Stress

How To Handle Stress
Understanding the effects of stress on heart is one thing and doing something about stress is another. Conventional psychologists have suggested a number of stopgap measures to reduce stress, but none of them gets at the root cause of stress; they merely seek to ameliorate currently stressful circumstances. Some of these ideas have been to change jobs, to find more leisure, to find someone to talk about one's trouble to, to take up a hobby, to change one's lifestyle and so on. The more perceptive doctors counsel the making of deeper psychological changes; to be honest with oneself and others, to act with maturity and to make decisions firmly, to give up artificial crutches like alcohol and drugs and to increase one's personal strength.

Stress is a physiological survival mechanism. When you sense that you are under threat, the brain responds by sending a message to the adrenal glands on top of your kidneys, which, in turn, responds by releasing adrenaline. Adrenaline has effects on various body systems that, in combination, enable you to take action. In modern times, a contemporary source of stress might be traveling to work on crowded public transport when you are already late for a meeting. Your brain registers stress but you will not be able to take advantage of the subsequent adrenaline rush because no physical action is necessary. When instances of stress are occasional and short-lived, the body can cope (some degree of stress helps us to stay motivated and to meet our goals), but when they are frequent and long-lasting the body may be perpetually in a state of high alert. This is when your vulnerability to problems such as cardiovascular disease increases. For this reason, it is essential to find ways to overcome chronic stress as you get older.

All these goals may be good, yet the question remains how does one get the inner strength even to make those changes? And how does one get the peace and clarity of mind to realize what steps are really necessary and possible to effect those changes? And how does one get the flexibility to live even in what may be considered "stressful" circumstances since it is not always possible to change external conditions without feeling distressed by them?

That is where the efficacy of Raja Yoga in treatment comes in. It is not based on changing anything external, but rather one's internal responses to external demands. Thus, the treatment is useful to everyone in all circumstances. Moreover, just a few days of practice is sufficient to achieve mental and physical relaxation which in turn is enough to allow one to focus perception and volition towards understanding and curing the personality factors which enter into stress production. That understanding is increased further by application of the spiritual knowledge on which meditation is based.

Tips To Help Handle Stress: