Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Stress Management
STRESS MANAGEMENT:-
It would be worthwhile considering the dictionary meaning of three related words, namely Stress, Strain and Tension besides of course Management!
Stress means Pressure, Tension, to stretch beyond limits; medically, forcibly exerted influence. It is a sum total of the Biological Reactions to any adverse stimulus- physical, mental or emotional; internal or external, that tends to disturb an organism’s ‘homeostasis’; indeed, the stimuli that elicit reactions!
Strain is almost a synonym, which means over-exertion using to an extreme and harmful degree; excessive effort.
Management means to control the working of, contrive or Cajole meaning persuade by flattery!
Now, each of these words is both self-explanatory as well as quite tricky too! All of us, indeed each one us use those words so often and too casually as well!
A high-strung business executive, a homemaker (housewife), student, the patient as well as the Doctor himself uses those, most inadvertently.
Of late, stress and stress-management have acquired great importance both in Medical parlance as well as in day-to-day life-styles.
It is being consistently agreed upon that quite a large number of ‘illness’ and ‘dis-ease’ spring up and take roots in both the body as well as the ‘psyche’.
If one were to enumerate those, indeed all major and minor ailments would be required to include barring a few ‘accidental’ cases and some ‘genetic’ or inherited ones!
Indeed, I was astonished to note a staggering list of morbid diseases that happen to be ‘stress-related’!
I do not wish to create panic or fear by ‘naming’ even a few of those! It should suffice to say that those are formidable, yet, and yet ‘Manageable’! All that one requires to do is to be seriously and sincerely ‘aware’ of their threat and brace up to overcome those.
Whenever there is disruption in one’s bodily or emotional equipoise or stability, one should be able to understand that it is always a reflection, a reaction to internal or external stimuli that cause ‘de-stabilization’.
Human body is indeed a mysterious whole that keeps itself fit and trim as of a Natural phenomenon. Only small or big aberrations in life-styles put it out of gear. If only one could pursue regularity and optimal use of resources in the form of food, work, recreation and rest most of physical and emotional unrest will be kept at bay!
However, better said than done! None of us can really stick on to a set routine forever! Yet, it would be beneficial to know the way ‘stress’ and ‘strain’ manifest themselves in a person.
Well, basically Pain, Sensory loss, ‘Weakness’ of sort or the other, disturbed thinking process and impaired Mood or Alertness are the signs and symptoms, which manifest under ‘stressful’ conditions.
Of course, it is essential to rule out systemic as well as primary neurological illness, before jumping to the conclusion of those being stress-related!
Having ensured of its absence, one has to note whether there is a faulty adjustment to one’s environment. Moreover, fears or ‘phobias’ relating to pain, cancer, heart disease and those of losing memory, of humiliation, loneliness and last but not the least, the fear of death need to be tackled adequately enough.
Indeed, Man’s Brain makes him Human! Physically, it requires Oxygen and Glucose as the most essential items. Even a small deficit in either of these even for a short while may cause loss of ‘Consciousness’.
Now, from Medical standpoint Consciousness pertains to two independent but separate functions; namely, ‘Wakefulness’ and ‘Psychologically recognizable mental activity’.
‘Sleep’ is an ‘active’ process!! Its lack too causes distress!
Memory is yet another very essential ingredient of brain activity. The ‘Alzheimer’s’ disease is a progressive degeneration from brain atrophy. However, it is claimed that continued brain-activity can arrest or delay its progression. Therefore, it makes even more essential for the elderly to remain in perpetual brain activity, namely lot of reading and writing, as well as ‘communicating’!
‘Anxiety’ is an unpleasant mood of tension and apprehension; whereas, ‘Depression’ a mood of sadness and gloom!
There are a lot many psychological conditions that lead to ‘stress’ and its aftermaths, like hysteria, personality aberrations, sexual disorders, drug abuse- both dependence and intoxication, alcoholism etc etc etc!
Stress results itself in enhanced aggressiveness, ambitiousness, a competitive drive and chronic sense of Time urgency.
Physiologically, we call it an ‘Adrenergic’ response, a sudden and copious secretion of hormones like Adrenaline and Nor-adrenaline. It is the response that makes a person to ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ during a challenging situation!
