Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Gaurang Chandarana
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Welcome to this book. All you ever required to know about stress from
the technical to the practical is all here.
There are some unique tools and tips here to get you to deal with stress effectively.
Whether you are young or old, all you need to do is spare some time to read it and implement it.
We make no tall claims but you will gain something very positive. We hope this book makes a
difference in some part of your life.
CONTENTS
PAGE NO.
31
What is stress?
31
35
Action
38
Instant alternatives
39
14
40
17
42
18
Structural changes
44
21
47
22
Mood foods
49
Creeping stress
24
Diet tips
51
Identify stress
25
Recap
53
Causes of stress
27
About
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CONTENTS
ABOUTWhy
? talk about stress?
IT IS THE WORLDS NO. 1 SILENT GLOBAL KILLER. ALMOST ALL CONDITIONS OR DISEASES ARE CAUSED OR
TRIGGERED DUE TO STRESS OR MADE WORST BY STRESS. IT INCLUDES DIGESTIVE AND RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS,
PYSCHOSOMATIC ILLNESSES, PSYCHOLOGICAL ILLNESSES, DEPRESSION, MIGRAINES, HEART DISEASE, DIABETES,
HYPERTENSION, ULCERS, SOME FORMS OF CANCER AND LOTS MORE. RESEARCH IS GRADUALLY SHOWING UP
THAT ALL OTHER DISEASES NOT IN THE ABOVE LIST ARE ALSO TRIGGERED BY PROLONGED STRESS.
WHAT IS STRESS ?
Stress is the bodys response to some external condition, situation, catalyst or pressure which it views as a threat to it.
The threat could be big or small. Could be fatal or not. It is enough that the body views it as negative. This results in
upsetting the bodys internal functions causing various problems. These problems impact us negatively at the mental
and physical levels.
WHY DOES THE BODY REACT THIS WAY?
The human body has evolved over thousands of years based on external environmental factors and situations. The
prime factor determining all bodily mechanisms, functions and responses is survival.
For e.g. imagine a caveman a few thousand years ago. Now imagine that he has seen or heard a tiger around him.
How would he react? All his body systems would go on the alert and gear him up to defend or run or attack.
The reaction of the early humans would be similar when faced with extreme weather conditions (can die due to
extreme cold, heat or floods), lack of food (death due to starvation) or group conflicts (killing other groups for food
and water sources), etc.
There has been a dramatic change in the world and the external environment in the last few hundred years and
each passing decade makes life more comfortable for humans.
By and large there is no life threatening situation on a daily basis. However the human body cannot evolve in such
a short span of time. So the bodily responses remain the same as those required for very tough previous ages
when there were frequent life threatening situations.
Even though adverse situations today are not really life threatening, the body does not understand that and treats
anything adverse as life threatening and reacts accordingly.
Example Someone inadvertently pushes you on a subway. Your first instant reaction is anger or irritation and
more often than not you like to react and tick off the person who has banged into you. This is a complete nonevent but the body will still react as if it is threatening and put into gear various survival mechanisms. We will see
what those are and how they impact you.
IN ESSENCE WHAT IS HAPPENING IS THAT THE MIND AND BODY GO FOR OVERKILL AS THEY CANNOT FIGURE
OUT THE SEVERITY OF A SITUATION.
HOWEVER, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE MIND CAN BE TRAINED TO DO THIS AND WE SHALL SEE HOW, LATER.
We must understand the machine and how it works before we can control the process or the final output. The
machine we refer to over here is our BODY; specifically the nervous and endocrine systems.
We need to keep the working of these systems in our heads so that the next time you are angry, agitated, irritated,
anxious, scared or stressed, you should know what is happening inside you.
Thus a brief but simple biology lesson is in order. Dont worry; we will not stress you out.
nervous system).
LOCUS COERULEUS
Once the Limbic System sends out its analysis of a threat, the Locus Coeruleus (LC) uses its own judgment to gauge
the degree of threat based on sensory inputs it gets from the receptors (remember the three receptors?).
Let us see an example of how the Limbic system and the LC operate in tandem to analyze a threat in case of a
caveman hearing the roar of a tiger. The Limbic system has decided that tiger is a great and immediate threat as it
cannot be overcome and sent this information to the LC.
Now the LC will judge whether it is immediate or not by getting the input from the ears. If the roar of the tiger is
very far off or echoes from far away, it will decide it is a minor threat. If it is from close by it will decide it is a
major threat.
The LC takes action by secreting varying levels of a chemical, norepinephrine. The levels of secretion are based on
whether the threat is minor or major.
In parallel, it also activates the brains neurons. Both these activities instruct the endocrine systems to respond to
a certain degree.
In emergencies or extreme stress situations it is authorized to bypass the rest of the brain and other
communication channels and directly instruct the SyNS (remember the Anti rest system?) to respond
immediately.
It can also directly order a temporary and complete shutdown of the gastrointestinal and sexual systems till the
crisis is over.
It is the firefighter of the brain with exceptional emergency powers.
