Stress Busters

Pressure/Stress/Worry/Anxiety

 

These have become a part of our everyday lives - not only for people engaging in stressful jobs but also kids, housewives and retired personnel. They are now a constant part of our daily lives. Wen are a worried lot. Most of the time we worry about things that will never happen. Or worry about things that if happen will have no impact on our lives in the medium term.

 

Can these be avoided? YES

Is there a solution? Definitely YES

Do I know it? Definitely NO (if I did I would still have a lot of black hair)

Will you get a solution after reading this? MAYBE

 

The thing is that we have to find our own solutions. There is no “killer app” that life gives you to fix the many problems that we face. To stumble upon solutions to a problem, we need to appreciate that there is a problem and then think about the same. This is really difficult for the mind. Even accepting that there is a problem is close to impossible. We just don’t read the writing on the wall. And if there is a problem the easiest response is not to think about it at all. Just ignore it and the problem will go away. Unfortunately it doesn’t – it is the elephant in the room. Let us see what can be done to address the same –

 

Hobby –

It is a terrific stress buster. Writing does it for me. For you it could be reading, singing, dancing, cooking, painting, philanthrophy, nature, workouts – find out your own stress buster and devote at least some time every week to it. Mind you – socialising is not a hobby. Results are guaranteed, time period for achieving the same depends on you.

 

Love –

It is very important to have a loving circle – family/social/even pets. We love the feeling of being loved and our love for someone being reciprocated.

 

Humility & Kindness –

Kindness keeps the heart in the right place. Humility keeps us grounded and our ego at bay. It also keeps away a lot of stress that the “peer pressure” builds on us.

 

Humour -

Laugh. Find reasons to be happy. Find out what tickles your funny bone. If nothing works – watch the Rahul Gandhi interview with Arnab – it will definitely work.

 

Conditioning –

No, the hair conditioner won’t work.

The reason that we are not extinct (at least not yet) is that we adapt to our environment. Evolution has made us capable of reacting to stimulus. It is like the work antibiotics do in our body – small doses of bacteria/virus builds our resistances. Same with stress. I am not asking you to walk into stressful situations or ask for trouble. As we start handling stress we start getting better at it. The point is that we can get conditioned to handle it. It is like the people who stay close to airports or railway tracks get used to the noise – it is painful in the beginning, it becomes a part of life once you get used to it. The trick is to realise how much can you take. Since you can’t fight and win all battles – choose yours carefully. If stress in the office is high, try to keep the domestic life peaceful. And vice versa.

 

Better to deal with it as we can’t run away from it.

 

If you can do it well, all the glory and the peace is ours to have.

 

After all, “Diamond is just a piece of coal which handled pressure very well”

 

All the best!!