The mind of each man is actually the man himself. Our mind is like a garden and our thoughts are the seeds. We can either harvest flowers or weeds. Good thoughts give us blooming happiness like flowers. Negative thoughts can yield stress and tension like the unwanted weeds, which destroys both the garden and the plants. Stress comes from the Latin word `stringere’, which means to stay tight or to compress. Millions of people around the world are stressed daily due to various reasons. It affects a person physically, physiologically and psychologically. Stress alters ones mind and body and makes him or her feel like a different person.
People experience a stressful episode in some period or other in their lifetime. It is not the situation, but a person’s approach and reaction to the situation, results in stress. Human mind is such a fantastic thing. It commands and controls the more complex human body. Constructive thoughts are encouraging and boost confidence. They help in reaching desired goals. Destructive thoughts result in mood swings, lack of confidence and more devastating outcomes. Thus when stress is not managed in early stages it keeps on building up and one day it can explode like bottle of compressed gas, which was not let out in the very beginning.
The body responds to anxiety-provoking thoughts and events with muscle tension, which actually increases the subjective experience of anxiety (Dr. Edmund Jacobson; 1920). The reason for stress can be internal that is within one’s own mind and body or due to the influences of the external environment. One out of five working population have job related stress. Other problems include interpersonal relationships like marriage; divorce, changing homes, separation or death of loved ones, family issues, accidents, debts, health problems, exam failures, premenstrual tensions and a lot more. But some people get stressed even without any reason.
Stress is not always bad. Some amount of stress is necessary to achieve our goals and fulfill our wishes like waiting for a reward. Some amount of stress increases adrenalin secretion and aids in improving performances. But long term, neglected stress can lead to depression and can result in general deterioration of health, ulcers, heart attacks, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, stroke, vague pains in neck and lower back, permanent psychiatric illnesses and even death. (Nigel Magowan 2007) It can also affect nervous system and immune system. Some studies say that many cancers are due to wrongly directed emotions and feelings. Around 75% of health problems are due to psychological imbalances.
Sudden fear, difficulty in sleep, early morning waking, altered bowel habits like constipation and diarrhea, poor concentration power, poor memory, easily losing temper, aggressive behavior, feeling helpless, tired, lack of confidence, lack of motivation and enthusiasm, mood swings like depression and mania, getting emotional for simple reasons, frequent headaches, migraine, body aches and excessive drinking, smoking and eating are the symptoms of stress. (Nigel Magowan 2007) If a previously normal individual suddenly complaints of these symptoms, within a short period, it is high time for a stress management.
Two basic approaches help in managing stress effectively. The first thing is achieving a kind of mental and emotional balance that enables us to handle the stresses of life with a calm composure. The second thing is learning useful techniques of dealing with specific events and situations that has been pestering us for a long time. (Arthur D. Schwartz)
Hypnosis, allopathic treatments, herbal medications, yoga, meditations, (Herbert Benson, MD) breathing exercises, massages, assertiveness training, autogenic, visualization and biofeedback techniques are many ways of managing stress. They show significant detectable impact on the indicators of physical relaxation like respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygen requirements, muscle tension and controlling blood pressure. Hypnosis, which is often a less known and less practiced method of stress management, is one of the oldest and best techniques. It is neither a magical nor a mystical ritual but a more straightforward method in managing stress.
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