Refrain from smoking and alcoholic drinks: There are many people who resort to smoking and alcoholic drinks to fight stress. They swear that smoking a few cigarettes or a few pegs of whiskey relieves stress. But in the long run both add to stress. The deleterious effects of smoking are will established. When a person resorts to smoking his expenses go up and this increases the stress. The health problems caused by smoking follow later putting additional financial burden.

It should be remembered that alcohol is a depressant of the nervous system. It inhibits the higher centers of the brain. In other words it makes the person less human. It also causes damage to stomach and liver. Once a person loses control over himself he ruins his relationship with family members. His efficiency at work will suffer due to hangover creating more problems at the place of work. All these add to the stress. Unfortunately such people resort to drinking more to overcome the stress falling into a vicious circle and

Stress is an inevitable component of life in today’s world, though the degree of stress experienced by different people varies. Doctors and people occupying important positions like ministers and presidents are exposed to greater stress than others but every person has to face some stress in life.

Stress can be either physical or mental or both. Manual laborers experience mostly physical stress. IT professionals go through a lot of mental stress. Physical stress can be easily managed by taking rest. A period of sound sleep can rejuvenate a person and rid him of physical stress.

Mental stress on the other hand can be subtle and for more dangerous .This is causing a lot of morbidity and even mortality in the form of suicides, accidents and homicides. Mind has profound influence on the body and chronic mental stress can lead to many bodily ailments like peptic ulcer, hypertension and to vague complaints like headache for which no cause can be found.

People vary considerably in their ability to cope with stress. Genetic factors may play a role but it is very important to understand that everyone can learn to handle stress. Here are the most effective measures.

Attitude to life: Willingness to live within one’s means goes a long way in preventing stress. Greed drives a person beyond healthy limits. While everyone has desires some people fail to draw a line between needs and wants. While it is not easy to say how much of ambition is acceptable every person can make out for himself that he is crossing the limits. Ambition is essential to achieve anything in life and every person should have it. While always trying to achieve more he should be able to maintain his inner tranquility. If the inner peace is disturbed the person should indulge in introspection and control himself. Mental stress can manifest as palpitation, irritability, anxiety, insomnia or depression. If he finds it difficult to regain his composure he should seek professional help. But ultimately he has to change his attitude.

Exercise regularly: Exercising everyday at least for twenty minutes brings down stress. Improvement in physical fitness contributes to mental well being. Exercise is also believed to increase the level of endorphins in the body which have a beneficial effect on mood and reduce stress.

Proper planning: Quite often people come under severe stress because they do not plan ahead properly. It may be facing an examination, or interview or meeting a deadline. If you have a major task, break it into several components and set deadlines for those components. If you study throughout the year you will not dread examinations. Similarly if you are attending an interview try to learn everything about the prospective employer and anticipate questions and prepare for them. Maintain a task scheduler and set alarms for important meetings and tasks to be completed.

Meditation: Meditation if properly done has a calming effect on the mind. The relationship between the state of the mind and breathing is well known. When the mind is agitated breathing becomes faster and when the mind is calm (as in the state of deep sleep) breathing becomes slower. We cannot directly control the mind. But by controlling the breathing we can control the mind. Those who are adepts in meditation will be able to still the mind and enter a state of conscious sleep at will and experience a state of profound peace.

Soothing music: Indian classical music has tremendous influence on the mind. Music therapy is being tried for some diseases like hypertension and psychiatric illness. It should be noted that fast jarring music can have adverse influence on the mind and contribute to stress.

Taking regular break: Playing games either indoor or outdoor takes the mind away from usual worries and has a relaxing effect. Going for picnic with family members and close friends also has the same effect.

Refrain from smoking and alcoholic drinks: There are many people who resort to smoking and alcoholic drinks to fight stress. They swear that smoking a few cigarettes or a few pegs of whiskey relieves stress. But in the long run both add to stress. The deleterious effects of smoking are will established. When a person resorts to smoking his expenses go up and this increases the stress. The health problems caused by smoking follow later putting additional financial burden.