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He explained this further in his popular theory called the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) and explains how the
body tries to deal with stress in three stages:
1) Alarm stage
In this stage the body quickly responds to the threat by activating various hormones and systems. This is
similar to the response in a fire station when an alarm rings. Without worrying about the scale, type or
extent of fire, the firemen rush out fully prepared with all possible equipment keeping in mind the worstcase scenario.
There is no planning or thought process which is done at this stage. It is just reflex fire-fighting activity
based on hours or years of ingrained training and experiences.
The whole idea is to ensure that help reaches in the quickest possible time and way to avoid a lot of
damage.
In this alarm or arousal stage, the immediate response is stopping all ongoing regular activity and changing
the bodys priorities. We will see later how this happens internally.
2) Resistance Stage
In this stage, the stressor continues, but the body now tries to return to its original state or state of
homeostasis (equilibrium).
However, an existing threat perception does not allow it to do so completely. So the stress related
hormones and organs stay activated but at a lesser intensity.
The body then tries to reduce the activities of the SyNS (Anti -rest system) and activates the PaNS (regular
system) in order to get back to normal.
This process itself also causes a lot of strain within the body.
3) Exhaustion Stage
The body is so exhausted due to repeated stress that its energy and resources starts reducing.
This may go to an extent where even normal functions cannot be eventually carried out well.
When this happens, the body again identifies this condition as stress and the SNS (anti - rest system) kicks
in again to take it back to the alarm stage or resistance stage.
This extended exhaustion stage leads to weakening of organs, immune systems, body functions and leads
to various diseases.
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Thats why when genuinely stressed about something, do not exercise. Its a double whammy!
Instead just take a walk.
Both of the above situations are known as Allostasis Overload OR Stress Sensitization.
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There are other different types of overload:
Frequency of non-threatening stress e.g. you are late for work and try to rush. As a result you drop your
breakfast plate. You hurriedly clean up. There is no stress as yet. Then you rush to the car only to find you have
forgotten the keys back in the house. You may now get a little irritated. Once you drive, you find there is a
roadblock for repairs and will need to take a long diversion.
In this example, by the time the stress response starts to reduce, a new stress factor has got introduced. By the
time you have barely recovered from the second one, a third factor hits you. This overloads the system and will
eventually cause stress.
Frequency of same type of stressor - Imagine working a bank as a branch manager and you find some cash is
missing after the daily tally. What if this was to happen 7-8 times a month. Starting from the first instance, the
body keeps decreasing the response. When it becomes frequent, the body may not react at all. One fine day you
may then discover, it was a gradual fraud taking place and you are questioned. Imagine the sudden stress! This is
another example of overload.
Length of the recovery process - If you are angry with someone and have a fight, you will obviously be stressed.
However, the recovery from stress does not happen within a reasonable time (say maximum an hour or even less).
Sometimes it takes hours or even days. Such prolonged stress overloads the system.
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PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES
The previous theories were physiological or physical theories. The next two theories and some concepts look at
stress as a psychological issue and try to figure out how stress occurs.
LAZARUS THEORY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS
This is an interaction theory where the mind does an appraisal or analysis of the situation or interaction and then
the body copes with it. Sounds familiar right? Remember the Limbic system which analyzes and the SyNS and
endocrine system start emergency procedures? The analysis is based on internal and external factors:
Internal - Past experiences, goals, values and expectations.
External How controllable is the situation and how predictable it is.
This explains why different people react or respond differently to situations OR the same person reacts differently
to the same situation at different times.
Delving deeper, appraisal is also of two kinds. Both are explained in tabular form below. The first (primary) is based
on the perception of the stress and second (secondary) is based on how you would respond or react.
PRIMARY APPRAISAL PERCEPTION
Elements
Meaning
Example
Goal
Relevance
Goal
Congruence
Ego
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SECONDARY APPRAISAL RESPONSE
Elements
Meaning
Example
Harm
This is some
damage that has
already occurred.
This could also be
psychological harm.
In the above
example, for the
environmentalist,
harm has already
happened because
lot of sea life has
already died.
Threat
Challenge
When an individual
feels confident of
overcoming a
situation. This
aspect is more
driven by ego.
Both, the
environmentalist
and shipping
executives take this
as a challenge to get
their respective
goals fulfilled; one
by getting stiff
penalties and oil
spill cleaned up. The
other by avoiding
penalties and costs.
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HELPLESSNESS
It happens when the mind sees no connection between your response and the result or outcome. This happens in
instances of situations beyond your control like natural calamities, accidents, death, etc. In this case the mind and
body eventually accept the situation.
Once acceptance sets in, stress keeps reducing. This reduces even more once you start receiving support from
society like friends, relatives, co-workers, NGOs, etc.
However, once this situation passes and you are unable to accept or come out of a situation, this behavior rapidly
percolates all aspects of your life. You will then be viewed as weak, someone to pity, under confident, etc.
HOPELESSNESS
Remember the wastage of resources aspect? This means that the individual is convinced that whatever he / she
does, there will be no improvement in the prevailing undesired situation OR the desired result is not good enough.
This is a feeling of hopelessness and leads to stress. These people, even though intelligent have certain traits
unable to focus for long, negative, loss of goal focus, erratic, even snappy.
