DR. HEMANT KAMAT M.D. an eminent cardiologist bases this article on lecture ‘STRESS MANAGEMENT THROUGH SPITITUALITY’.

STRESS MANAGEMENT

Introduction:

Stress is a major problem of modern society. Most of us at some time suffer from stress even though the type of stress or our reaction to that may differ. Stress has multifaceted effects on the individual in particular and society large. The internal and external stress affects our physical and mental health adversely, spoils family relations and has become the direct or indirect cause of many evils and problems of the society. Stress is a ‘slow killer’.

The stress, its causes and effects and its management are the topics of this article. How Spirituality and Spirituality alone is the most effective measure to win over the stress is emphasized in today’s lecture. If at least few of you start regular spiritual practice and get rid of their stress, we feel the purpose of this article is served.

What is stress?

Stress is the physical and emotional response to any kind of change. The change may be physical, chemical, biological or psychological factor that causes mental and/or physical tension resulting in psychological and/or physical problems.

Cause of Stress

The factors that causes stress are called stressors. Basically they can be divided into two categories.

External and Internal Stresses

A)     External Stressors: They contribute only to 10 % of total stress.

Few important of these are;

1)     Work Environment.

2)     Home Environment.

3)     Food, Exercise, Rest, Sleep, Habits etc.

4)     Financial Conditions.

5)     Social Conditions.

6)     Onslaught of Foreign Culture.

7)     Spiritual Pollution.

8)     Ill health.

 

1) Work Environment:

Situations at place of work; corruption; favoritisms. Government rules and regulations; worker’ association problems; problems in supply of raw materials; sale of finished products; sale of grown vegetables e.g. suicide of potato farmer; Frequently changing technology and expertise; time-bound qualitative and quantitative targets e.g. deadline in finishing projects in software industry; target oriented turn over business etc.

In the office, problems of adjustment with superior officers, colleagues and subordinate workers; low efficiency of colleagues and subordinate workers.

Over Work pressure:

For ladies of almost all middleclass, homework and office work; frequent change of jobs; new boss; sexual harassments; public relations e.g. govt. employee committing suicide at Savanoor. Handling high security positions – cash, arms etc.

Home environment:

1. Strained relations with other members of family husband/wife, children, parents, brothers, in laws.
2. Nearest relations not behaving as per our expectations; Husband & wife, Parents and Children.
3. Children not doing well in studies.
4. Some body is badly ill in the house.
5. Some relative imposing his/her opinion on us.

Food, exercise, relaxation, sleep, habits:

Excess food, irregular and untimely food. “An untimely meals is a poison.” Over work, no enough relaxation, insufficient physical exercises, sedentary work patterns, laziness and lethargy. More use of intellect and mind causing psychosomatic disequilibria. Over dependence on external materials for acquiring happiness. Bad habits like consuming Guthka, alcohols, drugs etc.

Financial conditions:

E.g. closure of financial firms like Maharastra Apex etc.; closure of Mysore Kirloskers; unemployment; unemployment not in accordance with educational qualification; business not running properly, increased expenses (for children’s education, medical expenses, inflation, drought etc.); increased standard of living etc.

Social Conditions:

Social insecurity, warlike situations, political instability, lawlessness, crimes, abductions, extremism, thefts, fights, killings, rapes, corruption, favoritism, thousands of crores of rupees of scams, agitations, bandhs and strikes, deterioration of moral values in the society, drugs production and addictions.

Western Cultural onslaught:

A sudden development in Information Technology has exposed our people to a new cultural world. This has affected people of different age groups adversely in different ways.

Spiritual Pollution:

‘Sattva’ character brings purity, knowledge and bliss, if the society is sattvik; we have peace, tranquility, happiness and abundance in the society. Unfortunately most of the people in the society today are not doing regular spiritual practice. There is Raja_Tama, predominance in the environment. These Raja_Tama elements disturb tranquility of mind and produce stress.

Ill health:

Is cause as well as effect of stress; even though man has conquered many communicable disease; many diseases like AIDS, cancer, allergic disorders, degenerative diseases bother mankind badly. Ill health of a person causes stress to the individual as well as to the whole family.

Internal stressors:

Personality and stress: Even though it is often said that modern life is full of stress and strain because of which many people suffer. In reality a situation by itself is never stressful, it depends on how a person views it, according to his personality.

Few examples of how an in desirable quality in personality converts a situation into stress.

1)     Lack of self-confidence – personality: develops stress when there is a challenging job.

2)     Sentimental personality – develops stress while even though grandmother’s ring is lost.

3)     Shy personality develops stress while talking to a person of opposite sex.

4)    Inferiority complex

5)    Superiority complex

6)     Rajasic – Tamasic personality – Negative qualities – lust, anger, ego, passion, jealously.

7)     In converts.

Ill effects of stress on the individual:

a) Physical effects: 

Psychosomatic disorders; loss of appetite, loss of weight; acid peptic diseases; skin diseases; coronary artery diseases, IHD bronchial asthama; irritable bowel syndrome; uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension. Many of geriatric diseases are becoming more prevalent in younger people. According to one survey nearly 1/3 of by-pass surgeries are performed over patients below 40 years of age. Stress is responsible for this.

b) Psychological:

Fatigue; excessive anger; personality disorders; elation; depression; anxiety; loss of memory; sleep disturbances; behavioral abnormalities; emotional disturbances; suicidal tendencies; loss of concentration of mind; loss of peace of mind; etc.

How to over come stress

Level of Effort	Attempt to      Change what?	Duration       Of effect	% Of   Success
1.Physical	Action	Temporary	60%
2. Mental	Thought	Some time
3. Intellectual	Understanding	Some time
4. Spiritual	Nature      (Personality)	Eternal   (Permanent)	100%

Stress and Personality

 

Situation	Reaction	Personality	Reaction	Stress
00	0000      00000     000000    0000000     000000      00000       0000	Ordinary (Non seeker)	Over  Whelming	Too much
00	00    (Factual)	Seeker	Realistic	Very little
00	Nil	Saints	No reaction (Spectator    Stance)	No

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Contributed By Santhegudde Cricketers Barkur

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