It should be remembered that alcohol is a depressant of the nervous system. It inhibits the higher centers of the brain. In other words it makes the person less human. It also causes damage to stomach and liver. Once a person loses control over himself he ruins his relationship with family members. His efficiency at work will suffer due to hangover creating more problems at the place of work. All these add to the stress. Unfortunately such people resort to drinking more to overcome the stress falling into a vicious circle and

with stress. Genetic factors may play a role but it is very important to understand that everyone can learn to handle stress. Here are the most effective measures.

Attitude to life: Willingness to live within one’s means goes a long way in preventing stress. Greed drives a person beyond healthy limits. While everyone has desires some people fail to draw a line between needs and wants. While it is not easy to say how much of ambition is acceptable every person can make out for himself that he is crossing the limits. Ambition is essential to achieve anything in life and every person should have it. While always trying to achieve more he should be able to maintain his inner tranquility. If the inner peace is disturbed the person should indulge in introspection and control himself. Mental stress can manifest as palpitation, irritability, anxiety, insomnia or depression. If he finds it difficult to regain his composure he should seek professional help. But ultimately he has to change his attitude.

Exercise regularly: Exercising everyday at least for twenty minutes brings down stress. Improvement in physical fitness contributes to mental well being. Exercise is also believed to increase the level of endorphins in the body which have a beneficial effect on mood and reduce stress.

Proper planning: Quite often people come under severe stress because they do not plan ahead properly. It may be facing an examination, or interview or meeting a deadline. If you have a major task, break it into several components and set deadlines for those components. If you study throughout the year you will not dread examinations. Similarly if you are attending an interview try to learn everything about the prospective employer and anticipate questions and prepare for them. Maintain a task scheduler and set alarms for important meetings and tasks to be completed.

Meditation: Meditation if properly done has a calming effect on the mind. The relationship between the state of the mind and breathing is well known. When the mind is agitated breathing becomes faster and when the mind is calm (as in the state of deep sleep) breathing becomes slower. We cannot directly control the mind. But by controlling the breathing we can control the mind. Those who are adepts in meditation will be able to still the mind and enter a state of conscious sleep at will and experience a state of profound peace.

Soothing music: Indian classical music has tremendous influence on the mind. Music therapy is being tried for some diseases like hypertension and psychiatric illness. It should be noted that fast jarring music can have adverse influence on the mind and contribute to stress.

Taking regular break: Playing games either indoor or outdoor takes the mind away from usual worries and has a relaxing effect. Going for picnic with family members and close friends also has the same effect.

Refrain from smoking and alcoholic drinks: There are many people who resort to smoking and alcoholic drinks to fight stress. They swear that smoking a few cigarettes or a few pegs of whiskey relieves stress. But in the long run both add to stress. The deleterious effects of smoking are will established. When a person resorts to smoking his expenses go up and this increases the stress. The health problems caused by smoking follow later putting additional financial burden.

It should be remembered that alcohol is a depressant of the nervous system. It inhibits the higher centers of the brain. In other words it makes the person less human. It also causes damage to stomach and liver. Once a person loses control over himself he ruins his relationship with family members. His efficiency at work will suffer due to hangover creating more problems at the place of work. All these add to the stress. Unfortunately such people resort to drinking more to overcome the stress falling into a vicious circle and

ttitude.

Exercise regularly: Exercising everyday at least for twenty minutes brings down stress. Improvement in physical fitness contributes to mental well being. Exercise is also believed to increase the level of endorphins in the body which have a beneficial effect on mood and reduce stress.

Proper planning: Quite often people come under severe stress because they do not plan ahead properly. It may be facing an examination, or interview or meeting a deadline. If you have a major task, break it into several components and set deadlines for those components. If you study throughout the year you will not dread examinations. Similarly if you are attending an interview try to learn everything about the prospective employer and anticipate questions and prepare for them. Maintain a task scheduler and set alarms for important meetings and tasks to be completed.

Meditation: Meditation if properly done has a calming effect on the mind. The relationship between the state of the mind and breathing is well known. When the mind is agitated breathing becomes faster and when the mind is calm (as in the state of deep sleep) breathing becomes slower. We cannot directly control the mind. But by controlling the breathing we can control the mind. Those who are adepts in meditation will be able to still the mind and enter a state of conscious sleep at will and experience a state of profound peace.