A prolonged state of hopelessness may lead to depression.
YOUR STRATEGY TO DEAL WITH STRESS BECOMES YOU!
Depending on the way an individual successfully copes, the mind will store and use this as a generalized coping
strategy.
This style becomes relatively stable and starts being viewed as a personality trait for that person.
If someone has got his way a few times in the past by aggression or bulldozing, this person will become
aggressive.
In case you have got away in the past by avoiding decisions, staying out of the way and it has worked; you will
gradually become defensive and display avoidance behavior.
Similarly you can become assertive, defensive, authoritative, meek, uncaring, compassionate, etc.
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ALDOSTERONE
It is also released by the adrenal.
What does it do? It increases blood supply (volume) quickly and as a result also increases blood pressure.
Prolonged presence of Aldosterone due to stress leads to essential hypertension (high blood pressure).
THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE (TSH)
This is released by the pituitary.
What does it do? It stimulates the Thyroid to either increase storage or reduce storage in the body. This explains a
lot of people who are fat but claim to hardly eat. They are probably much stressed.
THYROXIN
This is released by the thyroid.
What does it do? It increases metabolic rate, increase respiration rates, heart rates, blood sugar and blood
pressure. Prolonged presence leads to hypertension, diarrhea, diabetes, palpitations, and respiratory problems.
OXYTOXIN
It is released by the pituitary
What does it do? It contracts blood vessels and muscles of the uterus. Blood pressure and stroke are possible
outcomes. Prolonged release may impact child bearing abilities in women.
VASOPRESSIN
It is released by the pituitary
What does it do? It is an anti diuretic and leads to contraction of the intestine. It results in digestive disorders and
constipation.
ADRENALINE & NORADRENALINE
These are released together by the SyNS.
What does it do? These maintain the increased heart rates and help release stored sugar in the body for energy.
These hormones also help maintain elevated blood pressure levels. Excess of Noradrenaline is directly linked to
anger and panic or anxiety. Prolonged and excessive amounts of these hormones contribute to hypertension,
diabetes, heart problems, and anger control issues.
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GLUCAGON
Released by the pancreas to raise blood glucose levels.
What does it do? Raises blood sugar levels leading to diabetes
PROLACTIN
Released by the pituitary.
What does it do? Suppresses the reproductive systems and may lead to reduced sex drive, risk of impotence
ENDORPHINS & ENKEPHALINS
Released by the pituitary
What does it do? These are hormones to suppress pain perception and work in the same way like Morphine.
Reduced pain perception leads to more risk taking causing damage without realizing it.
PEPTIDES
Chains of amino acids called peptides are released which circulate and communicate within all parts of the body.
What does it do? These are the biochemical counterparts of emotions and go around telling various body parts
that there is a problem and they should gear up for it.
Becoming over emotional.
NGF (NERVE GROWTH FACTOR)
It is a neuro hormone which is released as part of the stress response mechanism.
What does it do? Its main job is to temporarily suppress or shut down disease fighting cells (the immune system).
This is done to conserve energy. You become prone to illnesses, allergies and even more dangerous diseases
including cancer.
REPRODUCTIVE HORMONES
The production of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone is completely stopped to save energy.
Needless to say, prolonged reduction of stoppage of such hormones leads to impotence, inability to bear children
and hormonal changes in men and women.
INSULIN
Insulin production is also banned during stress as insulin tells the body to conserve energy, while in stress; more
energy is required to be released. The result is diabetes.
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THE DISEASES
It is very obvious from the above discussion on physiology as to what are the diseases or afflictions directly
attributable to prolonged, repetitive or chronic stress:
Heart and cardiovascular diseases even though you do not have it in your genes.
Diabetes is a direct outcome of stress irrespective of whether you are genetically inclined or not.
High Blood Pressure.
Digestive problems like ulcers, gastrointestinal problems, changed eating habits (under or over eating or frequent
binge eating and drinking).
Weight problems.
Impairing memory function.
Respiratory diseases, asthma, bronchitis.
Allergies and constantly falling ill.
Diseases like TB and other non-communicable diseases.
Higher propensity to get cancer.
Ageing of Internal organs and external signs like hair loss, white hair, wrinkles, looking old, etc. Due to heightened
and intense activity levels demanded by stress situations, there is greater wear and tear of internal organs and
processes.
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CREEPING STRESS
The symptoms of prolonged and slowly creeping stress are less visible. In fact, you may not even realize that you
are undergoing prolonged periods of stress.
Sometimes you get so used to it (remember stress or allostasis overload?) that it even becomes a comfort zone.
This can go on for years and suddenly you may wonder why you were afflicted with some disease even though you
have an apparently normal or healthy lifestyle or are still young.
The symptoms are easy to spot if one is always aware of even the minor changes in ones body, emotions or
behavior and does not go into denial or ignoring mode.
Do refer to all the symptom charts in the following section. You will get to know if you have creepy stress.
WHOM DOES CREEPING STRESS AFFECT?
Practically everything we do today or are exposed to, causes stress. Stress commences from a very early age as
pressures are large on every individual.
