Understanding and addressing stress

Stress can be described as a kind of pain. If asked, no one would say that they want pain in their life, but pain actually has a purpose. It is a signal, and the feeling of pain acts as a messenger that something needs to be done differently. It is also an initial symptom of being emotionally and spiritually weak.

Consider this scenario – you’re walking, you feel pain as there is a stone in your shoe, what do you do? Do you start blaming the shoe for the pain? The pain tells you to stop and remove the stone before it does serious damage so that you can continue your journey in comfort. In other words, pain tells us to listen, pay attention, otherwise pain persists and deepens. If unattended, it can affect your efficiency, memory power, performance, and, ultimately, health. So contrary to the belief that a little stress is natural or necessary to do well, any amount of stress is damaging.

There are four ways that stress manifests itself:

1) Physically – through illness because the stress of the mind is reflected in the body.

2) Mentally – through confused thinking, loss of perspective or difficulty making decisions.

3) Emotionally – through feeling stuck in a heavy mood, experiencing problems constantly overhead, the feeling as if all the fun of life is gone.

4) Spiritually – sometimes referred to as esoteric stress; through the loss of motivation, a sense of meaninglessness, no reason to get out of bed each day, ‘what’s the point?’

Science describes stress as pressure divided by resilience:

– Pressure: of health, relationships, expectations, wealth, exam, job, deadline, profit, traffic ... the list goes on ...

– Resilience: our inner strength to face the pressure that are our thoughts, feelings, attitude, and behaviour.

If we want to reduce stress then first of all, reduce pressure, which, most times, is not under our control. It can end up as a temporary escape. What is possible for everyone is increasing the resilience of the mind. It is time to focus on resilience and stress will naturally be reduced.

Short-term solutions are exercise, deep breathing, music, or creative pursuits. A long-term method is to shift the attitude and visions we hold towards life. To increase inner power, we need to stop overthinking. Secondly, I can develop broader understanding of the principles that govern life. This deeper understanding brings the best in us to the surface. This is self-empowerment. Whoever we spend time with or give our attention to influences my attitude and behaviour. If I learn to spend time with my true innate self, all goodness will surface.

It is universal and applicable to every individual. It is the right of everyone to experience a stress-free or pain-free life. All it requires is willingness to take the first step on this journey towards a blissful life.

Courtesy: Rajyoga Meditation Center, Kingston (meditation courses and counselling are offered free of charge). Email: kingston@jm.brahmakumaris.org. Or follow them on Instagram: rajyoga_meditation_jamaica