptoms of irritability and anger or becomes completely isolated. He may become perplexed. Psychological disorders, such as fear, anxiety, frustration, hopelessness, tension, and depression, begin to dominate. Such a person does not dare to face the circumstances. In this state, a person may fall for intoxication and resort to sedatives for sleeping. His energy level drops, he feels exhausted, and his work potential gets reduced. Gradually, the adverse effects of this begin to appear in the body in the form of various psychosomatic ailments, such as ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity or leanness, diabetes, asthma, migraine, etc. There can be numerous factors causing stress. We can broadly divide them into two categories of situational and psychological causes. Many circumstances become a cause of deep anxiety. Dejecting situations such as loss of loved ones, separation, and death, divorce, retirement, unemployment, chronic disease, delivery, mutual discord, financial crunch, and disruption in routine give rise to intense stress. Moreover, sudden auspicious incidents like that of marriage, promotion, unexpected success, and winning of the lottery also become a cause of stress. There is no direct solution to these circumstantial causes of stress. The person deals with them according to his mental capacity; their impact becomes lighter with time, and after a lapse of time, it is overcome. So, in a way, it can be referred to as ‘time-bound stress.’ There are also internal factors of stress related to the mental state, which is under the control of the person. These are often aggravated due to distorted lifestyle, the wrong pattern of thinking, and illusionary point of view. In such a situation, stress occurring every day is usually self-created by the individual. Ruined lifestyle, lack of clarity of goals, inability to prioritize tasks, haphazard routine, over-ambition, unsought rivalry, envy-hatred, etc. make life prone to negative stress. By fixing these issues, a person can increase his ability to overcome anxiety. In this context, the following points can be kept in mind for stress management:
1. Analyze the root cause of stress. Once the reason is identified, try to take steps to overcome it.
2. Give proper attention to diet, sleep, relaxation, and exercise. Food is worth consuming if it does not make the body dull and mind anxious. Rest can be taken for six to eight hours, according to one’s requirement. Regularly exercising in some way strengthens the inbuilt anti-stress mechanism.
3. Avoid multitasking; do one thing at a time, because multiple tasks at the same time cause stress. When none of the tasks are done correctly, job dissatisfaction leads to stress. So, it can be overcome by doing one thing at a time.
4. A good company has its importance in relieving stress. Today, mobile phones have become a significant cause of the wrong company and stress. Its moderate and optimal use can avoid unnecessary stress. Similarly, the company of optimistic people makes life happy. 5. Mutual ties should be kept healthy. Amicable relations within the family provide vital emotional support. In such a situation, stress resistance increases, and one could joyfully face the challenges of life.
6. Clarity of goal makes life successful, and lack of desires makes one happy, while extreme ambition gives rise to dissatisfaction and hence becomes the cause of stress. Life can be made simple and stress-free by reducing cravings and following the idea of ‘simple living and high thinking.’
7. Completing the tasks based on priority is the correct approach. This gives relief from the unnecessary chaos and stressful situation of the last minute. Otherwise, stress becomes the destiny of a person. Due to non-adherence to this rule, so many students can be seen puzzled and perplexed at the time of examination.
8. Know your limits and learn to say ‘No.’ It is a fact that a person cannot do everything, nor can he please everyone. The art of knowing his limits keeps the person free from unnecessary pressure.
9. Stay away from negative people. Some people are a moving box of negativity. Keep such people at bay. If you have to deal with them, then consciously have limited interaction with them. Being entangled with them in any form can invite heavy tension.
10. Take out time for yourself, do introspection, study inspiring literature (Swadhyaya), be in noble company (Satsang), and read motivational literature. These practices develop the prudence for reaching out to the root of stress and also suggest remedial measures. In this way, the rules of productive life could be understood even amid heavy tension.
11. Regular diary writing is an effective way to mitigate stress. The mind becomes relieved by penning down the pressure of the whole day. Due to this advantage, psychologists also use diary writing as a means of catharsis.
12. Association with nature is a simple and easy way to relieve stress. In the proximity of nature, one gets a touch of peace. Hence, walking or trekking in the natural environment alone or with family is a beneficial activity. The spiritual method of meditation can also be adopted to mitigate stress. If one cannot focus on meditating, then the universal practice of prayer can be tried anytime and anywhere. The heart feels light by expressing the inner feelings and sentiments before one’s God, the object of worship, or spiritual mentor (Sadguru).
Source: Akhand Jyoti Sept-Oct 2020