Soothing music: Indian classical music has tremendous influence on the mind. Music therapy is being tried for some diseases like hypertension and psychiatric illness. It should be noted that fast jarring music can have adverse influence on the mind and contribute to stress.

Taking regular break: Playing games either indoor or outdoor takes the mind away from usual worries and has a relaxing effect. Going for picnic with family members and close friends also has the same effect.

Refrain from smoking and alcoholic drinks: There are many people who resort to smoking and alcoholic drinks to fight stress. They swear that smoking a few cigarettes or a few pegs of whiskey relieves stress. But in the long run both add to stress. The deleterious effects of smoking are will established. When a person resorts to smoking his expenses go up and this increases the stress. The health problems caused by smoking follow later putting additional financial burden.

It should be remembered that alcohol is a depressant of the nervous system. It inhibits the higher centers of the brain. In other words it makes the person less human. It also causes damage to stomach and liver. Once a person loses control over himself he ruins his relationship with family members. His efficiency at work will suffer due to hangover creating more problems at the place of work. All these add to the stress. Unfortunately such people resort to drinking more to overcome the stress falling into a vicious circle and

he mind. The relationship between the state of the mind and breathing is well known. When the mind is agitated breathing becomes faster and when the mind is calm (as in the state of deep sleep) breathing becomes slower. We cannot directly control the mind. But by controlling the breathing we can control the mind. Those who are adepts in meditation will be able to still the mind and enter a state of conscious sleep at will and experience a state of profound peace.

Soothing music: Indian classical music has tremendous influence on the mind. Music therapy is being tried for some diseases like hypertension and psychiatric illness. It should be noted that fast jarring music can have adverse influence on the mind and contribute to stress.

Taking regular break: Playing games either indoor or outdoor takes the mind away from usual worries and has a relaxing effect. Going for picnic with family members and close friends also has the same effect.

Refrain from smoking and alcoholic drinks: There are many people who resort to smoking and alcoholic drinks to fight stress. They swear that smoking a few cigarettes or a few pegs of whiskey relieves stress. But in the long run both add to stress. The deleterious effects of smoking are will established. When a person resorts to smoking his expenses go up and this increases the stress. The health problems caused by smoking follow later putting additional financial burden.

It should be remembered that alcohol is a depressant of the nervous system. It inhibits the higher centers of the brain. In other words it makes the person less human. It also causes damage to stomach and liver. Once a person loses control over himself he ruins his relationship with family members. His efficiency at work will suffer due to hangover creating more problems at the place of work. All these add to the stress. Unfortunately such people resort to drinking more to overcome the stress falling into a vicious circle and

Refrain from smoking and alcoholic drinks: There are many people who resort to smoking and alcoholic drinks to fight stress. They swear that smoking a few cigarettes or a few pegs of whiskey relieves stress. But in the long run both add to stress. The deleterious effects of smoking are will established. When a person resorts to smoking his expenses go up and this increases the stress. The health problems caused by smoking follow later putting additional financial burden.

It should be remembered that alcohol is a depressant of the nervous system. It inhibits the higher centers of the brain. In other words it makes the person less human. It also causes damage to stomach and liver. Once a person loses control over himself he ruins his relationship with family members. His efficiency at work will suffer due to hangover creating more problems at the place of work. All these add to the stress. Unfortunately such people resort to drinking more to overcome the stress falling into a vicious circle and destroying their lives. It also increases the risk of traffic accidents. When a person takes a fixed quantity of any alcoholic drink regularly the brain becomes resistant to its effect and the person feels he has to drink a little more in order to get the kick and this goes on.

Strive to create a good atmosphere at home: Good family life can act as a buffer against stress. While there are many factors beyond our control many people create problems at home. They get into a major problem because they are unwilling to make a minor compromise. Many problems at home are due to ego clashes. Curtailing our egos and having consideration for the feelings of other members of the family can improve the quality of family life and help in relieving stress.