Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Stress: An uninvited guest

Dr. Kurien S. Thomas

Whether you like it or not; you just cannot ignore it. That’s stress.

Stress today is inevitable syndrome in our lives. The word `stress` is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "a state of affair involving demand on physical or mental energy"... A condition or circumstance (not always adverse), which can disturb the normal physiological and psychological functioning of an individual. It is a sad state today that many do not realise that they are under stress and lead lives without under-going any stress relieving exercise leading to many ailments. It is always better to be early than never or late.

In medical parlance `stress` is defined as a perturbation of the body`s homeostasis. This demand on mind-body occurs when it tries to cope with incessant changes in life. A `stress` condition seems `relative` in nature. Extreme stress conditions, psychologists say, are detrimental to human health but in moderation stress is normal and, in many cases, proves useful. Stress, nevertheless, is synonymous with negative conditions. Today, with the rapid diversification of human activity, we come face to face with numerous causes of stress and the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Stress does not spare anyone; be it men, women, teenagers or even infants. For professionals it could be achieving targets at work, for women it could mean work-home balance, for teenagers it could mean coping up to perform better in competitive environment, for children it could mean not getting what they want and for infants it could be not being able to be with the mother all the time. Similar kind of stress acts differently to different people and at different times.

Here is a stress management technique recommended in all the latest psychological texts: Picture yourself near a stream. Birds are softly chirping in the crisp, cool, mountain air. No one knows your secret place. You are in total seclusion from that hectic place called "the world". The soothing sound of a gentle waterfall fills the air with a cascade of serenity. The water is clear. You can easily make out the face of the person you're holding under the water... There now... feeling better Have a laugh…… did I try to relieve your stress here This was just a tip in the iceberg.

When we fail to counter a stressful situation the hormones and chemicals developed in our body to fight responses to stress remains in our blood stream and this in time creates stressful feeling. Muscles gets tensed, lack of concentration, rapid and fluctuating heart beats, dizziness, being irritable of angry or starting to respond negatively on anything and everything, becoming energetic and not responding to things where it could be fun, feeling of not wanted or detected, gaining or losing weight at fast pace, obesity, tears rolling down even without realising, anything and everything making them cry, frequent illness, mood swings , feeling unconfident in doing any task, lack of sex drive, taking support of vices often to face situation, change of eating habits all these contribute to stressful indications.

Look out for the symptoms above to judge yourself if you are undergoing stressful situation. Try to take adequate actions to beat stress. Recent medical journals speak of heart ailments, asthma, diabetes, hypertension and many other ailments as a result of stress. As the wise saying goes ’Prevention is better than cure’ we cannot prevent stress but we can seek actions to relieve stress effectively at the right time.

Quick tips to relieve stress:

• Breathe well

• Go for short leisurely walk

• Take a shower & massage your self

• Stretch yourself

• Eat good food (avoid junk)

• Drink water and juices (avoid sugary colas or drinks)

• Listen to some soft music

• Talk to someone whom you have not spoken for long time

• Meditate

• Talk to your partner

• Make love

• Have a sound sleep.

• Develop a hobby

• Set realistic goals

• Get organised

• Involve in social responsibilities

In spite of your self-effort to reduce stress, if you do not achieve results, do not hesitate to speak to a psychotherapist; who could direct you various ways in relieving your stress.

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