One of my
close friends and my mentor – an ayurveda doctor recently passed away due to
sudden illness few weeks back. It was a shocking news to me. He was nearing only his 50s. I couldn’t still recuperate from the shock. Because I know him for the last
ten years and there are numerous discussions we had on the topics of philosophy and
society. He shared with me many deep insights about spirituality. He used to
tell me that you are one among very few who understands my speech and thoughts.
Here, I would not like to discuss the reasons why he expired.
I wish to
share or inform my friends a useful thought on how to manage/cope up with stress.
Because, in present days, stress has become a inevitable part of our life. Too many of us are
suffocating in this environment. Stress is dangerous particularly chronic
stress is really a silent killer. What is stress? It takes many forms such as
worry, frustration and mental tension etc. Worry is a mental state when there
is a gap between what we expect to happen and what is really happening. Worry
develops when there is a chasm between supply and demand. Frustration means
repeated failures. We desire something, and
then we attempt to achieve/get it. If it is impossible repeatedly, our mind
breaks down which is called frustration. Stress ,one same phenomena, is given different terminologies
based on the context and based on the scholars dealing it. Anyway, stress is
detrimental to both mind and body. Stress stimulates some hormones which are
very harmful to body organs and becomes a disease and in course of time, if it continues,
it dooms to death. But practically, medical doctors only perceive physical
symptoms for which the root cause is stress. Victim of stress means that we are
the victims of our own thoughts. It looks idiotic. Isn’t it? So, at any cost, we ought to get rid of
stress and Be a happy person at all times.
For this
purpose, I like to share here a simple model proposed by Dr.A.P.J.Abdul kalam
about which he wrote in his book ‘ Transcendence ‘. This model is very simple
and consists of three components. He refers it actually for leaders but it is
applicable for all individuals I am sure. They are:-
- Mindfulness
- Hope or Optimism
- Compassion/Empathy.
He developed
this idea from his vast experience gained from working in India’s largest
organizations. Three components should be practised in a integrated way and
concurrently.
Mindfulness:- It means that taking time to react.
Many of us react in stressed condition impulsively and aggravate/worsen the
situation. When we are bombarded by the external stimuli, thorugh the use of
conscious mind, we can take time to think and react in a appropriate and milder ways. For
this, we need to sit and have clear understanding about our own self – strengths
and weaknesses. Mindfulness means ‘acting / reacting to a situation considering
own self and considering other people and context specificity ‘. It is a matter of
striking a balance between ‘self, others and situation ‘.
Hope/Optimism:- It is a positive mental state that everything
will be fine in the future irrespective how much hard the situation is. It is a
firm belief that things will align properly in due course. Positive mindset is
the hallmark of all virtues and characters without which we cannot reap complete benefits
in life. That is the reason why ancient saints, rishis and all philosophers
insist this mindset.
Compassion/Empathy:- We can simply argue that this is the most
missing quality in many people. What is empathy? It is a divine quality.
Expanding our mind and thinking that all our fellow men are alike me. At any given time, a individual is influenced by many factors such his family problems, financial condition,
physical illness etc. So, we should try NOT to take anyone’s action personally.
We should try empathizing with people. I also think that it is tough to
practise. Dr.Kalam, in the chapter ‘leadership’, he recommends a new kind of
leadership called “ Compassion-Directed Leadership”. I really amazed at his thinking method. Because such a kind of leadership is really essential to bring
up peace in family, organizations and politics.
Personally, I
attempted this model in my life and found it very practical and highly beneficial for
managing stress. Dear friends! Please note that ‘directly using subconscious
mind approach’ or ‘ seeking the help of universal energy ‘ will not be of much use
for managing stress which is pervasive in all dimensions of our life. Stress
has to be / must be consciously faced and managed. Conscious attempt to
manage stress with positive mindset and compassion with others will stimulate
potential energy from subconscious mind and universe. The result will be fine
and there will remain peace and harmony in our mind. Individual peace spreads
to family, family to society.
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