Various studies have shown that the incidence of onset of hypertension, diabetes, skin problems, gastro problems
and cardiac related problems are occurring in ever decreasing age groups.
These diseases of old age are now occurring in middle age and moving very quickly to individuals in their 30s or
even earlier.
The alarming fact is there is no difference or variation in these trends irrespective of age (even kids and teenagers
have stress), gender, race, nationality or economic status.
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IDENTIFY STRESS
The symptoms of an immediate stressful situation are instantly noticeable. You just have to start becoming aware.
However the symptoms of creeping stress are less obvious. The following charts give you examples of aspects of
yourself that can tell you when you are facing stress; whether immediate or creepy stress.
FEELINGS RELATED
ASPECT OF YOURSELF
EXAMPLES
Immediate Feelings
Internal Feelings
I must do well, Life should not be like this, I must have what I want,
This is terrible, I cannot take this any longer, Everyone should like
me, I have been betrayed, I have to get back, etc.
Emotions
BEHAVIOR RELATED
ASPECT OF YOURSELF
EXAMPLES
Behavioral
Interpersonal
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PHYSICAL ASPECTS
ASPECT OF YOURSELF
EXAMPLES
Sensations
Diet
Health
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CAUSES OF STRESS
The very fact of being born and the activities required to function or survive cause stress. However, here we are
talking about a continuous exposure to stressors, some real and some perceived as stress.
It is important to note that stressors need not be the same for everyone and even the stress response is not the
same for all individuals. What is stressful for one person may not even be perceived as remotely stressful. Even in a
given similar situation, one person may get very angry and the other person may only get slightly agitated or even
ignore the stressor.
However it is important to list down some possible causes or triggers of stress to make us more aware. There are
possibly over a 100 causes of stress.
Causes for stress can be broadly divided into 8 categories. These are external, physical & lifestyle, family related,
societal, life related, financial, sensory, development related. Each of these is given with some examples in the
charts below.
EXTERNAL CAUSES
Stress Category
Stressor Type
Nature
Pollution
Environment
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Stressor Type
Health
Lifestyle
Incorrect eating habits and diet, excessive drinking, lack of sleep, use
of psychotropic substances, lack of work-life balance.
Nutrition
Personal Aspects
Stressor Type
Family linked
Marital issues
Parenting
Stressor Type
Socio cultural
Societal
Relationships
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LIFE RELATED CAUSES
Stress Category
Stressor Type
Life related
Work related
Stressor Type
Senses
Sexual issues
FINANCIAL CAUSES
Stress Category
Stressor Type
Financial perceptions
Losses
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EARLY DEVELOPMENT RELATED CAUSES
Stress Category
Stressor Type
Pre - birth
As we can see there are various reasons which could subject us to stresspractically every aspect of the external
world subjects us to some kind of stress on a daily basis.
So is it impossible to be stress free. The concept of being completely stress free is practically non-existent.
What we can look forward to is effective stress management.
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ACCEPTANCE
ACCEPTANCE
We are not willing to accept our current situation, finances, partner or spouse, work, environment, even our own
body. This is the biggest trigger for stress. Want examples?
I think I am a little too fat around the hips. Even though I am thin I could do with a better body.
I wish I had or want to have a bigger or better car.
I dont have the latest smart phone. I will definitely get one or wish I had one.
I am the one who always has to accommodate. Why me?
I lost money this year in business and it is a pain to reduce expenses.
I am ok with my job but I deserve much better.
I need someone to relate to. My parents just dont understand.
I have to be very careful with my teenage daughter; till the point of being intrusive.
I work so hard, I need to get much more money.
I sometimes feel I could have done with a better partner.
There are many more such statements which you would have thought of or are thinking even now. Every single
time you think about what you do not have or what you are not, you are causing actual stress. You need to
keep in mind that there are only 2 things on Earth on which you did not have control and did not have a say:
The family you were born in. Your parents, siblings, relatives, house.
Your own body structure and nature
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Everything else in your life which has happened is due to your own decisions. We still agonize about everything or
try to change what we have about us.
Our career was our choice.
Our jobs are our choice.
Our business which we do is our choice.
Our spouse or partner is our choice.
Our reactions to people are our choice.
Our friends & enemies are our choice.
Hey hang on a second. Thats a bit too harsh. Is it not? Well, Read on.
Every minute you are taking decisions How to travel, what to eat to what to do. Driving fast or slow, eating junk,
scheduling your work, when and how to pay your bills, how to interact with colleagues or business associates,
getting irritated with someone in the family, etc. All of these, every single minute of your life are all your decisions;
and every decision will have an outcome, whether immediate or long term or both. But when the result happens
we get stressed.
Decision = Result.
Result + Non Acceptance = Stress
Result + Acceptance = Joy OR No Stress
If we got late for work, it is probably because we did not sleep early OR did not prepare our clothes the previous
night. It was your decision. If you list down on a daily basis of what all got you in a hustle, you will be able to figure
out the connection between decisions and results which you perceive as stressful. Sometimes these results occur
over a period of time.but they always occur.
