STRESS

MANAGEMENT
Definition of Stress - (i) demand on a
persons emotional and psychological
spheres.

Stress is any interference that disturbs the

well being of body and of mind.
Usually it arises when a task is beyond the
normal range of capabilities of an
individual
(iii) Psychological definition of stress:

Stress can be defined as an adaptive

response, based on individual
characteristics and psychological
processes it is triggered by an external
situation, action or event.

Note: Stress is not mere anxiety as

anxiety operates solely in the emotional and
psychological areas but stress operates on
the physiological areas also
2. Causes of Stress

(i) Like anxiety nervous tension also causes

stress for eg, unconscious people have
exhibited stress, as recorded in medical
history

(ii) Largely stress arises from ones mental

condition and since humans have mind,
stress becomes inevitable. This distinguishes
humans from other beings: Non-humans
function as per instinct and human beings are
driven by thought .
If humans should have no stress, there must be
calming of the mind antahkarana nasam

This is what all the sastras speak of, since an

active mind is engaged in action, good or bad and
has to reap the consequences of such actions,
good or bad happiness or sorrow both will
give stress - we may call it positive stress or
negative stress .
Balance of mind is disturbed, which results in
stress

Note: Perhaps the one who is out of mind a

lunatic
or one who has quelled his mind- a yogi -
are the two who may be considered as having no
stress
The first because of unawareness
and the second because of
awareness of the character of the
mind and controlling it
Yoga is said to be one of the means of
controlling mental turbulence.

The word yoga has got several meanings

but the generally accepted meaning
according to Patanjalis yoga sutra is
blocking or stopping the modification of
the mind

yaEg: cO vO nraED: ( 1-1 -1)

ATaItq, yaEg: cOy mns: vOE:
prNamy nraED: varN|
(yoga - minds modification being blocked)
The five senses which are the means of
knowledge known as bahir karana actually are
only like windows and doors of a room these
doors and windows do not see or move in and
out somebody inside the room does this activity.
Similarly, the five external senses eye, ear
etc., do not do anything.
It is the mind that uses them as the passage -
- out and in- for gaining knowledge.
The word vritti can be explained as follows:
When we see an object, we think we are seeing
it with our eyes the yoga sastra says that this
is not the case. It explains that our minds go
through our eyes and reach the place where the
object is, get modified into the form of the object
and this modified version is reflected in our
consciousness which we realize as the object.
(contd).
This explains the fact why a dead person cannot
see objects though the physical eyes are
present in his body. However, if those eyes are
transplanted into a living person, the recipient is
able to see. It will thus be clear that the physical
eye does not see any object but they only
facilitate the mind as an instrument or as a tool
for comprehension. This logic can be extended
to all the other four senses - hearing, touch,
taste and skin respectively.
It will follow that stress is for people who have an
active mind as it results in thinking.

If thinking is governed by various emotions, like

Kama - illegitimate desire
Krodha - ire

kam ex @D ex rjaEgNsmv: .
mhaSnaE mhapama vYEnmh vWrNmq..

( 3- 37)
Lobha - greed
Moha - delusion
Mada self-conceit
Matsarya jealousy
(iii) Stress can be caused by inside or outside
factors: -
The inside factors are:
1. work with expectation kamya karma any
activity with expectation will bind or have
influence on the doer. Anxiety to get the result
will generate stress, which increases till the
result is achieved. The Bhagavad-Gita gives a
solution for this by recommending engagement
in activities as performance in the spirit of a
sacrifice. The advice of the Lord to Arjuna is :
even the battle he is to fight is to be treated as
a sacrifice -
yOaTaIkmINaE{yO laEkaE{y| kmIbDn: .
tdTI| kmI ktEy ms: smacr .. ( 3 - 9)
2. work without equanimity regarding
failure /success. This type of activity
brings undue elation or undue
depression- both will cause stress.

kmIyEvaDkartE ma PlEx kdacn .

