VOL. XL NO. 25 PAGES 32
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STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR YOUTH
S tress is a non-specific response of the body to a
demand. Researchers define stress as physical,
mental or emotional response to events that cause bod-
ily or mental tension. Stress arises when individuals per-
ceive that they can adequately cope with the demands
being made on them or with threats made to their well
being. For instance, for a teacher, stress is "the experi-
ence by teacher of unpleasant, negative emotions, such
as anger, anxiety, tension, frustration or depression,
resulting from some aspect of their work as a teacher". It
is important to understand that while stress is necessary
and positive, it can also be negative and harmful.
Whether positive or negative, physical or mental, the
body's reaction to stress can be described by three
stages:
Alarm Reaction Stage - The body identifies and first
reacts to the stress. In this stage the body first releases
hormones that help in the defence against the stressor.
Resistance Stage - The body continues to resist the
stressors as they persist. If the stressors continue and
there is a consistent state of resistance, there is poten-
tial to move into the third and final stage.
Exhaustion Stage - The body and mind are no
longer able to make the necessary adjustments to resist
the stressors and there is physical and/or mental
exhaustion.
The focus of the article is on negative physical and
mental stress and specifically reviewing the persistent
stressors that push a person into the third stage and ulti-
mately to exhaustion.
Why Stress in Youth?
Sources of Stress
We can experience stress from four basic sources
like, environment, family-related stressors, Workplace
Stressors, physiological reasons. Our thoughts also play
a role in causing stress. The environment can bombard
us with intense and competing demands to adjust.
E-version of Collected Works of
Mahatma Gandhi Launched
U nion Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs &
Information and Broadcasting Mr. Arun Jaitley
launched the e-version of "The Collected Works of
Mahatma Gandhi" (CWMG) at Gandhi Peace
Foundation in New Delhi on 8th September 2015.
CWMG is a monumental document of Gandhiji's
words as he spoke and wrote, day after day begin-
ning 1884 till 30th January 1948. He also uplinked
the e-version on the Gandhi Heritage Portal, a com-
prehensive repository of authentic Gandhiana. The
portal hosts e-CWMG in a searchable PDF format to
ensure easy and free accessibility of the CWMG for
people across the world. On the occasion, Mr. Jaitley
also announced that the Hindi version of the monu-
mental work (Sampoorna Gandhi Vangmaya) would
be digitized soon. Minister of State for I & B, Col.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Retd.), Secretary
Ministry of I & B, Mr Sunil Arora and members of the
expert committee were also present at the function.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jaitley said the
intrinsic and heritage value of the e-CWMG Project
had the collaboration and partnership of institutions
that have been founded and nurtured by Gandhiji
himself. Mr. Jaitley said that this digitized version of
the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi would be
instrumental in preserving the valuable national her-
itage and disseminating it for all humankind.
Mr. Jaitley also mentioned that the Mahatma was
a true visionary, whose thought process had touched
various facets of human life. His understanding of a
wide range of issues had enabled the creation of a
moral environment which in the long run forced the
British to leave India. His writings had been inspira-
tional in weaving humanity together. The documen-
tation of his work through an e-version was truly
inspirational for followers on the e-platform. At the
NEW DELHI 19 - 25 SEPTEMBER 2015
Dr. Jitendra Nagpal
Examples of Environmental Stressors include weath-
er, noise, crowding, pollution, traffic, unsafe and sub-
standard housing, and crime. Family-related stressors
include, family separations (due to work relocations or
other reasons), relationship conflict, disagreements,
demands for your time and attention, loss of a loved one,
Illness or death of a family member, parenting or child
care challenges.
Workplace Stressors are conflict among co-work-
ers, unexpected/ unwanted transfer of work location,
I & B Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley with the Minister of State
for I & B, Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Retd.), at the
release function of e-version of Collected Works of
Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi.
same time it was a truly collectors' item available to
all followers of Gandhiji's philosophy.
Speaking earlier, Secretary I & B, Mr. Sunil Arora
said that in order to preserve the invaluable heritage
of Gandhiji and make it available to future genera-
tions for all times to come, Publications Division had
taken up the task of preparing the e-version of the
100 volumes of CWMG in 2011. Mr. Arora further
said that in order to maintain the authenticity of this
important work, it was decided to have a facsimile-
based version in electronic form for preservation. It
was also decided to make it into a searchable
master copy in PDF format so that people could ben-
efit from Gandhiji's life and thought in a simple and
easy manner.