Indeed, repetitive challenges such as these do harm the Cardio-vascular system in particular, like heart disease, paralysis of the nervous system and so on.
I had mentioned at the outset that I would refrain from ‘naming’ all those diseases, which may truly be very serious physically and psychologically. Therefore, without sounding too wise in medical matters, let us move on to actual ‘management’ of stressful conditions!
Indeed, to cut a long story short, please allow me to quote what Lord Sri Krishna exhorted Arjuna in the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad-Geeta! The Lord said, “Yuktahara viharasya yukta cheshtasya karmasu/ Yuktasvapnava bodhasya yogo bhavati duhkhaha// (6-16)”
“One should enjoy food, but in moderation; even entire actions should be in moderation. One should not speak too much, neither should one keep mum; one should speak all right, but that too should be measured, regulated. Walking should be regulated and sleep should be given its due. Even when one is required to keep awake, that too should be in moderation. When one follows all these injunctions, the body remains trim and healthy.
“Dhananjaya, when one feeds all the sense organs intelligently in this manner, the mind too as a natural consequence raises the level of Santosha, contentment!”
It would indeed be unwise on my part to express anything more than what the Lord has said! In fact, there are scores of Spiritual leaders as well as eminent psychologists who have been exhorting to lead lives full of joy and contentment, so as to avert ‘stress’ and ‘strains’ in life.
Indeed, what is important is to practice the teachings and preaching of great people. More often than not, we read or listen to so many things in life, but fail to carry out the injunctions thereof.
Truly speaking there cannot be set formula for everyone. One has to choose and lead the way one can easily become accustomed to.
Not everyone can excel in meditation nor can everyone act impeccably as ordained; one must find out whatever suits him most.
Medicine promises to help out; however, with tremendous inhibitions. It is the change in one’s own life-style for the better, which matters most. To repeat, moderation in diet, physical activity, recreation and rest are the key-factors and regular exercise in particular!
Pune 10 October 2008 Dr.P.S.Rahalkar,
A-2 / 604, Aditya Shagun,
Mobile 9890422498 Bavdhan, Pune 411021
It would be worthwhile considering the dictionary meaning of three related words, namely Stress, Strain and Tension besides of course Management!
Stress means Pressure, Tension, to stretch beyond limits; medically, forcibly exerted influence. It is a sum total of the Biological Reactions to any adverse stimulus- physical, mental or emotional; internal or external, that tends to disturb an organism’s ‘homeostasis’; indeed, the stimuli that elicit reactions!
Strain is almost a synonym, which means over-exertion using to an extreme and harmful degree; excessive effort.
Management means to control the working of, contrive or Cajole meaning persuade by flattery!
Now, each of these words is both self-explanatory as well as quite tricky too! All of us, indeed each one us use those words so often and too casually as well!
A high-strung business executive, a homemaker (housewife), student, the patient as well as the Doctor himself uses those, most inadvertently.
Of late, stress and stress-management have acquired great importance both in Medical parlance as well as in day-to-day life-styles.
It is being consistently agreed upon that quite a large number of ‘illness’ and ‘dis-ease’ spring up and take roots in both the body as well as the ‘psyche’.
If one were to enumerate those, indeed all major and minor ailments would be required to include barring a few ‘accidental’ cases and some ‘genetic’ or inherited ones!
Indeed, I was astonished to note a staggering list of morbid diseases that happen to be ‘stress-related’!
I do not wish to create panic or fear by ‘naming’ even a few of those! It should suffice to say that those are formidable, yet, and yet ‘Manageable’! All that one requires to do is to be seriously and sincerely ‘aware’ of their threat and brace up to overcome those.
Whenever there is disruption in one’s bodily or emotional equipoise or stability, one should be able to understand that it is always a reflection, a reaction to internal or external stimuli that cause ‘de-stabilization’.
Human body is indeed a mysterious whole that keeps itself fit and trim as of a Natural phenomenon. Only small or big aberrations in life-styles put it out of gear. If only one could pursue regularity and optimal use of resources in the form of food, work, recreation and rest most of physical and emotional unrest will be kept at bay!