Life works on the laws of the universe .and physics. An input has an output, action has reaction, whatever you
give back gets thrown back at you in some form whether thoughts, emotions, actions, reactions.
So what we are trying to highlight here is that everything you are today is a result of your own decisions, whether
taken consciously or unconsciously, rationally or emotionally. Does that mean you blame yourself and go on a guilt
trip? NO You have to first learn to understand this concept of acceptance.
Acceptance is nothing but understanding the way you function in relation to the rest of the world.
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Now let us analyze it with the help of a chart which you need to fill in. A sample is given below based on the above
tree. Create one chart for each of your current aspect.
Main branch Currently Manager at a Chain Store.
Decision branches (green)
Similarly, you can create branches for one aspect of your life:
Business or Career
Education
Health
Hobbies
Relationships
Finances
You will find that most of your own decisions have led you here. Even the ones you think are not due to your
decisions are probably because you have not gone deep enough. Now that you have your charts ready, you have
probably realized that everything you are today is a product of your own decisions.
OK SO DO I HAVE TO JUST BE HAPPY THE WAY I AM AND NOT PROGRESS? NOT AT ALL. ACCEPTANCE MEANS BEING
GENUINELY COMFORTABLE WITH WHERE YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU ARE. THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU DO NOT HAVE
TO IMPROVE.
SO HOW DO I GO ABOUT IMPROVING MYSELF?
The next step towards stress management is building awareness about yourself.
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Use the following sample chart to map out your daily analysis (some examples already given):
Output
Input
Guilt for
missing my
daughters
music
performance
at school
Feeling
feverish
Could not
leave work
on time
Happy
Had a late
night and
some
alcohol
Daughter
won a prize
for her
music
performance
Root Cause of
Input
Did not plan my
day better
keeping in mind I
had to leave
early
Was up late
watching
football
Lifestyle related
Family related
Write down these charts for at least 90 days in a row. To make this activity most effective, 90 days is ideal as it will
cover most of the diverse situations in your life.
HOW DO WE ANALYZE THESE CHARTS?
At the end of 30 or 90 days you will automatically get a list of two types:
a) You will get to know the root cause of your stress. In the example above, your cause of stress is primarily poor
planning, maybe caused due to an interest in football which keeps you up late. This impacts your work, family life
and health. So it is probably an obsessive interest in watching football which is causing problems.
b) You will be able to identify your KIA (key improvement areas) and DMA (do more areas)
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In the above example the KIA would be how to get away from watching football till late in the night and the DMA
would be would be to spend more time in your daughters musical training.
You will become consciously aware of a lot of things
Doing something over a period of time and constantly being aware and conscious helps to start reprogramming
the brain even without you knowing it. So the subtle effect you will start observing after 2-3 months is you will
make efforts to improve without realizing it.
If the brain has consciously been made aware that you are given to binging when work gets too hard, leading to
ulcers; now the brain will start making you feel really guilty about doing so. Even if you give in and do it a couple of
times, the third time you will definitely not do it.
However, all this is easier said than done. What can I do when I am in a situation which I am now aware will cause me
stress?
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ACTION
We move on to the third aspect of stress management and that is simply; Action!
What are the specific things we can do? Stress cannot be managed by some formula or some instant solutions.
At the same time we cannot wait for a long time for certain improvements to happen.
Stress has to be simultaneously worked upon at 3 levels.
1) Find instant alternatives
2) Top 10 stress busters
3) Structural changes
It is easy to say do not get stressed when you are facing an adverse situation. But it is quite difficult to calm yourself or
control your emotions. There is a lot of information available as to what is to be done when you are facing stress. In the
following section we put forward the top few things to be done or not done when agitated, emotional or stressed.
Once you have read the first few chapters and understand the stress mechanisms and how the body functions under stress,
you will immediately the relevance and efficacy of these instant alternatives. The whole idea is to replace the negative in
your mind and body with the positive.
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INSTANT ALTERNATIVES
Substitute eating with music.
Substitute exercise with walks. If stressed or angry do not indulge in vigorous workouts and exercise or intense
cardio. Keep it light.
Indulge in a hobby if you have any.
If you dont have any concrete interest, read a good magazine or a book which is not related to your line of work.
If you have the urge to shop, dont buy for yourself at that time at all. So called shopping therapy, does not work.
It only compounds the problem.
Instead buy small gifts for people in your life.
Dont start texting, tweeting or updating facebook status as regards your situation. Focus on other activities
instead of communication.
If there is an urge to eat something sweet eat dates or fruits instead of pastries or ice creams.
Replace fried, spicy or junk food with salads or healthy sandwiches.
Substitute coffee, alcohol and aerated drinks with green tea and light smoothies / shakes.
If going out with friends or even at home and feel that you are unable to control the alcohol urge, try having
chilled, watered down red wine or a light beer with ice.
If you have to talk, talk about anything but your current situation; which is what we do not want.
Dont speak to someone who knows your life or the current problem on hand. Talk to someone who has no idea.
Connect with an old friend. Speak to an aunt or uncle.