In this series, his writings, scattered all over
the world, have been collected and constructed
Continued on page 32
` 8.
lack of mobility/transport for high risk patients at the
health facility, poor communication with co-workers, lack
of support from supervisor, no forum to express work
concerns and issues and lack of resources to support
the provision of care.
Physiological stressors are situations and circum-
stances that affect our body. Examples of physiological
stressors include rapid growth of adolescence,
menopause, illness, aging, giving birth, accidents, lack
of exercise, poor nutrition, and sleep disturbances.
Thoughts: Our brain interprets and perceives situations
as stressful, difficult, painful, or pleasant. Some situa-
tions in life are stress provoking, but it is our thoughts
that determine whether they are a problem for us or not.
Causes of Stress
Stress is a psychological and physiological response
to events that upset our personal balance. The potential
causes of stress are numerous. These may be linked to
outside factors such as the state of the world, environ-
ment in which one lives or works or the family. It may
come from one's own irresponsible behaviour, negative
attitude or feeling or unrealistic expectation. The causes
of stress are highly individualistic. A range of physical to
emotional factors cause stress. These include threat,
fear, uncertainty, life causes, frustrations, conflicts, pres-
sures, environment, fatigue and overwork.
A perceived threat will lead a person to feel stressed.
This can include physical threats, social threats, and finan-
cial threats. A threat may lead to stress. Threat can also
lead to fear which again leads to stress. When there is a
gap between what one does and what one thinks, there is
cognitive dissonance and one feel stressed. There are
many causes of stress in life like fear of death, ill health
being victim of a crime, self abuse, family change, sexual
problems, argument, physical changes, moving to new
Continued on page 31
CAREER IN TREE IMPROVEMENT
AND GENETIC RESOURCES
Afaq Majid Wani And Satyendra Nath
I ndia is one of the ten most forest-rich countries of the world
along with the Brazil, Canada, United States of America,
China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Australia, Indonesia
and Sudan. Together, India and these countries account for 67
percent of total forest area of the world. Forests contribute a lot
to the ecology and economy of the nations and play a major
role in improvement of quality of life of the people. Due to the
impact of biotic pressure on our forests, many forest areas
spread across the country has been depleted and degraded
which is a cause of serious concern. There is, therefore, an
urgent need for improvement of forests in the country and that
can done by 'Tree Improvement' professionals.
Tree Improvement is the science of development and care
of forest. It is all about management of forests by protecting,
conserving and upgrading forest resources which also include
farming of trees used as timber. This stream of science
assesses, characterizes and utilizes the genetic diversity of for-
est tree species and carries out tree improvement of major
plantation species through breeding, and appropriate silvicul-
ture packages. The main objective of this branch of science is
to increase the productivity of our forests and plantations to
meet the requirements of the forest fringe communities and for-
est based industries. Besides this, it also helps in restoring the
ecology of degraded areas to expand the forest and tree cover
and improve the environmental quality.
Tree improvement relies basically on understanding varia-
tion that naturally occurs in tree populations. It increases the
value of a tree species by 1) selecting the most desirable trees
from natural stands or plantations, 2) breeding or mating these
select trees and 3) testing the resulting progeny. The trees
involved in this process are referred to as the breeding popula-
tion. This three-step process is then continuously repeated to
further improve the average value of the breeding population.
Postgraduate and Doctoral programmes in Tree
Improvement & Genetic Resources are available at the
Continued on page 32
Employment News 19 - 25 September 2015
STRESS MANAGEMENT...
Continued from page 1
location, financial crisis, environment and
increase in responsibilities. Frustration
comes from obstacles that prevent from
meeting one's needs or achieving person-
al goals. These may be external (discrim-
ination) or internal (physical handicap,
lack of desired ability or trait). Conflicts
involving two or more incompatible needs
or goals, the choice between two desir-
able options, or decision involving dis-
agreeable alternations. Pressures:
Stress can stem from expectations of oth-
ers or demands placed on one. Pressure
to get good grades in exams is one of
those. Survival stress is common
response to danger in all people and ani-
mals. When one is afraid that someone or
something may physically hurt him or her,
this leads to stress. Environment: It is a
response to things around us like noise,
crowd, pressure of work/family that caus-
es stress. Fatigue and Overwork: This
kind of stress builds up over a long time
and takes a hard toll. It can be caused by
working too much or too hard at jobs at
home. It can also be caused by not know-
ing how to manage the time well and tak-
ing time for rest and relaxation.
