What is Stress?
Stress is anything that causes fear, anxiety, worry, apprehensions,
anger and even excitement when we face difficult situations in daily
life, whether mental or emotional. Continuous efforts to cope with such situations have adverse effects on human systems for want of relief from
mental and emotional strains and it leads to diseases. According to Dr.
Vernon Coleman, who after discussions with several doctors from various
regions, has come to the conclusion that 90-95% of the illnesses can be
blamed totally or mainly on psychological forces, 98% headaches are stress or pressure-related, a vast majority of indigestions are due to stress etc.
When Stress is harmful?
By itself stress never causes a problem. It is the way one responds to stress which leads to problems. The response is generally in three stages:
Alarm - In the face of a challenge or a threat, the nervous system is highly stimulated, heart rate increases, muscles become tense, and breathing becomes fast. The body system is now ready to fight or flee.
Resistance - If the cause producing the stress
continues the body chemistry adjust to that situation (i.e. steady flow
of adrenal and other glands secretion and in order to keep the body at a
more easily maintained level of arousal during the time needed to fight
or get away.
Exhaustion - If the challenge continues for a long time,
the resources for arousal and resistance are used. They are involuntary
physical responses to stress
for which built-in mechanisms exists in the human body. Even imagining
or thinking about an upcoming situation may trigger these.
So long as the problem is solved and we are able to rest, even the acute effects of stress
are not dangerous to a healthy person. Due to repeated occurrences of
emergencies, the person has to pass through the stages of alarm and
resistance time and again in the accumulated pressures causing
exhaustion, diseases or emotional problems, leading to fall in
performance levels, productivity and strained relations within the
family and at workplace. Some times, however, a person may even get
withdrawn into a depression. These are chronic effects of stress, which
are the signals that life style or work habits should be adjusted before worst problems emerge. Hence the importance of effective stress management.
Stress Management
A number of ways have been evolved over the years to tackle stress.
Many resort to drinking, smoking, drugs etc., which are harmful.
Relaxation techniques have been found to be more effective than others
and meditation
is the best relaxation technique. In Sahaja yoga, the regular practice
of meditation, after the self-realization, can bring necessary
additional change as the person is evolved leading to a balanced outlook
toward events and situations he has to face in daily life.
My Older Post Have a SOLUTION and TIPS about handling stress.. :)