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4) Listen to Songs
The number of beats should be less than 60 per minute.
Ensure that the lyrics are motivational, non-violent, contain no abusive language or are songs about life or
love with good and positive lyrics.
You should hum along or sing softly.
5) Equal breathing
Practice equal breathing.
You should ideally do this sitting cross legged.
You could also do this sitting on your chair or on a bench or even in a bus or train.
Opt for our stress management program to learn these and various other techniques on www.wellzee.com
6) Focus on Breath
You should ideally do this sitting cross legged.
You could also do this sitting on your chair or on a bench or even in a bus or train. Our stress management
programs on www.wellzee.com contain the most optimal techniques.
7) Trataka
You should do this in a stationary place only.
You should ideally do this sitting cross legged.
You could also do this sitting on your chair or on a bench.
Visit www.wellzee.com our programs.
8) Playing Cards
Play solitaire or blackjack with yourself.
Keep real playing cards and dont play the computer versions of these games.
The idea is to stay away from the computer or online media for some time.
Also try making card houses.
9) Games
Explore games (but no online versions) like checkers, chess (you play both sides), scrabble or Sudoku.
Play with a lot of focus and as if you have participated in a real contest.
10) Hobby or Interest
If you have some hobby or interest, get immediately engaged in it.
Sketching, designing, practicing a language, playing an instrument, writing, singing, anything which is
offline.
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Over a period of time, the LC will stop sounding an alarm at all for physically non-threatening situations. The
hypothalamus will not give out emergency instructions to the glands and the limbic system will start updating this
in the memory as either totally non-threatening or very easy to handle.
Of course, this takes practice..but start trying it! Once you get used to it you will find the following:
You will find you will stop doing or saying things which you regret later or feel guilty about.
Body will not go into overdrive all the time so greatly reduced chances of illnesses short term and long term.
Continued practice, combined with our Wellzee Yoga programs will lead to greatly reduced chance of heart
disease, diabetes, hypertension and other psychosomatic problems.
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STRUCTURAL CHANGES
We spoke about what to do when immediately faced with stressful situations; what are the alternatives and what
are the quick fixes. But how do we bring about a long term structural change. There are various things you need to
do on a daily basis to become stress free
Yoga
Yoga is the best long term solution for stress and diseases. Since it is a well rounded discipline, you do not need to
do anything else separately with Yoga. Try out one of our relevant programs on www.wellzee.com which are
comprehensive, safe, and universally applicable and with detailed and relevant explanations. Further, the
programs come with a schedule and the most appropriate sequence of practices, so you need not get confused.
Walking
After Yoga, the best activity to beat stress is walking. A brisk walk 45 minutes a day is one of the best ways to beat
stress. While walking, look around for new and nice things to see even if on the same route or walking in the same
location or garden.
Exercising
If you dont like walking, or feel you are very energetic and still young, pick up an exercise to do. Whatever suits
you should be done; cycling, swimming, weights, dancing, aerobics or any other form of exercise.
CAUTION
Whatever form of exercise you do, please ensure it is moderate at all times.
Regular or excessive fatigue due to over-exercising may trigger stress.
Warm up well before an exercise session and remember to cool down and stretch after a session.
Also keep lifestyle and age in mind. We do not want to land up with injuries or inflammations or other negative
effects of exercising; which will again lead to stress.
Do not exercise when you are angry, stressed or anxious.
Avoid playing competitive sports unless you are a competition level player. If you can handle losing matches and
play for fun or exercise, it is fine. If you agonize over losses for even five minutes then please do not play any
sport. You will add to your stress.
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Charts
Continue with the charts we discussed about earlier. If you keep documenting, you will know what is impacting
you. If you feel you have overcome the most immediate issues, move on to the next set of issues.
Positive Reflection
Reflection is an activity which you do at the end of the day and reflect on what has happened throughout the day.
Sit quietly on your bed with your legs folded (cross legged) and back erect for five minutes.
Do not have any noise around, shut off music and TV. for these few minutes.
Keep your eyes shut and doquick replay of the days events in your mind. Just see the events; do not think about
them or try to analyze them.
Keep a timer for 5 minutes. Do not open your eyes before 5 minutes.
After opening your eyes, you have to note down 10 positive points for the day. Try and find 10 positive points to
note down.
It may be something as simple as reaching office on time OR having a delicious lunch OR making a new friend in
school or college, etc.
Do this for at least 6 months in a row and keep reading the diary at the end of each week or each month.
You will feel the difference in your stress levels.
What you are doing is telling our friend the limbic system that there is nothing wrong and there are no or very few
threatening situations.
The limbic system will record this in the memory bank and use this to analyze future situations. In effect, you are
reprogramming your brain.
Occupy yourself
Occupy yourself at all times. While travelling, waiting, taking a break, consciously occupy your mind. Look for
interesting faces, expressions, signboards, shops, try to remember street names. What else you would explore if
on the same route. Read informative articles, magazines and books which are in areas other than your work or
study related areas. Do not read food and shopping catalogues and fashion magazines. You will start fretting
looking at what you want and dont have or cant afford.
