Aug 28, 2002, 12.00am IST

SWAMI NIKHILANANDA.


Stress is a disease of modern times. It afflicts people regardless of their station in life. Stress is present in the lives of the rich and poor, literate and illiterate, men and women. Stress is, however, more evident and is probably more widespread in technologically advanced countries, and is common among highly qualified professionals.


Stress is of various kinds — physical, emotional and intellectual and it is characterised by a feeling of being burdened; of being unable to cope. At a physical level modern technology and faci-lities have actually increased workloads and decreased relaxation. Mobile phones and laptops have made it easy to carry the office to the home.


Emotional stress increases when there is disharmony and friction in relationships. Unfortunately, the trend today is to take the easy way out — people prefer to break away from relationships rather than repair them. Philosophical and intellectual tensions also add to the stress factor.


The answer to stress can be found in the very letters of the word, ‘stress’: ‘S’ stands for strength: physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. Physical and emotional weakness leads to irritabi-lity. A strong, healthy body developed through proper diet, exercise and pranayama techniques helps reduce stress at the physical level. Through satsang and appropriate learning gained therein, the mind can be strengthened. Love, compassion and friendship are valuable strength-givers that help us cope with stress.


The scriptures say that knowledge of the Self can-not be gained without in- ner strength. Rabindranath Tagore, in a poem, prays to the Lord not to remove all obstacles, but instead, he asks for strength to bear them. Before the start of the Mahabharata war Arjun was seized with a bout of emotional weakness and he refused to fight the war. Lord Krishna rescued him by giving him emotional strength.


‘T’ stands for traffic control. We need to regulate and control our thoughts. We can cope with stress best if our thoughts are orderly and methodical. Unnecessary accumulation leads to clogging of the mind. The key lies in being able to live one moment at a time. Eat while eating, work while working, leave the home at home and the office in the office. Remember, however long we have to travel we can only take one step at a time. Worrying only reduces efficiency and then even simple tasks cannot be completed correctly and in time.


‘R’ is for re-design. We tend to view life and ourselves through our own philosophy. A readjustment or reorientation in this philosophy increases our capacity to bear heavier loads.


‘E’ stands for erase: the ego, anger, fear and jealousy are negative emotions that reduce efficiency, leading to mental weakness, causing stress. Too much emphasis on the ego, or abrogation of doership is responsible for increasing stress. Sri Rama asked Sri Hanuman how he was able to cause so much havoc in Lanka and yet return unscathed. Hanuman disclaimed all responsibility. He said, “I did not do it, you did it through me”. There is a higher power or strength working through us.


‘S’ is for sharing: share your wealth, knowledge, workload or anything else you have. By and large people do not know how to share or delegate. Lord Vishnu as the manager of the world is the best example of delegation of work. Everything happens under his stewardship but he remains free and at ease.


The last but most important is the ‘S’ which stands for surrender to the Lord. Free your mind from the weight of worries and become an instrument, adopting an attitude of service. This attitude will ensure efficiency, success, and freedom from stress.

(The writer is acharya at Chinmaya Mission, New Delhi)