Editorial

Dear Readers!

     Stress is a major cause of concern in our lives nowadays. We all deal with stress in our lives from time to time. The cause for stress may be work pressure, financial concerns, relationship problems or any other such factors. The intensity of stress may vary from person to person. Stress can affect us emotionally, as well as physically. However, being under too much stress is detrimental to our health-physical health as well as mental health. But how do we identify the signs of stress? There are some common symptoms that we can look out for. For instance if we feel constantly worried,anxious, have difficulty in concentrating, have mood swings ,low self esteem, are depressed,eat less or more than usual,have changes in sleeping habits,feel nausea or dizziness, cannot relax, then we can assume we are experiencing stress.

     The next step we can take is to identify the cause of stress. Why are we feeling the abnormal pressure? The underlying condition has to be identified. The cause may have a solution or the cause may be something which would take years to resolve or the cause may be something which the concerned person may not be able to do anything about. Are we taking on too much? Can we delegate work to others? We may need to reflect on our lifestyle and choices. We have to prioritise our needs and re-organise our lives to achieve our goals. We have to devise a way to release the pressure that we feel.

     The first thing that we can do is to take care of ourselves by eating healthy, exercising, getting plenty of sleep and taking breaks. Then we can take to meditating, take deep breaths, stretch, avoid smoking, drinking alcohol excessively. We can minimise phone use and screen time. While devices like phones,laptops are necessary, we may use them sparingly. We can indulge ourselves by practising our hobbies or developing new interests and skills. Taking a walk, reading a good book, gardening, practising yoga , taking a message also helps in reducing stress levels.Spending time with family,friends and loved ones also help us cope with stress. Another way to reduce stress is spending time with nature. Taking care of our pets also helps us in managing our stress levels. Listening to music is also very soothing and distressful.

     So friends, although stress is unavoidable, dealing with it positively will help us in reducing tension and pressure. We can reduce any kind of stress if we manage it properly and deal with it strategically.

      So here’s to busting our stress with some interesting reads!