What is stress? How to handle it?

Author : Dr.Tulika | 02 Dec 2022

Stress is basically our body’s reaction to a challenge or circumstance which creates physical, mental and emotional tension in our body. Each and every person experiences stress in his or her life, and the triggers can range from minor events to major life altering incidents that happen in our day to day life. Stress can be positive or negative. Positive stress is the stress that can help us achieve a goal, such as meeting a deadline by putting in extra efforts to get the said work done on time. However, negative stress affects our body and mind adversely, and can even impair our efficacy and efficiency which would otherwise be good in absence of that stress. Acute stress creates short lived changes in our body while chronic stress, that is stress over a long period of time can have deleterious long term effects on our body. Examples of stress are stress at work place, having a new baby, loss of a loved one, or even something as simple as a school examination.

Our body has a specialized nervous system called the autonomic nervous system. This nervous system includes two opposing nervous systems – the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous systems. Whenever we experience stress, the sympathetic nervous system gets stimulated, resulting in effects characteristic of sympathetic stimulation, such as rise in blood pressure, increased heart rate etc. if the stress becomes chronic, persistent stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and its consequent effects can result in diseases such as Hypertension, Diabetes, and even heart disease. It is also important to note the psychological effects caused by stress that can lead to chronic depression and suicidal tendencies. As such, it is very essential to learn to manage stress from daily life and not let it affect our body systems adversely.

Following are the simple ways to handle stress

1. Healthy food habits – stress gives way to unhealthy food habits. The temptation to binge eat junk food, canned and processed food results from stress. Stress also causes us to have irregular diet habits, eating at any time, resulting in unhealthy weight gain and deranged metabolism. Inculcating healthy food habits, balancing the amounts of carbohydrates, proteins and fats we eat, and developing regular eating habits are very essential for countering the bad effects caused by stress. Healthy food maintains a healthy body and makes it easier to cope with stress.

2. Regular exercise – exercise is said to be a great stress buster. It not only tones and shapes the body, but also helps in calming the mind. Aerobic exercises have been shown to release endorphins, which are natural anti-depressants and stress busters, and help to reduce the stress in the body as well as mind. Whichever form of exercise suits you – walking, running, cycling, gymnastics, aerobics, stretching exercices, Zumba, kickboxing etc – can be done, but it is important to be consistent and regular with whichever physical activity you choose.

3. Yoga – the ancient practice of Yoga has recently gained importance for its beneficial effects on the body and mind. Yoga, when performed properly, not just tones the body, but also calms and trains the mind to be peaceful at all times. It is never too late to begin practicing Yoga, and irrespective of physical limitations, there are always certain yogasanas that can be performed. Yoga is also the unique exercise which focuses on neck, and shoulders and helps the relaxation of these body parts to help combat stress.

4. Pranayam – these are breathing techniques which help calm the mind and thus help in fighting stress. Pranayam is based on the basic principle that breathing is a very important indicator of the state of mind. When we panic or are afraid, our breathing rate increases, tidal volume reduces. So if we train our own breathing to be deep and regular with a proper frequency, we can control our body’s response to stress. There are various types of Pranayam or breathing exercises – Kapalbhati, Ujjayi Pranayam, Anulom-vilom, etc, each with a different kind of stress relieving effect. They can be practiced under trained guidance.

5. Meditation – Meditation is one of the best methods of relieving stress. Meditation is a set of techniques practiced with the aim of encouraging a heightened state of consciousness or awareness. Here the mind is trained to focus on the consciousness of the mind and avoiding straying of thoughts. Mindfulness meditation is a type of meditation in which we are supposed to be aware of every feeling and emotion in our mind, and every sensation going through our body, without any judgment or analysis. There are many techniques of meditation, and if practiced properly, they can be great stress relievers.

6. Progressive muscular relaxation – PMR is a type of full body relaxation in which commands are given to the mind to relax each and every muscle group of the body beginning from the toes and going sequentially up towards the head. Progressive muscular relaxation if practiced properly and regularly can reduce stress.

7. Music – Music is a therapy to the soul. Listening to soothing, calming music, classical music, is known to reduce the sympathetic overdrive and thus combat stess.

8. Reduce alcohol – People tend to turn to consuming alcohol to reduce stress. However, alcohol has multiple deleterious effects on the body as well as mind, and it can develop into an addiction. It is better to stay away from alcohol or at least cut down on the consumption for body and mind to stay stress free.

9. Avoid tobacco – Tobacco too acts as a temporary stress buster and as such, people under chronic stress tend to develop an addiction to tobacco, resulting in deleterious effects on the body. It is very necessary to stop or at least cut down on alcohol consumption.

10. Get adequate sleep – stress can cause sleep disruption and a disrupted sleep increases stress. It is a vicious cycle. It is very essential to get sleep for adequate hours to refresh our mind and reduce the stress.

11. Development of positive attitude – a positive attitude toards life is very essential to reduce stress and take on new challenges fruitfully.

12. Avoid triggers – if possible, try to avoid the triggers that cause stress. Many times, the demands of daily life cause stress. Usually these demands are chosen by us. So proper time management, planning and organization while working towards a deadline, prioritization of tasks, omitting unnecessary exercises can all help us to meet those demands and challenges and thus help to remove the triggers that cause stress.

13. Biofeedback – biofeedback is something that helps a person to learn to reduce stress by getting information such as the heart rate, the breathing pattern and the muscle tone when the person tries to relax the body and mind. It can be used to achieve some control over those functions that cause physical pain or tension. Best example is migraine, a stress induced headache which can be controlled by biofeedback.

These methods can help to reduce stress, and reduction of stress is very crucial for keeping the body and the mind disease- free.

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