Understanding Stress

Almost all of us are familiar with the word stress but most of us do not really know what stress actually is? We also know that stress can create both mental and physical disorders, but do we know how and why?

Modern advancement in science and technology has no doubt many advantages, but its drawbacks are far more dangerous than its advantages. The pace of our life has triggered a sense of fierce competition among people which is accompanied by strong feelings of envy, lust, uselessness, loss and a feeling of being financially broke. It has also given us a sense of being overtaken by the fast pace of events happening around us. All this combines to germinate a lethal situation conducive to accrual of stress. These strong negative emotions, as mentioned above, build up a severe strain in the human mind creating nervous tension, anxiety and depression. Such a state as this continued over a long period of time damages the mind and we fall into the abyss of stress.

Seeking pleasures is the chief cause of stress. In our pursuit of seeking pleasures we become greedy and our desires, needs and demands start shooting up with every single second. The more the demands, desires and needs, the more the stress.

How does stress express itself in people? This needs to be understood. Stressed people resort to using drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. They may have eating disorders and restless sleep. In short, they start abusing those substances around them which are supposed to be beneficial for them. They fly into a state of rage and ruin their performance at work; ruin their relationships at home; and fail to achieve their ambitions in their lives. This stressful situation comes over the brain and the body with full might and we start feeling the pain. The important thing to remember is that everyone experiences stress, but dealing with it varies from person to person. Some can handle stress diligently while others cannot, therefore, in nine out of ten cases, people either blame others or external circumstances for their stressful circumstances.

Our senses are controlled by our brains. We can only control our senses if we control the brain—the king of senses. When a person is in a meditative state, he is calm because his brain is calm; and his senses are under control, not tensed. At this point the stress level is zero and external events cease to have any adverse effects on the brain. We need to learn how to prolong this state of mental and nervous calmness; and ultimately learn how to live it to avoid the onslaught of stress. The key is to keep the king—the brain—in a peaceful and meditative state.

Getting rid of stress may be difficult but surely not impossible. Everyone can choose whatever works best for them:

• In order to relieve stress, practising religious rituals like worshipping, praying and singing hymns are extremely beneficial.
• Yoga is a very effective way of minimizing stress. Yogic exercises and breathing practices are wonderful ways to relax, rejuvenate and calm the body and the mind simultaneously.
• Meditation can be extremely powerful tool to get rid of stress.
• Contentment is a precious blessing if someone has that. Compete, but allow others to perform as well. Also, allow the pace of life to go on on its own pace; don’t try to control it.

We need to remember a simple fact: a relaxed person in a meditative state of the brain is teeming with cosmic energy and the body remains free from diseases and disorders.