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by Jayaram V
What is your general state of mind during the day? Do you feel relaxed
most of the time?
Or do you suffer from innumerable fears and anxieties that ultimately wear you down at the end of the day?
Do you suffer from frequent headaches, indigestion and other physical ailments due to worry and anxiety?
If the answer is yes perhaps you are suffering from over exertion and need help.
It is however essential to know that a certain degree of stress and strain are normal and required for a healthy and active life.
Many of us suffer from a lot of stress and strain during in our daily lives.
But many of us may not be even aware that we have stress because our bodies can cope with stress up to some tolerable limits.
Much of the damage done by the stress is also repaired during our rest and relaxation.
It is only when stress goes beyond manageable limits and starts interfering with your normal activities you should consider it as a problem and deal with it accordingly.
The emphasis should be normally on how to keep stress with in tolerable limits and achieve a desirable state of relaxation and peace of mind.
In following pages some suggestions have been given on how to reduce stress.
These suggestions are meant to deal with normal stress caused by normal day to day events such as work related or environment related problems only.
In case of acute and chronic stress disorders, especially those caused due to internal biological, psychological or physiological problems, it is always safe and necessary to consult ones physician for proper treatment and medication.
It is very essential that the true causes of stress are diagnosed before any preventive or curative steps are taken.
It is strongly advised that those who want proper treatment should consult qualified physician before deciding upon the right course of action to deal with any type of stress related problem.
1. What are your priorities in your life? Are you in pursuit of professional success at the cost of your personal health? Remember without proper health professional success is meaningless. Make health your priority and subordinate your professional interests to your health needs.
2. The body needs adequate rest to recover and recuperate between periods of sustained physical and mental work. It is not made out to perform uninterruptedly for longer periods without respite in between. So give adequate rest to your body by planning regular sleeping hours or rest periods.
3. The present moment is more important than the past or the future. By living in the present and enjoying the passing moment you are experiencing the stability of the movement within you. In such moments you are freed from the accumulated burdens of your past and the pressing anxieties of your future. So take care of your present moment and lay foundation for a secure future. Live life as it happens to you moment by moment. Take care of your present and take care of your future and all your worries.
4. Plan and organize your work as well as your life. Organizing means a place for every thing and every thing in its place. Planning gives you some idea of how things need to be arranged and attended, in what manner and what order or sequence. Both organization and planning add structure and method to your activities and impart some degree of certainty to your future life. If you organize your home, your office and your resources properly, you will be saved from the trouble of searching for things and situations demanding crisis management .
5. More than reality it is your imagination which engulfs and threatens your peace of mind. Always questions your assumptions and beliefs whenever you are overwhelmed with seemingly threatening situations.
6. Practice relaxation techniques. Deep breathing and meditation are the time tested techniques with in the reach of all for calming down ones excited nerves.
7. There are two ways in which one can live this life. One is by going against the currents of life, pushing and pulling every thing on your way, trying to control and shape every event and situation, not trusting any thing and any one and making the whole journey an epic battle, a heroic struggle, or the saga of one individual pitted against the whole world.
The other way which is prescribed in the scriptures is the spiritual way of flowing along with the currents , knowing that you cannot have control on everything , accepting life and events as they happen to you, with complete faith in yourself and God, with the sure belief that you have the capacity to handle all situations as they happen to you. Be intelligent enough to chose which path suits you at what time and in what circumstances.
Flow along the currents when your intelligence dictates and engage in the struggle when the situation demands. This way you will create a period of high activity followed by a period of low activity and give necessary respite to your body and mind.
8. Aim to be perfect in every thing you do, but do not expect to achieve perfection in all things you do. Accept your limitations as a human being and the limits with in which you can accomplish tasks and realize your goals. Knowing your physical and mental limits and having realistic expectations from yourself and from others make you accept an occasional failure as a part of your successful life.