ma kmIPlhEtBI: ma tE
saEvkmIN..
( 2- 47)
yaEgT: k[kmaIN s| yva Dny .
sYsYaE: smaEBva smv| yaEg
uytE ..
(2-48)
3. GREED
When not able to get, one gets angry and all ill
consequences follow, as a chain reaction.

yaytaE vxyap|s: stExpjaytE.

s|gatq saytE kam: kamatq @D:
ABjaytE ..
@Datq Bvt s|maEh: s|maEhatq
mtvB#m: .
mtB#|Satq bnaS: bnaSatq
p#Nyt ..
( 2 - 62,63)
Eight stages of this:

1. brooding on sense objects

2. attachment
3. desire to possess
4. anger if desire is obstructed
5. confusion if anger prevails
6. confusion results in loss of memory
7. then, it leads to loss of discriminative power
8. finally, the human falls from the pedestal of
divinity to that of a brute
Then, he regrets and bemoans his fate
all brought about by desire and in all these stages,
experiences stress
4. Unrighteous Acts
lack of contentment
guilt in the conscience
silent but constant tormentor

cta ctyaEmIyE
cta nam grys .
cta dht njIv|
cta sjv| SnW: ..

urEdamnaman| namanmvsadyEt .
AamWv/amnaE bD:
AamWvrpramn:.
Outside Factors are

bad treatment
partial treatment
no appreciation of good effort
illegal or wrong orders-
discouragement and denunciation
3. Stress not necessarily bad
Some stress is better than no stress.

Stress Management is not to avoid stress but to

handle stress

Stress is inevitable and also necessary for

success
Stress can be used as a positive and forceful ally:
for achieving success
for giving us the right level of motivation
for the drive to overcome obstacles on the way.

There is an optimum level of stress, to work at our

best

This mild emotional heightening is useful to bring

about interest and alertness in doing things

However, when they continue to remain

unexpressed and for extended duration, it can
cause damage to body or /and mind.
Bhavabhuti, in his drama Uttara Ramacarita says
that on two occasions it is necessary to give
vent to feelings, to relieve mental pressure.

These two occasions are:

(i) when in deep sorrow and
(ii) when in a state of confusion .

He compares this to cutting a dam when water is

brimful and threatens to breach the bounds.

praEpfE tfaky prvah: p#t@ya

.
By such letting out, the mind is
brought to its original stable state and
the chances of turbulence are
reduced.

Japanese method of boxing a pillow to

release ones pent up emotions
psychologically fresh and fit -
a variant of Bhavabhutis prescription
4. Stress can be classified as follows:

(i) General stress: it can be positive or

negative
Positive stress arises out of happiness,
enthusiasm, etc. which impel one to perform
better and more. Here also, beyond a limit it
may be harmful.

Negative stress where cynicism, despondence,

self-pity, dejection etc take the place of
happiness and enthusiasm and can have
retarding effect making one go into a deeper
state of stress: needless to mention this should
be avoided
(ii) Physical stress : this is caused by
prolonged physical discomfort, either
due to health reasons or due to
environment. In the long run, they affect
the physical body and generate
negative tendencies.
(iii) Mental stress: This is caused by
thoughts, memories, beliefs and
attitudes.

Not only the victim of this

condition but also those around get
these feelings radiated and
generally a gloomy atmosphere
results.
(iv)Emotional stress : Human
beings are naturally and
ordinarily emotional in nature.
Emotions can be positive and
negative.

They may be beneficial or harmful

to oneself or to others. This type
of stress causes mental and
physical stress.
v) Professional /Economic stress : this is
(

experienced by service sector or those

who are in financial straits.

