Overcoming stress and anxiety – The Hindu

Someone asked a wise man, “Why are you so calm, as if nothing bothers you?” He replied, “Worrying never changes the outcome.”

We can achieve nothing by worrying about the future. Despite the advice to live in the present and not worry about the past or the future, we often do so, resulting in disastrous consequences.

Stress and anxiety seem to be our companions since birth, when we come to this world naked, helpless, and crying, after remaining confined to a womb’s dark interiors for months.

Various religions have tried to help man to overcome stress and anxiety, which are said to be tests from God, by asking him to remain strong and courageous while facing them. They advise us to leave everything to God, who cares for us, and pray to Him to bring peace in our lives while facing hardships. No one’s life is a bed of roses, and we are required to accept life’s reality and address problems with the available resources. To make the struggle easier, we must seek support from others, not isolating ourselves out of ego.

Detachment, selfless action, mindfulness, and devotion to God are also considered antidotes to stress and anxiety. A balanced life is essential for the mind’s control and inner peace. We must focus on duty and accept success and failure. It is advisable to meditate to achieve equanimity.

Our attachment to results and clinging to what we like while pushing away what we dislike causes stress and anxiety. Non-acceptance of reality destabilises the mind. At the same time, we have to learn to let go of control and accept what life brings.

Most of us are such pessimists that we forgo the present pleasures by imagining a bad future. There have been cases where people have died when bitten by non-poisonous snakes, but the victim was sure that the snake was poisonous. Hospitals are full of patients with diseases like heart attacks caused by stress and anxiety. Several people become partially paralysed as a result of undue stress, resulting in strokes, giving them trouble with themselves and others.Gone are the days when one can relax for the rest of their lives after getting a job. In the current competitive world, employers hire and fire at will, leaving no space for the inefficient.

Pressure starts mounting from primary classes, when parents begin to compare their young ones with others and scold them if they find any deficiency. They force their children to attend extra tuition classes at the cost of their playtime. When parents meet, their conversation revolves around their children. There are several cases where parents cajole the young ones with the promise of gifts if their performance in various fields improves. Students attend special coaching classes for admission to certain studies. Realising that they cannot fulfil the dream of their parents, some of them commit suicide. It is a matter of concern that the number of people who are free from stress is rapidly decreasing.

pillaikss@yahoo.in