9. If your job is creating a lot of stress and if you have arrived at the conclusion that it is your job which is giving you all the trouble and if there seem to be no other way, it is time you seriously think about and plan for a smooth transition to another job.
10. Detachment is one of the best remedies suggested for overcoming stress. The eastern religions put a lot of emphasis on detachment and dispassionate approach to the existential problems of life. Detachment does not mean abandonment of ones job or responsibility. It only means inner freedom from the things of external world and realistic acceptance of things as they are. It means acceptance of the fact that you can control your actions but not the consequences of you actions. So live with a sense of detachment, doing your best and not worrying about the results.
11. Avoid dependency on drugs and medication to get a good night sleep. Drug dependence for relaxation and sleep is very harmful in the long run as prolonged dependence would lead to the accumulation of harmful substances in your body. Drugs and medicines provide temporary relief without curing the real problem. Stress is essentially a product of habits, attitude and outlook, and if these aspects are dealt with, the problem of stress can be over come to a great extent.
12. Provide adequate time for recreation. We need occasional escape into things quite different from what we regularly indulge in. Recreation is one easy and cheap method to provide temporary relief to the body and the mind. Go on a vacation, even if the vacation is to a near by place, so long as it gives you temporary distraction. And if you can, don't carry your mobile phone there with you!
13. Have realistic goals in life. Unrealistic goals and expectations cause a lot of stress and strain and may also lead to loss of faith in yourself. Know your strengths and weakness and set difficult but achievable goals according to your needs .
14. Control your responses: The world is more or less the same always. What actually changes and effects our moods and behavior is our internal attitude towards the external world. Our beliefs and our assumptions determine most of our behavior. Therefore control your responses and reactions with the awareness that it is not the external world but your internal thinking which primarily decide your attitude towards the world outside.
15. Have positive mental attitude. Read more about positive mental attitude from our self-development section.
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16. Be proactive. This will save you from a lot of trouble and last minute pressures in fulfilling commitments. To be proactive means to be responsible, to do things in advance, to act in anticipation of problems, and to remain prepared to face all eventualities. It is an attitude that is not born in response to some nervous apprehension, or fear, but to an intelligent foresight and common sense which lets you act in advance.
17. Have faith in yourself and in your ability to overcome any crisis. The more you trust yourself, greater will be your ability to remain calm in times of distress. Anxiety is more often the result of lack of confidence and fear of loss of self esteem. If you can make yourself acceptable to you fully, if you develop faith in your abilities, if you have a proper image of yourself in your estimation, you are likely to face less anxiety and less stress in times of difficulties.
18. Practice visualization. Imagine difficult situations that give rise to stress and visualize yourself managing the situation calmly and confidently. This is one of the best ways to overcome the stress that comes with imaginary fears.
19. Practice moderation in whatever you do. Remember two thousand years ago the Buddha suggested the Noble Middle Path as the best way to live in this world. Human beings cannot withstand extreme conditions of life. It is good remain with in your limits all the time.
20. Live a whole life. Do not make the mistake of making your job the center of your life. Have other interests and if possible engage yourself in some selfless community work.
21. Build relationships that are based on the ideal of unconditional love rather than mutual satisfaction of desires and wants. Healthy relationships build your self-worth and make you feel positive towards the world in general.
22. Have a philosophy of your own based upon your experiences and observations rather than upon some kind of prejudice or blind belief. It can protect you in times of difficulties acting as a cushioning agent. It can give you a world view of your own, a sense of purpose and help you relate yourself to your environment more meaningfully.
23. Share your problems. When problems appear to be difficult or overwhelming, using necessary discretion and without seeking approval or pity, you can share your thoughts with your near and dear, your spouse, or your dearest friend, or some one whom you can trust deeply. This way you can take out a lot of stress from your system.
Conclusion: In short by questioning your assumptions, remaining in your present, having realistic goals and expectation, changing your inner attitude to external demands and challenges, providing adequate physical and mental rest , you bring the problem of stress into manageable limits.
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