Stress Busting by Vaibhav Joon

            STRESS BUSTING

Stress is something we all encounter in our day to day lives. It is a problem faced by everyone everywhere. But the fact is, LIFE IS TENSION, there could be no life without tension. Tension in life is like a string in guitar. Too much tension and too less tension interferes with the process of life in the same way  the string of guitar interferes with the melody, if it’s either too loose or too tight.

All your feelings, positive or negative create psychological changes. Your heart rate, your blood, muscular activity, and the hairs on your head and you don’t even know what else changes when you experience stress. Stress plays an eminent role in determining the well working of your immune system, keeping a check on your cholesterol level, blood pressure, hormonal balance and well-being of human heart. Therefore, managing stress levels is crucial for optimal health.

Management of stress is an art, and in order to become successful one has to become the Picasso of it.

After going to work, completing your errands, doing household chores, sending children to sleep one is tired enough and doesn’t think of stress management. People generally occupy themselves with social media or zone out to mindless entertainment, often going to bed frizzled and anxious ………..  waking up with the same mood. This is a vicious circle and the only way to escape is to bring stress management in your daily routine.

In order to drain out stress from your lives you first need to analyze the reasons or the factors that have been stressing you out lately. The causes of stress are wide ranging. From parental pressure to the pressure exerted by the society, the pressure to bring a good result to the pressure to showoff among your friends. The pressure may be financial, emotional, social or anything else.

It is imp to root it out. The first thing you can do to root out stress is looking at life with a positive outlook.  Well said by Hans selye –   “it is not the stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” Remember most of the stress comes from the way you respond, not the way life is. Adjust your attitude and all the extra stress is gone.

Another thing that should be done is finish what you have started. Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they’ve started. We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it. So focus on your present and try not to leave anything undone.

Having a “me time” in the day for yourself is quite imp. As Eckhart Tolle said “Stress is caused by being ‘here’ but wanting to be ‘there.’ We often don’t spend enough time doing things we really enjoy. Spending time doing things of our interest boosts our moral and supplements our body with a new energy.

Take support from your social circle. Talking with a good friend is an excellent way for fighting stress. Don’t hesitate to share your problems with your parents or your mentors. They can always be relied upon for expert advice.

Work smarter not harder. Keep a diary handy with you. At the start of the day prioritize your tasks. Keep the most imp ones at the top and reserve the less imp ones for later. Don’t think that your tray of works will be empty at the end of the day. It will always be full.

Learn to say no. There are things that are imposed on you whether you like them or not. Get the fact straight that you can’t satisfy everyone.

 Adjusting your expectations can do wonders in stress management. Learn to compromise. Learn to be happy in the environment you are living in. 

Always keep in mind not to use unhealthy habits. Don't rely on alcohol, smoking and caffeine as your ways of coping. Over the long term, these crutches won’t solve your problems. They’ll just create new ones. "It’s like putting your head in the sand. It might provide temporary relief, but it won’t make the problems disappear. You need to tackle the cause of your stress.