“One who has control over the mind
Is tranquil in heat and cold,
In pleasure and pain, and in honour and dishonour;
And is ever steadfast with the Supreme Self.”- Bhagavat Geeta.

The above quote from Bhagavat Geeta gives us a glimpse of instances where we, the humans, face issues regarding self-doubt, restlessness, fear, constant feeling of denial, and uncertainty making us lose our calm and be deprived of making sensible decisions.

According to a lot of experts and their studies in the field of stress management, observations were made and it was established that “The body and mind are deeply intertwined”, which brings to my question, what exactly is stress and stress management? why do we need it? and how do we do it?

Stress is a form of our body’s reaction to any change that requires us to make certain adjustments or response. Our body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses. We as humans are capable, rather, designed in such a way that we have an inbuilt system to experience and react to stress. Stress becomes harmful, not only physically but also emotionally when there is no break in between the stress cycle. It leads to over exhausting self and deterioration of the mind and body. If this continues further, it turns into “distress”. This is when our body and mind start playing different instruments at the same time leading to symptoms like headaches, blood pressure issues, anxiety, depression, etc.

The need arises to manage stress so that we can take control over our mood, become more stable and neutral to the conditions and circumstances, get our thoughts clear, and improve our relationships and most of all, our health risk diminishes.

Now, how do we do it? So, for that, there are certain defined alternatives that can help us manage our stress levels, some of which are listed below.

  • Keep a positive Attitude: Everybody says that, right? How to do that, is the question we ask ourselves. For that, let me spill a secret. All we have to do is just breathe and concentrate on our breathing cycle. It will let you have a passage/ break from your negative thoughts that have clouded you.
  • Acknowledgment: Oh boy! This is the most important. We need to first and foremost accept that whatever is happening isn’t in our control and we are doing our best to cope up.
  • Assertive over Aggressive: We need to stand up for what we feel, our opinions and beliefs rather than becoming angry, defensive, or passive.
  • Time Management: We have a lot of time because of this lockdown and I am sure, all of us have been enjoying at first but this repeated increase in the number of days is frustrating. We did enjoy all the freedom at once and now we think we have nothing to do or why should we do anything at all. Here, management of your time comes into a role, wherein you divide stuff in a manner that it takes up your 24 hours and leave zero space for negative thoughts.
  • Eat Healthy: As they say you are what you eat. This is true in every sense. Have a good and healthy meal.
  • Exercise: As we are stuck at our home, we have no place to go and burn our calories, we shall practice some in-house exercise to keep our body functioning and to exhaust ourselves in a good way to get some proper sleep.
  • Practice to Relax: Relaxation/ healing can come to us in different forms. We can either practice yoga, meditation, or maybe soulful music therapy.
  • Sleep: Get some good sleep. Good sleep has nothing to do with the number of hours. It is when you wake up and feel fresh as a blooming flower.
  • Make time for your Hobbies and Interest: We are not getting this time back, make the most out of it. Get back the old hobbies and interests that made you feel alive.
  • Most of All spend some quality time with family: There is no support as that of a family. They have been our spine since ever. Now is our time to reciprocate our love and give them a thank filled support. It also helps them to relieve their stress.

The key is to be happy and feel free mentally and emotionally.