Symptoms of Stress
Every one reacts to stress differently.
But there are some common symptoms of
stress. One may shake uncontrollably,
breathe faster, deeper than normal or even
vomit. Stress can even trigger an asthma
attack.
Intellectual Symptoms include memory
problem, difficulty in taking decision, confu-
sion, poor judgment and lack of concentra-
tion.
Physical Symptoms include digestive
problem, sleep disturbance, fatigue, high
blood pressure, weight gain or loss, skin
problems, asthma or shortness of breath,
decreased sex drive and heart palpita-
tions.
Emotional Symptoms are becoming
moody and hypersensitive, restlessness
and anxiety, depression, anger and
resentment, irritation, lack of confidence,
apathy and urge to laugh or cry at inap-
propriate times.
Behavioural Symptoms are eating
more or less, sleeplessness, isolation,
neglecting responsibilities, increased
alcohol and drug use, nervous habits,
teeth grinding or jaw clenching, overdoing
activities such as exercising or shopping,
losing temper and overreacting to unex-
pected problems.
The Stress Response
Any problem, real or imagined, could
cause the cerebral cortex (the thinking
part of the brain) to send an alarm to the
hypothalamus (the main switch for the
stress response, located in the midbrain).
The hypothalamus then stimulates the
sympathetic nervous system to make a
series of changes in our body. Our heart
rate, breathing rate, muscle tension,
metabolism, and blood pressure, all
increase. Our hands and feet get cold as
blood is directed away from extremities
and digestive system to the larger mus-
cles that can help fight or run.
Our adrenal glands start to secrete
corticoids (adrenaline, epinephrine, and
nor-epinephrine), which inhibit digestion,
reproduction, growth, and tissue repair
and the responses of your immune and
inflammatory systems. The stress
response is useful and can be necessary
in times of emergency, but the frequent or
unrelenting triggering of the stress
response in our modern life without a bal-
ancing relaxation response can contribute
to a number of illnesses and symptoms.
The same mechanism that turned the
stress response on, can turn it off. This is
called the Relaxation Response. As soon
as we decide that a situation is no longer
dangerous, our brain stops sending emer-
gency signals to brain stem, which in turn
ceases to send panic messages to nerv-
ous system. Minutes after the danger sig-
nals stop, the flight or fight response
burns out. Our metabolism, heart rate,
breathing rate, muscle tension, and blood
pressure all return to their normal levels.
The Effects of Stress
Prolonged unhealthy stress has many
physiological effects. These include hair
loss, eating disorders, tense, muscle ache
and pain, palpitations and chest discom-
fort, fainting, choking, indigestion and
nausea, diarrhoea and frequent urination,
tremors and twitching, breathlessness
EDITORIAL
and hyperventilating and tension
headaches. Prolonged unhealthy stress
has cognitive, emotional & behavioural
effects also. These are lack of concentra-
tion/ability to think rationally, being easily
distracted, reduced memory, increased
errors, organization & planning deteriora-
tion, increased tension, change in person-
ality, irritable/aggressive, depression/ iso-
lation, reduced self-esteem, speech
problems, less enthusiasm, lower energy
levels/sleeplessness, absenteeism and
burnout.
Stress Prone Personalities
The people with personality traits like
active, energetic, having anger/hostility,
impatient to wait in a queue, conscien-
tious; having high standards, never hav-
ing enough time, often intolerant to oth-
ers, feeling guilty when relaxing generally
find themselves in various high pressure
scenarios which tends to increase stress.
Machine paced work has been linked
to anxiety, anger and depression but usu-
ally for workers having these traits, emo-
tional and behavioural reaction patterns
are not mutually exclusive, and due to the
complexity of the human body it is likely
that a variety of influences affect the rela-
tionship between personality and health.
Stress Management Techniques
Stress management strategies that
address the symptoms of stress are typical-
ly relaxation strategies. Remember that the
"fight or flight" response stimulates the body
by increasing heart rate, blood pressure,
respiration and more. It is this continued
state of stimulation that contributes to health
problems. Relaxation strategies help to
reverse the stimulation caused by the stress
response. Therefore, they can reduce the
risk of stress-related health problems. It is
important to note that relaxation strategies
can be useful for managing stress in the
short term, but because they don't remove
the root cause of stress (danger), they are
not useful at managing stress in the long
term.
