Learning to handle stress

We, modern men, have to confront many trials and tribulations that this highly competitive and fast-paced life hurls at us. Consequently, we often become easy prey to many physiological and psychological ailments. One of the most debilitating psychological ailments is stress. Stress, if not handled carefully, becomes quite insidious and inimical to our holistic wellbeing. Like vermin, it slowly eats into our vitals and renders us fully hollow inside.

Thus, T S Eliot pertinently said that we are the hollow men, we are the stuffed men. Undoubtedly, we have stuffed our lives with a lot of material wealth but in the futile pursuit of creature comforts, we get completely stressed out and eventually reach the end of our tether.

Therefore, it is the dire need of the hour to understand stress and cultivate the art of taking the bull of it by its horns. With timeless wisdom, we can manage to convert stress into positive energy that can bring us a sense of greater inner fulfilment and peace of mind. The same phenomena of stress that pushes us into the bottomless pit of unbearable anxiety and despair also carry the potential to enhance the quality of our life.

Stress can both mar us or make us. If we take the example of an athlete, we come to know that an athlete is capable of growing his speed and strength by enduring a tremendous amount of stress only. When in a gym, a bodybuilder takes to his rigorous exercise regime, the greater the resistance, the stronger he becomes. But if he does not balance the weight properly, the stress of weight can give him injury also. In a similar way, if managed meticulously, examination stress can give a big boost to the pupils and they can come out with flying colours. The most precious diamond was once just coal in its key components but with the wisdom of nature, it gets transformed into a valuable jewel under extreme pressure. And gold which is called the king of all metals has to bear the heat of burning flames to attain this pride of place. Therefore, it is our perspective that makes all the difference.