However, better said than done! None of us can really stick on to a set routine forever! Yet, it would be beneficial to know the way ‘stress’ and ‘strain’ manifest themselves in a person.
Well, basically Pain, Sensory loss, ‘Weakness’ of sort or the other, disturbed thinking process and impaired Mood or Alertness are the signs and symptoms, which manifest under ‘stressful’ conditions.
Of course, it is essential to rule out systemic as well as primary neurological illness, before jumping to the conclusion of those being stress-related!
Having ensured of its absence, one has to note whether there is a faulty adjustment to one’s environment. Moreover, fears or ‘phobias’ relating to pain, cancer, heart disease and those of losing memory, of humiliation, loneliness and last but not the least, the fear of death need to be tackled adequately enough.
Indeed, Man’s Brain makes him Human! Physically, it requires Oxygen and Glucose as the most essential items. Even a small deficit in either of these even for a short while may cause loss of ‘Consciousness’.
Now, from Medical standpoint Consciousness pertains to two independent but separate functions; namely, ‘Wakefulness’ and ‘Psychologically recognizable mental activity’.
‘Sleep’ is an ‘active’ process!! Its lack too causes distress!
Memory is yet another very essential ingredient of brain activity. The ‘Alzheimer’s’ disease is a progressive degeneration from brain atrophy. However, it is claimed that continued brain-activity can arrest or delay its progression. Therefore, it makes even more essential for the elderly to remain in perpetual brain activity, namely lot of reading and writing, as well as ‘communicating’!
‘Anxiety’ is an unpleasant mood of tension and apprehension; whereas, ‘Depression’ a mood of sadness and gloom!
There are a lot many psychological conditions that lead to ‘stress’ and its aftermaths, like hysteria, personality aberrations, sexual disorders, drug abuse- both dependence and intoxication, alcoholism etc etc etc!
Stress results itself in enhanced aggressiveness, ambitiousness, a competitive drive and chronic sense of Time urgency.
Physiologically, we call it an ‘Adrenergic’ response, a sudden and copious secretion of hormones like Adrenaline and Nor-adrenaline. It is the response that makes a person to ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ during a challenging situation!
Indeed, repetitive challenges such as these do harm the Cardio-vascular system in particular, like heart disease, paralysis of the nervous system and so on.
I had mentioned at the outset that I would refrain from ‘naming’ all those diseases, which may truly be very serious physically and psychologically. Therefore, without sounding too wise in medical matters, let us move on to actual ‘management’ of stressful conditions!
Indeed, to cut a long story short, please allow me to quote what Lord Sri Krishna exhorted Arjuna in the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad-Geeta! The Lord said, “Yuktahara viharasya yukta cheshtasya karmasu/ Yuktasvapnava bodhasya yogo bhavati duhkhaha// (6-16)”
“One should enjoy food, but in moderation; even entire actions should be in moderation. One should not speak too much, neither should one keep mum; one should speak all right, but that too should be measured, regulated. Walking should be regulated and sleep should be given its due. Even when one is required to keep awake, that too should be in moderation. When one follows all these injunctions, the body remains trim and healthy.
“Dhananjaya, when one feeds all the sense organs intelligently in this manner, the mind too as a natural consequence raises the level of Santosha, contentment!”
It would indeed be unwise on my part to express anything more than what the Lord has said! In fact, there are scores of Spiritual leaders as well as eminent psychologists who have been exhorting to lead lives full of joy and contentment, so as to avert ‘stress’ and ‘strains’ in life.
Indeed, what is important is to practice the teachings and preaching of great people. More often than not, we read or listen to so many things in life, but fail to carry out the injunctions thereof.
Truly speaking there cannot be set formula for everyone. One has to choose and lead the way one can easily become accustomed to.
Not everyone can excel in meditation nor can everyone act impeccably as ordained; one must find out whatever suits him most.
Medicine promises to help out; however, with tremendous inhibitions. It is the change in one’s own life-style for the better, which matters most. To repeat, moderation in diet, physical activity, recreation and rest are the key-factors and regular exercise in particular!
Pune 10 October 2008 Dr.P.S.Rahalkar,
A-2 / 604, Aditya Shagun,
Mobile 9890422498 Bavdhan, Pune 411021