Breathing exercises
Breathing exercises have been scien-
tifically shown to induce relaxation. There
are several ways to perform breathing
exercises. There is a method called the
"relaxing breath" that originated from
yoga.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Not surprisingly, the goal of
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is to
progressively relax your muscles. As with
breathing exercises, techniques vary but
the essence of the exercise remains the
same: to progressively tense and then
relax muscle groups. As we learn to distin-
guish between tense muscles and relaxed
ones, we can become more efficient at
inducing a state of relaxation in the group
of muscle that we are focusing on.
Exercise
During exercise, the body releases a
hormone called adrenaline-the same
stimulating hormone that is released in
the "fight or flight" response. During exer-
cise adrenaline serves a purpose as it is
needed to get the body moving and keep
it moving. It gets "used up" and the body
returns to normal when the exercise is
over. However, in times of stress the hor-
mone is secreted but there is generally no
physical action (e.g. running, jumping
etc.) so the body stays in this stimulated
state. Research reveals that a relaxed
state usually occurs after physical activity.
A few types of exercises including Yoga
and T'ai Chi have additional benefits as
they promote body awareness and breath
control. If we are feeling stressed, we
should go out for a brisk walk, play a sport
with some friends or do any kind of phys-
ical activity that we enjoy. The benefits of
physical activity-especially regular physi-
cal activity-extend well beyond stress
management.
Healthy Living and Stress
Adopting health-enhancing behav-
iours can help us be less vulnerable to
stress and make us better able to manage
it when it arises. Health is our greatest
resource and this resource will help us to
manage stress. Beyond having a positive
impact on stress, these behaviours are
also associated with many other benefits
such as reduced risk of physical and men-
tal illness and an enhanced sense of well-
being.
Eat a Healthy Diet
A healthy diet should consist of plant-
based food items such as fruits, vegeta-
bles, grains, beans, nuts and seeds. It
should be low in overall fat, saturated fat,
sodium and sugar.
www.employmentnews.gov.in 31
Trans fats should be avoided which ment. They can provide help as well as
are found mostly in commercially pre- emotional support. Although Facebook and
pared baked goods (e.g. cookies, crack- other social networking sites are a conven-
ers, pies). Hydrogenated fats (e.g. short- ient way to communicate with people but
ening, some margarines) should also be they are not the basis of mutually-beneficial,
avoided. health-enhancing relationships.
Engage in Regular Physical Activity Meditation
Regular physical activity is associated There are different methods of practis-
with many health benefits including a sig- ing meditation. Typically, it begins by
nificant reduction in the risk of heart dis- assuming a comfortable posture-such as
ease, high blood pressure, diabetes, can- sitting on a cushion or a chair. Then by
cer, stroke, depression and other illness-
gently closing eyes one can begin to relax
es as well as better sleep, better sex, and muscles.
a healthy weight. Atleast 150 minutes of
Listening to Music
moderate to vigorous physical activity
should be done every week. Most of us listen to music regularly,
Moderate activities include leisure bicy- but we rarely take the time to truly appre-
cling, low-impact aerobics, dancing, shovel- ciate the many facets of music such as
ling snow, and badminton. Vigorous activi- the lyrics, the beat, or even the contribu-
ties include jogging, high-impact aerobics, tion of each individual instrument. This
most competitive sports and swimming can also help in releasing stress.
steady-paced laps. Other forms of physical Hobby
activity include stretching, yoga and weight Anyone who spends time doing a
lifting. hobby knows that it can take their mind off
Don't Use Tobacco stress-producing thoughts and can also
We should quit smoking and use of be relaxing. A hobby that is too demand-
tobacco to manage stress. Majority of ing, time-consuming, or expensive, how-
people continue to use tobacco as they ever, will probably add to stress.
are addicted to nicotine. Nicotine stimu-
Time Management
lates the pleasure center of the brain. To be effective we must manage our
When the brain of a smoker is
time properly, Here are some suggestions
deprived of nicotine he or she experi-
ences negative emotions, which makes on how to reclaim our time. These include
one feel stressed. Tobacco does not eliminating time-wasting activities, other
relieve stress-in fact it causes it. Although unnecessary distractions, such as Face
it is difficult to quit, but with one’s will book, computer games, television. One
power one can. should make a daily and weekly plan to
Get Sufficient, Quality Sleep long-term goals and to meet personal
Lack of quality sleep negatively affects needs. One can also break-up a large
our health. It reduces level of energy; project into smaller, more manageable
decreases ability to think clearly and solving parts, set deadlines for completion of
problems. It also negatively affects mood each part. Recognize that you do not
(e.g. increased irritability) and weakens have to say "yes" to every request that
immune system. others make.
