Stress. Good or Bad?

The past week was unusually stressful for me. Everything seemed to be going haywire and life seemed completely out of control. I wasn't getting sleep, wasn't able to enjoy with my kid, wasn't able to concentrate on work and was completely 'stressed out'.

How often do we find ourselves in that situation for some reason or another? Why is it that stress really wears us down and makes us a fraction of who we are? Is stress really so bad or is it not as it seems?

I really believe that everyone of us undergoes stress on a regular basis. The reasons may change, but we all experience it. Some of us are able to cope better than others and for some, stress releases the best within an individual. How many times have you heard yourself remark "His/Her life has everything, money, fame, success, happiness....everything that one could want. I wish my life was like that. If it was, then I would never be stressed"

Honestly, everyone of us faces stress in our lives. Thats the truth, no matter how much we disagree. Look around us, Bill Gates, Ratan Tata, Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandela, J.K.Rowling, Narayan Murthy, Dalai Lama and countless others, do you really feel that they are not facing stress at some point or another?

Is stress really so bad then? How come these people have reached where they are and are an epitome of success and happiness? What I believe is that stress is really not bad. It makes us aware that we are facing an uncomfortable situation. It is something that enables us to reach within our souls and become better than what we are, at the moment. It guides us to becoming a better person as to overcome the situation, we must enhance ourselves to a higher level of thought and performance. 

I am sure most of you must be thinking "Yeah right! Put yourself in my shoes and then lets see what you will say". Believe me, I have been in that position time and again. I am as good as handling stress as the guy next door. What I am trying to do, is to get an objective look on the concept of Stress.

Ok, think of your mentor or someone whom you admire or would like to be like. Put him/her  in your shoes. How would he/she respond to the situation causing you stress in the first place? Would they behave in the same way as you are or would they think or do things differently? Would they have coped better or dealt with stress better?

If the answer is yes, then what has changed? The situation is still the same, with the same amount of severity. Its our thinking and our ability to manage stress that changes. Why do we experience physical pain? It is the body's way of telling us that something is wrong and we should pay more attention to it otherwise things will get worse. Right?

Similarly stress is our mind's way of telling us that we are in an uncomfortable or bad situation and something needs to be done quickly, otherwise things will change dramatically. If this is so, then stress does not seem so bad isn't it? Its just your body telling you to do better, to take more care of yourself in whatever the situation might be. The moment you realise that and start acting in a manner which starts to alleviate the cause, you begin to cope better with the stress. Soon you will find out that you are better than what you were and it really wasn't such a big deal after all. When faced with a similar situation again, you will not be so stressed.

If we are constantly stressed, then will we be able to perform? The answer is no. We do need to take time away from stress. To take a holiday so to speak. Even if that means spending a half hour of silence a day. Believe me, you need to take breaks to replenish your body and mind. Only then will you be able to cope with stress and perform to the best of your abilities.

This is one of the secrets of the great leaders of this world. They face enormous amounts of stress but they have mastered the art of getting away from it once in a while. They leave the stress zone and take a break. Do we not get the best ideas, are the most imaginative or are truly performing to the best of our abilities when we are happy and refreshed mentally?

So take a break every once in a while to refuel your mind. It will help you deal with stress more effectively. If we jack up a car, switch on the motor and press the peddle down to full for lets say 2-3 days, what will happen? Will the car not break down? The same is with our body and minds.

We must give it breaks every now and then.

I believe silence is one of the most wonderful thing to experience. It lets you be aware of the higher being. Its the only way to get in touch with God. Spend a few minutes every day in silence, just by yourself. See the difference that makes to your life.

Next time stress beats down your door, you will know what to do.  Be the best that you can be, no matter what.