Stress can be beaten

Stress is a great worry caused by a difficult situation in life. It is strange to find more and more people complaining of stress at a time modern technology has made life easy.

Living in a global village we have access to speedy communication methods and travelling. Washing machines, microwave ovens and air-conditioned rooms allow us to do our jobs efficiently and quickly. Then what creates stress in the modern world?

Although science and technology have made our lives rather comfortable, we work under tension and all types of anxieties. These start very early in our lives. Take, for instance, a child's education. Apart from feeding and bringing up a healthy child we have to find a good school for him.

We force the child to follow private tuition classes long before he sits the Grade Five scholarship examination. Parents can be seen dragging their tiny tots from one class to another with a view to get good results.

By doing this exercise, parents naturally undergo stress. That is quite understandable. But what is tragic is that we spread the "disease" to children as well. This is perhaps their first taste of stress.

Unlike in the past when children ran to the playground after school, today they run to tuition classes. Those who return home are fully exhausted. Their only pastime is watching the idiot box which transports the viewer to fantasy world. After spending a couple of hours watching their favourite teledramas, children fall asleep.

After the examination results the mad scramble for popular schools begins. Even in the villages, parents want to send their children to a good school in the city. The name of the school matters. If you go to a well-known school the chances are that you will receive a better education and a job.

Those who do well in their studies are picked to follow various courses at state universities. Instead of pursuing higher studies the undergraduates begin their struggle for liberation.

After ragging innocent freshers they disrupt all the educational programmes damaging property and killing their fellow students. Thus, the parents who send their children to universities come under stress. Even the under graduates do not know what their destinies are. They too suffer from stress.

When these young men and women take up duties in the state and the private sector, they become an unhappy lot. Then they seek remedies to get rid of stress. Here's some help for them.

In the first place, we have to remember that stress is part of modern life. Everybody undergo some kind of stress. But what is harmful is excessive stress.

One way of avoiding excessive stress is to break the monotony of living. Take the case of an MLT (Medical Laboratory Technician) who has to test other people's blood, urine and stool samples. When they do this kind of work regularly, they come under stress. Such people must find a pastime to break the monotony. Dancing, music and painting can be effective stress busters.

If you are tensed up, it is always good to go for a walk and breathe fresh air. I knew of a man who used to shout at his colleagues regularly. Not only did he become unpopular among office workers but also suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes. When he died suddenly of a heart attack, nobody had a good word for him.

Nobody can lead a perfectly happy life. People have problems. They can be big or small. If your problem is big, try to solve it. If it is a minor problem, do not worry about it too much.

Human relationship sometimes create stress. For instance, you fall in love with someone. However, after some time you find that he or she is not the right partner. Then you have every right to drop him or her. After ending the relationship, if you still persist that the other person should love you, you come under stress.

Relaxation is said to be the best remedy for stress. But many people cannot relax without taking alcohol or drugs. Learn the art of relaxation without harming your body. Repentance comes too late.

Sometimes we can lessen our stress by talking to someone who understands your problem. If you cannot find someone, there are professional counsellors who will be more than willing to listen to you.

Another way of stress busting is writing down all your worries in a notebook. Many educated people maintain such books to get rid of stress.

When you have no stress, you can sleep well and do your work quiet efficiently. If you are suffering from insomnia or sudden bouts of anger, you should seek professional help.

Always think of the birds who sing happily and fly in the sky without suffering from any stress. Although we cannot become birds, lets' try to lead stress-free lives.