How to manage Stress

It is rather sad that in pursuit of happiness we have moved more towards the unhappiness side of life.

Stress is now the integral part of humans. It is primarily a learned behavior and is fueled by ignorance. The brain of the individual is engaged in plotting and scheming to overcome a perceived threat.

Mind control is the key to manage stress but the fact is that in the case of stress inflicted persons it is the mind which has gone berserk. You hardly notice the acts of mind but you suffer from the exploits of the mind which has gone on its own.. the kind of declaring freedom from your own control, a rebel and some thing like that. The challenge is to bring back the mind where it belongs i.e. in your control. It is easier said than done and if one happens to go through the Hindu literature and its teachings there has been a very high emphasis on discovering the self through philosophical interpretations of life, concept of God, Yoga technique, breathing exercises and meditation. One of the most important teachings in Hinduism is God resides in you and search for him within your self. The eight fold path of Buddha outlines a path towards reducing suffering includes two specific paths on the mind i.e. right mindfulness and right concentration. A vast number of people have lost the ability to concentrate on whatever they are doing of engaged in, the result of years of routinized life full of drudgery. This is a major reason for inviting involuntary stressful thoughts or degeneration of mind.

The first step for people struggling with stress, anxiety and mental disorders is seeking awareness as what the mind is doing at that moment. Let me tell you most of the times we are oblivious to the functions of our own mind. How strange! We need to be aware about our discomfort and the sources.. If we start practicing this skill we may find at times that the mind has gone into a rotten corner and generating poison which is not asked for or demanded by you. Many a times the irrational part is working overtime and continuously. It is like taming an adult wild animal. How difficult! You need to put in lot of thought and Internet can provide a host of information on such things. One of the best way is to feel your breath.. how it is going.... and the whole system falls in place for a moment. Convert this moment into minutes and hours.. Be aware of your breathing almost all the time. It will surely start giving you a lot of relief. It is like a special candy, the more you chew it the tastier it becomes.

Bringing back the kind of concentration you had during the college days will certainly reduce the drab/unhappy feelings as many a times it is associated with aimless wandering of mind.