There has been stress in all ages and in all times. It has accompanied the human beings always. Perhaps the animals are also not devoid of it though we do not measure or care about it a s much as we care for the human beings. The pre historic man lived in stress of finding food and shelter. There was a big issue of protection and safety from wild animals. With the passage of time, the stress factor changed to finding something to cover the body and more secure shelters. But the stress remained. With the progress of civilisation, the stress assumed different dimensions. Now, the kings were more stressful from their aggressors and encroachers.
One of the biggest stress factor was to secure their kingdom, their subjects, women folk and the treasury. But the stress remains. It only changes to different aspects.
In modern era, the stress dimensions are such that were never thought of. There is stress of office work, stress of studies, stress of keeping track of work, finances, status, children education home front, office front, society front and innumerable fronts of stress have opened with the advancement of age and so called modernisation. Stress due to pollution, environment, is another factor gaining new dimensions in the metropolis. Come what may, stress will remain. It only changes the objects and the causative factors. We see people taking actions to mitigate the stress levels in more than different ways. But the story remains the same.
The stress not only persists but also saddles with new vigour. In fact, to remove stress is another cause of stress. The issue is what to do with the stress. The more we cure it by conventional ways the more it multiplies. It appears that we will have to live with it.
Stress can not be removed. It can only be managed. Techniques are available for managing the stress.
The most important of them being the yogic ways. The meditation has proved to be the greatest stress buster. It is most fashionable as well. A great industry runs on it. Yoga and meditation practitioners have mushroomed over the years who claim to manage the stress in very effective ways.
No doubt, meditation is the cheapest, most convenient and effective method or taking care of the stress. All you need is to learn it accurately at the hands of a master. Certain physical exercises including ‘Surya Namaskar’ provides relief at the body and mind level thus help relieve the stress. ‘Pranayama’ is another very effective technique for stress relief. Only caution is that it should be practiced properly under the guidance of a qualified teacher.
Eating good food, of right quality, in right quality, at right time and in right sequence provides much needed succor to the ever tense muscles and internal organs thus help avoiding the stressful situations. Reading good scriptures, motivating texts, listening to the spiritual masters assures us of the fact that any stressful situation before us is not new and the sages have not only passed through similar situations but also surpassed them employing certain methods.
It is not difficult to imagine the stressful situation when King Dashrath in the great epic Ramayana had to order his eldest son to go for exile for 14 years. But the ever obliging Rama handled the stressful situation just by following the principles of the family traditions of obeying the commands of his father and mother and merrily went to the forests for exile. Our great epics and ancient writings preach us to manage the stressful situations as had been managed then also.
Various courses being run by spiritual masters also train people in stress management. In our courses, we employ some such techniques. We try to show realities to the participants help them and teach them how to make peace with themselves and then with the outer world. This way they learn the art of being peaceful and manage the stressful situation. Let us, instead of fighting with the stress, make truce with it. Stress is here to stay.
Accept the situations and the people as they are. This is the most important lesson in stress management. Lets us not contest the stress. Rather we should make efforts to manage it. Let us learn the art of stress management.
If you would like more information on Stress Management course program, please contact: Dr. Naresh Chand Goyal (Ex-Bureaucrat) or email: contact@academyofskillsdevelopment.org link: https://academyofskillsdevelopment.org/contactus/