Recreation
Consciously pick up a hobby or an interest and learn or practice diligently. E.g. learning a language, musical
instrument, creative arts, writing, cooking, etc. Make sure you do this 2 to 3 times a week, forever if you can.
You have to make this as part of your routine, e.g.; if cooking is your interest you can decide that on every
Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday you would cook a different variety of health food for supper. Or you could learn
a language twice a week and practice it for an hour every alternate day.
Everyone has some interest which can be converted to a hobbyso do not give excuses and find one, if you dont
have one till now.
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Interpersonal activities
Start involving friends or family in structured non-competitive activities. Working for a charity together, creating a
self help group, play outdoor games, etc. are some examples.
Going out with family or friends to a mall or for a movie, snacking and watching football or baseball, watching and
discussing soaps and drinking binges do not qualify as interpersonal activities or recreation.
No Electronic Media
Get away from all electronic media and social media for at least a couple of hours a day. That means no T.V., no
internet, no social media, no smart phones, no digital pads, no opening and working or playing on your computer.
It is not as difficult as it sounds. If you have some daily exercise activity and also some constructive hobby, you will
be off these media anyway for even longer.
While travelling in a bus or train or waiting for someone, get in the habit of shutting your eyes or looking around
and observing, rather than burying yourself in your hand phone (mobile phone) or digital pad.
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Frequency
As we have seen, the Limbic system is the one which does the analysis of situations. This is done based on all past
experiences as well as basis the in-built functioning of the body. What it means is that it also has preprogrammed data (based on genetics and evolutionary process learning).
When the human body is faced with lack of food at timely intervals, the brain sends out a message that the
organism is now in an environment which has lack of food.
It also presses a mild warning button to the locus coreleus and hypothalamus.
Faced with a lack of adequate nutrition, the bodys defense mechanism is designed to store more fat in a form
which can be easily released when required in the form of sugars. i.e. fat, cholesterol and glucose.
Energy released in this form is instant and can be drawn upon to survive on long periods of drought and famine or
wars.
If you have persistently irregular eating habits in terms of less frequency and odd timings, the body will get the
signal that you are in a long drawn out food crisis situation like a famine or war.
So remember what the very efficient combination of the limbic system, locus coreleus and hypothalamus will do?
1) Limbic system will give continuous instructions store as much energy and food as possible.
2) Due to this, the locus coreleus will keep the body in some state of alarm very frequently.
3) The hypothalamus and the ANS will get its act together to do deliver a high stress response:
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Store food in the most appropriate form for quick use when required fat, cholesterol, sugars
When faced with starvation start releasing these energy forms. So if you have a 6 hour gap between a
meal, the body is working overtime to ensure you get adequate energy i.e. glucose and cholesterol in the
blood stream.
Preserve energy so, it will slow down the digestive systems and also slow down production of insulin.
It will constrict blood vessels and try and push more blood to generate more energy.
DO YOU NOW SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DO NOT EAT FREQUENTLY?
We are headed towards ulcers, hypertension, diabetes and cardiac trouble even though we may be thin or average
or may be exercising and otherwise have a stress free life.
Quantity
The amount we eat at every meal also sends out similar signals to the body.
Eating till you are full or over eating is telling the body that you are likely to be in starvation zone.
It also makes it difficult for the body to handle more quantities of food than it can effectively digest. This
leads to internal stress.
Imagine if someone asks you to run fast for an hour and you are not used to it. How long can you keep it
up? You will be fast for the first 10 minutes at best and then keep slowing down. You will finally reach a
stage when you will just give up and probably not even complete one hour.
The digestive system also faces the same problem. It will do its best till it can. Then it will tell the limbic
system it is tired or stressed.
The limbic system and hypothalamus will again go into stress response mode because it needs to slow
down the digestive systemwhich means it needs to quickly store more energy for future use..and also
needs to release more energy to rejuvenate.
So the net result of eating till full or eating more is the same. High blood sugar, hypertension, cardiac
problems, ulcers thyroid problems, weakened immunity, etc.
Type
What we eat also triggers stress response in the body.
If we are going for high sugars, Trans fats, junk foods, etc. it tells the body that either you are in a season or region
where nutritional food is not available or you are eating this anticipating future food problems.
Once again, all the organs swing into action to minimize energy loss, relax the digestive systems which are
overworked, conserve energy in the form of fats, sugars and cholesterol and also keep releasing them in the blood
stream.
The net effect is stress.
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MOOD FOODS
Foods have a decidedly physiological and mental effect. It may be slow and subtle but it definitely affects you to a
very large extent without you realizing it. There are 3 primary types of food based on the effect they have on the
body and the mind.
LETHARGY FOODS
There have been occasions where all of us would have over eaten. Can you remember how you feel? You feel you
cannot move, just want to lie down, not move an inch, or go to sleep.
At times (or regularly) you have beverages, but that makes you feel ok for only a few minutes to an hour. Once the
effect is gone, you are worse off than before. Are you not thinking of Coffee right now?
Yes, it is a lethargic food and also a stress creator. It artificially inhibits food intake and temporarily stimulates the
brain but the internal dynamics of the body do not change.
