Switch to a Stress-Free Life
Stress is an emotional pain which comes to tell us there is something we need to change. Stress is a result of our creation of wrong thoughts. It affects our efficiency, memory power, decision power and hence our performance. It impacts our physical and emotional wellbeing. Contrary to the popular belief that stress is natural or necessary, any amount of stress is damaging.
Until recent years, the word ‘stress’ was a term used only in science. It was not a part of everyday conversations referring to our states of mind. In the past, people worked as hard as we are working today, and situations were equally challenging. Yet we never said, “I feel stressed.” Slowly we started using the word “stressed” as an emotion to describe a state of mind. We like to say that we are stressed, indicating that we are working very hard, even going above and beyond our regular duties. Let us check our understanding about stress.
The fatal belief related to stress is that someone else is responsible for my stress. Stress is my response to outer situations. My response is formed by the thoughts I create in response to the situations. We have a choice, either create stress or create happiness through the power of our thoughts.
We are originally happy, peaceful and powerful beings. Wrong thoughts create stress. Stress is an emotional pain indicating that something in us needs to change. Seeing everyone around us going through stress we tend to believe that experiencing a little stress is fine; that It is natural, obvious and common in today’s times. That is not true. Stress has an impact on our physical and emotional well-being. It impacts our efficiency, memory, decision making ability and reduces our performance. Hence, any amount of stress is damaging.
In Science, STRESS is equal to PRESSURE divided by RESILIENCE. We can apply this equation to our lives:
PRESSURE = Our Situations (other people’s behaviors, performance targets, deadlines, exams, goals, change in weather, financial challenges, traffic on the road, issues in health, relationships)
RESILIENCE = Our Inner Strength (thoughts, feelings, words and actions we use to face the pressure)
Therefore, STRESS is equal to OUR SITUATIONS divided by OUR INNER STRENGTH.
The Numerator (Situations) is not in our control and seems to be increasing rapidly. The Denominator is completely in our control. We have ignored the Denominator, and we say Stress = Pressure. Instead of trying to control the pressures, let us focus on increasing the Denominator (Resilience). Then, stress will start reducing naturally.
If we do not pay timely attention, the emotional wound of stress gets deeper. Instead of healing it, we usually distract our mind. TV, shopping, holidays, smoking or alcohol are not de-stressors. They are only temporary distractions from the pain.
When we increase inner strength, we decrease pressure and hence reduce stress. We become stable, peaceful and happy beings. But when our inner strength is low, even a small pressure creates high stress. Stress is an initial symptom of being spiritually weak. If we take charge of our selves by meditating daily, studying spiritual knowledge and implementing this knowledge practically during the day, we will empower ourselves.
The first responsibility in any situation is to take charge of my own state of mind by increasing my inner strength. This is the only thing I can control. With inner strength, I will have the power to face any situation. We can make a list of all the things that we thought were the causes of our stress but let us always remember we cannot control others and events. The only thing we can choose is our response to the pressure.
About the Author
BK Sister Shivani has been a practitioner and a teacher of Rajyoga Meditation that is at the heart of the teachings of Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization, since 1996.
First telecast in 2007, her widely popular television show aimed at self-transformation, Awakening With Brahma Kumaris. For over a decade, the show has empowered individuals from all walks of life. Viewers have overcome mental stress, depression, addictions, low self-esteem and unhappy relationships, by taking personal responsibility for their emotions.
Since 2017 she has been appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador by the World Psychiatric Association. In March 2019, BK Shivani was awarded the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar, the highest civilian honor for women in India, for her role in transforming human behaviors.