Establish and Maintain Healthy
Relationships (The author is a well known psychiatrist
The people in our life are extremely and stress counselling expert. He can be
important resources for stress manage- reached at jnagpal10@gmail.com)
NEWS DIGEST
„ Union Government has announced One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme for
ex-servicemen. The OROP scheme will provide ex-servicemen of same rank and
same length of service uniform pension regardless of date of retirement. The ben-
efit will be given with effect from 1st of July 2014. Pension will be re-fixed every
five years. OROP would be fixed on the basis of calendar year 2013. Armed forces
personnel who retire voluntarily would be not covered under OROP scheme. All
arrears will be paid in four half-yearly instalments and all widows will be paid
arrears in one instalment. Estimated cost to implement OROP scheme would be
around Rs 10,000 crore to 12000 crore.
„ Legislative Assembly elections in Bihar would be held in five phases between
October 12 and November 5 this year. The results of the polls will be out on
November 8. Polling in the first phase will take place on 12th October for 49 out of
243 assembly constituencies. Second phase of polling will be on 16th October for
32 assembly seats , third phase polling will be on 28th October for 50 seats, fourth
phase on 1st November for 55 constituencies and the fifth and final phase on 5th
November for 57 constituencies.
„ The Union Cabinet has given its approval for introduction of the Sovereign Gold
Bond Scheme, as announced in the Union Budget 2015-16. The scheme will help
in reducing the demand for physical gold by shifting a part of the estimated 300
tons of physical bars and coins purchased every year for Investment into gold
bonds. Since most of the demand for gold in India is met through imports, this
scheme will, ultimately help in maintaining the country's Current Account Deficit
within sustainable limits. Cabinet also approved introduction of Gold Monetization
Scheme (GMS).
„ Centre has cleared National Offshore Wind Energy Policy to generate electricity
from offshore windmills located in areas within Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of
the country. Under this policy, Offshore wind power projects and R&D activities will
be carried in waters up to the seaward distance of 200 Nautical Miles from the
base line. Union Ministry of New & Renewable Energy will be nodal Ministry.
National Institute of Wind Energy will be nodal agency for allocation of offshore
Wind Energy blocks.
„ Union Human Resource Development Ministry has recently launched a national
web portal for the promotion of National Apprenticeship Scheme for Graduates,
Diploma holders and 10+2 pass-out vocational certificate holders. The appren-
ticeship training scheme will be implemented for one year through Board of
Apprenticeship Training/Board of Practical Training located at Mumbai, Chennai,
Kanpur and Kolkata. The portal enables door step delivery of service, streamlines
processes and saves time for students.
„ Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has been conferred with the Gandhi
Peace Prize for the year 2014. ISRO was given the prize in recognition of its serv-
ices in transforming India through the use of space technology and space based
services.
„ The European Parliament has passed an emergency plan to relocate 40,000
refugees after members voted on a proposal made by the European Commission.
A total of 498 members voted for the plan, with 158 against and 37 abstentions, at
a European Parliament plenary session in the French city of Strasbourg. The pro-
posal from the EU's executive arm calls for the distribution of 40,000 migrants and
refugees from Italy and Greece among its member states. However, poorer east-
ern European countries such as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic have
been resistant to the settlement quotas.
„ Scientists have discovered a new ancestral species in the human family tree
dubbed as Homonaledi in South Africa. The newly discovered species has been
named after the location where it was found i.e. naledi which means star in
Sesotho, a local South African language. The species has been classified in the
genus Homo to which modern human belongs. The species could have lived in
Africa up to 3 million years ago.
„ Veteran all-rounder cricketer Shane Watson from Australia has announced his
retirement from International Test cricket. His decade long Test career came to an
end at the Ashes opener at Cardiff, which England won by 169 runs. In this match
Watson had made 30 runs and failed to take a wicket.