In the last about 50 years or more, it has been increasingly realised by medical professionals that many ailments are caused by stress or trauma, resulting in more and more deaths.
Isn’t it surprising that a few years back, something like stress, about which we were not so serious, has today become a part of our everyday life? Today, there is a flood of literature available on stress-related diseases and their treatment, and it has become almost a fashion nowadays to talk or write on the effects of stress on modern men and women.
Although we all talk about stress, it often isn’t clear what stress is really about. Even though WHO, in its well-known definition of health, has taken into account the social, moral, and spiritual aspects of health, some very important aspects of stress have, up to now, been missed, overlooked, or at least underemphasised by doctors, social scientists, criminologists, administrators, historians, and others.
Many people feel that stress is something that happens to them during an event such as physical injury, emotional heartbreak, or a family feud etc. Some people say that stress is a feeling experienced by our mind and body in response to an event like a terror attack, rail accident, or plane crash. However, experts believe that while stress does involve events and our responses to them, these are not the most important factors causing it. Our thoughts about the situations in which we find ourselves are more critical compared to other reasons mentioned above.
We need to understand that when something happens to us, we automatically evaluate the situation mentally and decide if it is really threatening to us, how we need to deal with the situation, and what skills we can use. So, if we feel that the demands of the situation outweigh the skills we have, then we treat the situation as stressful. On the other hand, if we feel that our coping skills outweigh the demands of the situation, then we don’t see it as stressful. According to psychologists, stress in small quantities is good and at times necessary because it motivates a person and helps him or her to become more productive. However, an excess of it, or a strong response to it, can be fatal. Hence, the way in which we deal with a stress-provoking event would determine its impact on our health.
The basic idea is to understand ourselves and our reactions towards stressful events, thereby learning to handle them more effectively. One should understand that stress management is not about avoiding or escaping the pressures and turbulence of modern living. No! In the actual sense, it is about learning to appreciate how the body reacts to external pressures and developing skills that enhance the body’s adjustment.
The Gita states that man can be his own best friend or his own worst enemy. To be my best friend, I must spend time with myself — learning to love and respect myself so I can do the same for others. By watching what goes on in my mind, I can gently guide it back
on the right track. If I allow negative or wasteful thoughts, meditation becomes difficult; but if I clear my mind and keep my thoughts positive, it’s easier to experience peace. It isn’t enough to just read about it — get up and start meditating today!
The writer is a spiritual educator & popular columnist
