Subtlety Sneaking in… Stress | How to Manage Stress By Vaibhavii Naik

 Subtlety Sneaking in… Stress | How to Manage Stress

I love to be interactive… so nothing better than beginning with a question …

Cover Image of Subtlety Sneaking in… Stress | How to Manage Stress By Vaibhavii Naik

Can stress kill us?

 Here's a very beautiful citation, which is quite agreeable, "It’s not Stress that kills us, It is our Reaction to it.” So, it's not that stress we keep blaming, but it is how we take it, how our mind responds to it, that actually kills us… This is a particularly apt quote, esp. In today’s VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) world. Let me ask 1 more question

How common is stress today?

 In today's scenario, stress is more popular than pizza and more frequent than morning tea…  talking about everyone around us, including me… since childhood - Right from the time of birth, till the last breath an individual is consistently and constantly exposed to various distressing situations …. Furthermore, this modern world which is said to be the universe of cutting edge competition and extreme achievements, is also, obviously a world of super stress … because achievements are directly proportional to Stress… In what has been called the age of Intellectuals or Savvy millennials… in this era, stress is presented very proudly… it has given birth to a generation that is full to the brim with stress… Now, Allow me to pose 1 more important Question for all of you -

Is stress helpful?

Why do we end up taking so much stress…! Because our mind knows how helpful stress can be…! Historically, stress was a friend… Natural instincts told us to run from a life-threatening situation, & it served as a protective mechanism that warned us against danger.

Whether we fight a situation or take a flight from it will depend upon what…? When our evolutionary ancestors encountered a Sabre tooth cat, what was their stress response? Obviously, the first thing they did was run away from it, or if there was no option to run, they fought it till death… At that time, actually, stress saved their lives via fight or flight response…So, stress has remained a friend during the evolutionary drive because of its usefulness in survival… if used at the right time, in the right way, stress increases our awareness and improves our physical performance… In short, there are numerous situations which actually require stress to tackle that situation…

How positive can stress be?

Even though we now know the historic reason for the biological presence of stress, the moment we hear the word stress what emotion comes to our mind? +ve emotions or -ve…? One might be taking stress to succeed or for achieving some goal… it is positive to quite an extent but it can still have some negative impact … if not tackled properly, we wouldn't even realize when and in what ways, it becomes harmful to us …

How Harmful is stress actually?

I think all of us also know that repetitive exposure to stress - like When we don't do anything about a problem but keep on ruminating about it - it's similar to the failure of an electrical device due to overheating Or like the combustion process wherein a substance eventually reduces to nothing. For example, a physical Burnout… burnout is a stress response by the body and includes several long lasting psychological and Physical health issues like blood pressure, cholesterol, sugar, heart disease, anxiety, depression, i actually got scared when i learnt how long the list is …

How to manage stress?

First let's talk about how to measure it… Quoting what I remember from some forwarded video by a doctor: “Give 0 to the lowest level of stress you experience and 10 to the highest level of stress you can possibly experience…  Now, analyze your stress and find out how much you can endure without getting irritated, exhausted, or exasperated…  this range is the Optimal Level Of Stress. if we cross the optimal level, it is extremely harmful…" So, Try not to stress yourself beyond this level. Remain conscious of the gap between your reality and the expectations in your life…  Keep making efforts to bridge that gap by…. Clearly setting your expectations when you make a request.… not assuming that people will understand… Helping them be more clear about your expectations through effective communication.…

What prevents burnout?

Please tell me, friends, when you are under stress, how do you identify, what is stressing you, and what different ways of coping with stress can you create by linking it to both your mental and physical well-being…? Of course, all of us have to meet the demands of our daily lives, expectations  of  people  around us …… Usually, there is a conflict of some kind, or a risk, or a threat that causes stress… … & if we are lucky to escape all these, the modern vices like comparisons, gp between expectations & reality, our mundane routine is always there to plague our peace of mind… so some stress would always there for these or some other reasons, nevertheless, never forget it's your right to relax… to relieve yourself from stress… and if you are not doing anything about it, it can mean only one thing: you don't love yourself, don't prioritize yourself enough… you have been playing your part to the best extent you could for those around and it's high time, you need to instantly start focusing on your mental health…

But How do you do it…?

●        Know yourself better

●        Find out your own defense mechanisms, fortify them…

●        Keep a note of things that annoy you as well as those which make you feel better…

●        Have a list of your achievements handy… this will remind you to feel good about yourself when all odds are against you

●        Along with a list of friends you can call …  people who make you feel lighter and happier…

●        Practice self love…

●        Read and listen to stuff that aids you with time management, work life balance, emotional management, and more of these…

●        Be more respectful to people, communicate with clarity and try to avoid conflicts… might not be possible every time so learn conflict resolution mechanics… like Knowing your conflict style.... … Forming stronger bonds with others…

●        Do Not hesitate to reach out for help…

●        Did I mention communicating effectively....?

●        And need I mention how helpful yog and meditation can be…🧘‍♀️

 I'll conclude with an old saying that goes, "Expect nothing & accept everything". This is practically not possible but we can try to "expect less & understand, accept & adjust more."...