If you are on an empty stomach, you need food, if you are tired, you need to sleep. Coffee is like a numbing
cream, just takes away the feelings at that point of time but worsens the internal situation.
Also dont you feel heavy if you have dessert or lot of baked foods and packaged food? If you are unaware, try
eating breads and bakes and tinned or packaged foods (maybe you already are) for a few days. Then switch to
freshly made food, with more vegetables, fruits, pulses, grains. Eat similar quantities and note down how you feel.
You will definitely feel better.
All foods which are heavy, flour based bakes (like pizzas, packaged breads, desserts), packaged foods, meats older
than a couple of hours or preserved, foods with preservatives, fried foods, processed cheeses, leftovers, stale
foods, aerated drinks, alcohol, stimulants like coffee all cause and dullness and lethargy.
Your brain tends to think negatively and that reflects on the body. Even a small problem then is perceived as
stress and the whole cycle starts again and keeps going on.
Now imagine eating like this regularly. Overeating also means eating heavy foods and not necessarily too much of
food.
You gradually tend to get lethargic, want to postpone things, thinking may become defeatist or even negative,
stress builds up in the system. So this is the first category of food.
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AGGRESSION FOODS
Foods which over a period of time keep you in a heightened state cause aggression unless the energy is
channelized.
If you are in a profession or work which requires a lot of regular physical labor, you can eat these kinds of foods. If
you are not, then you are asking for trouble, even though you have always been eating this.
These kinds of foods lead to excess energy which most of us cannot handle in todays world at all. Working out at
a gym for an hour is not enough to assimilate these kinds of foods safely.
These foods make you anxious, worrisome, and aggressive or anger prone (aggression is not good it leads to
immediate intense stress), restless, bored all the time, unable to be calm or sit peacefully.
All this leads to triggering the stress in the body in addition to the fact that you are getting excessive nutrition in
the form of meats or heavy foods that the body will misinterpret.
Some of these foods are non-vegetarian food (all meat categories), eggs and all types of chilies, onions and garlic.
The less you eat of these, the better you will feel and will also help reduce stress.
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DIET TIPS
We firmly believe that there is no requirement to go on certain rigid diet plans at all. If you just decide to improve
eating habits all the time and keep being aware of what you eat and the impact on the body, it is good enough.
In case you still need to have a plan to get you going, you may opt for one of our diet plans on www.wellzee.com
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Have your first meal before 8.30 a.m. and your last meal not later than 8.30 p.m.
There has to be a gap of at least 2 hours between dinner and bed time.
If you have dinner or supper early and feel hungry before going to bed, have a glass of skimmed cows milk or
some fruit.
Reduce alcohol and coffee. Instead have green tea, herbal milk or lime juice.
Cut down or give up on smoking.
Eat with JOY!
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RECAP
The body faces stress all the time. It is a condition for life.
The mind controls stress reaction. The mind decides what is stress and gives instructions to the rest of the body.
On receiving instructions, the body releases hormones to regulate, stop or accelerate body processes as
required to tackle stress.
Repeated stress instructions and alarms lead to prolonged presence of stress related hormones, undesired
stress responses and bodily disruptions.
Such alarms, disruptions and hormones lead to diseases and ailments, sometimes fatal.
There are physiological and psychological theories of stress.
Based on our thinking and stress response, we shape our personalities as well.
We could get mood swings, aggressive, helpless, hopeless or depressive due to the way we respond and cope
with situations.
We now know that the mind controls everything. The GOOD NEWS is that the mind can be programmed and got
under control.
The best model is our AAA model Acceptance, Awareness, Action.
The model is very practical. It just requires honesty and a bit of discipline.
Diet plays a key role in managing, controlling or triggering stress.
Become aware of the 3 categories of foods Mood foods.
Go through the diet tips for a great body and stress reduction.
Practice Yoga for health and longevity. Visit www.wellzee.com and select a program relevant for you.
BE HEALTHY, BE HAPPY
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ABOUT
Imagine not having to take medicines for anything or getting any diseases. Assuming you get some disease,
visualize getting rid of it and reducing or eliminating dependency on medicines.
Improve your productivity; increase your personal (literally and financially) or organizational bottom lines and
see a healthy and happy family around you.
All of these have been the driving factors in initiating Wellzee.com and writing this book. The task was not easy
and it involved over a couple of years of research, interviews and interactions. The idea was to make it relevant
and provide practical inputs which can be seamlessly integrated into your daily lives.
Yours truly is someone with a similar set of issues. An MBA with many years of corporate work experience made
me realize there is something missing. Life is not about being stressed and running after targets or owning the
latest cars and gadgets. Having overcome debilitating and chronic asthma through Yoga and diet management;
and bouts of hypertension without any medication, made me realize that life is in your hands.
Having obtained training and certifications in Yoga, nutrition management and counseling and teaching or
training hundreds of individuals has provided a practical and contemporary perspective to health management.
Wellzee is supported by a team of experts. For more information and to improve your lives, please visit
www.wellzee.com
Be Healthy Be Happy,
Gaurang Chandarana