Professional stress can arise from

Cramped working space
Insufficient compensation
Demanding job timings
Overload of work
Poor growth prospects
Lack of appreciation
Lack of skill and knowledge
5. While stress cannot be shared,
empathy and counseling by
experienced people can reduce
the ill effects of stress - what is
required is its monitoring and
management
6. Stress management Strategies

1. Become aware of your stressors and your

emotional and physical responses.
2. Recognize what you can change and what you
cannot. God, give me the serenity to accept
what I cannot change and the courage to
change what I can and the wisdom to know the
difference.
3. Reduce the intensity of emotional reaction to
stress.
4. Learn to moderate your physical reactions to
stress.
Stress management Strategies (contd).

5. build your physical reserves

6. maintain your emotional reserves

7. learn relaxation/meditation techniques

8. adopt time management

9. cultivate organizational skills

10. networking and support systems

11.Ethical practices
Note:
For this reason public servants who are
always stressed are given the conduct rules.
Because they cant choose what they should
do, they are told to do things.
For example pull ups as pleasure or as
punishment
Conduct is nothing but ethics, behaviour and
value system
Devotion to duty, absolute integrity and good
behaviour
All related to ethics- that ensures a calm mind
and proportionately lesser stress
Time management helps increase
effectiveness and reduces stress

It involves three attributes: -

clear vision and objectives,
forward planning,
and
getting the full value of the time at our
disposal
We must establish a balance between work and
leisure learn to transfer from one to another.
For this, we ought to develop a serious interest in
some extra- professional activity, or game, which
will provide us the necessary diversion - and give
us equal joy and pleasure as our work.
That is, if we are passionate about something
outside our work, it will be easy to import a
similar degree of passion into and inside our
work
Such an attitude of binary loyalty and dual
dedication will drive stress miles away.
laughter is a good medicine
a panacea for all seasons.
The smile is a curve that helps
straighten tense issues in life, besides
squaring up people problems which
otherwise warrants going round in
circles.
Stress Management involves three types of
intervention : -
(i) stress prevention,
(ii) employee training,
(iii) employee counseling program.

There is a cyclical nature in the sequence of

these interventions.
Despite the best prevention strategy, some
training inputs will be useful, because work,
by definition, is stressful.
The better the training, the less the need for
employee counseling.
At the corporate level, strategies like

ergonomics,
work design,
job rotation,
participative management,
flexible work schedules

constitute preventive measures.

7. Indicators of stress

physical, emotional mental social

headaches anxiety forgetfulness Isolation

Teeth grinding frustration Poor loneliness

concentration
fatigue nervousness Low Lashing out
productivity
insomnia depression Negative Clamming up
attitude
Back aches worrying confusion Lowered sex
drive
Stomach tension No new ideas nagging
problems
7. Indicators of stress

physical, emotional mental social

colds Mood swings lethargy Fewer

contacts and
friends

Neck aches Easily boredom Using people

discouraged

Shoulder Crying spells

pains

Increased use irritability

of drugs
8. Conclusion:

Mind is clear and pure

Action according to ones conscience
Stress is only a condition of the mind -

Empathy: - outcome immaterial, no

stress from within or without no fair
or unfair deal action on merit
To control and monitor the inside factors,
the following may be practiced:

Cultivate an attitude of gratefulness and

gratitude towards others

This eliminates negative feelings such as

resentment, anger, jealousy etc. that
influence the behavior of a person under stress

Plan your tasks control of time set

priorities take help when necessary
.
Never mix professionalism with your personal life -
easier said than done

Planning, scheduling or even maintaining a PERT

(Programme Evaluation Review Technique) Chart
will help track your workflow.

Resolving interpersonal conflicts

Conflicts arise because of differences in opinions,

needs, values and expectations- look for areas of
agreement and compromise to reduce conflicts
.

Focus on the task to be accomplished rather

than the egos involved.

Delegation - a useful and universal tool

At the physical level:

Deep breathing
Regular physical exercise
Counseling
Diet
Meditation

9. Mind is the centre of all activity.

Cultivate, train and direct it in the
right way stress will be less.
The Concept of Karma Yoga
THANK YOU