Well, research is being done about our stress also. I would define stress as the sum total of mental and emotional tensions that are encountered in modern life. When irritations, frustrations , disappointments, injuries, insults, anxieties etc. accumulate in the mind, stress is built up. Negative emotions such as anger, jealousy, greed etc. also contribute to stress.

Is there more stress these days than in the days of our forefathers ? Some say ‘no’. I personally think there is more stress now, for all of us in general and for those in the urban areas in particular. Spiralling high cost of living, threat of war with belligerent neighbouring nations, continued cold war and dozen other factors contribute to stress all over the world. Tension-producing factors and situations are on increase in modern times especially in bigger towns and cities. Take for example, the congestion in trains and buses for the commuters, which results in fatigue ( an important cause of stress ); or the water scarcity, etc. Women too have to bear more stress at home and outside ; in cities in-laws problem may not be there, but servant’s problem faces them acutely at times ; sometimes they have to go out to earn and in absence of a proper care-taker suffer the guilt of neglecting their home, hobby and children ( guilt is another big factor in stress). Children, poor darlings, have an increasing stress put upon them ,especially in schools where they are compelled to learn a number of things which are really difficult to learn . And with approach of examinations , stress increases. So, stress is with us all, most of the time, and it is likely to increase all the time.

Our immunity against stress decreasing :
At the same time that there is an increase in stress, there is a decrease in our ability to withstand stress. Our physical vitality as well as mental and emotional strength are going down. Our modern living habits and pattern of life both contribute to this decline. Few know that we can withstand stress better - with more tranquillity and poise - if we have the right eating habits. Nervous tension affects us less if we have enough of vitamin B factors. However, with all the sugar and refined starch that we normally consume, vitamin B factors lack in our food; deficiencies of minerals , calcium, potassium and phosphorous which are also essential nerve nutrients, are also commo .

Sedentary habits also affect the nerves as we shall see later. Then there are drugs which break down nerve strength. Some drugs create tensions ; some create even suicidal tendencies. We will find this recorded in books on Side Effects of Drugs ( such as by Dr. L.Meyler). We may not be aware that the innocent-looking aspirin can affect the psyche. A person may behave like drunk, his mind may become confused, he may suffer from hallucinations, all because he is habituated to taking aspirin for his minor ills such as headaches or colds. Then there is the factor of pampered early life; an early life that has been too soft ,in which there have been no disappointments or difficulties, builds up no immunity to stress. Another reason we experience more stress is that we expect too much of life; too high an ambition without the necessary basis for such ambition can frustrate us greatly. We read about suicide committed by a couple which gives us an insight into an average person’s mind. This couple left a note behind in which they mentioned that they were tired of " difficulties in day-to-day living such as having to stand in queues for long, to get food rations and for travelling. " ( Times of India 10th Aug. 1965). It was also mentioned that " they could not lead as comfortable a life as they liked - living in air-conditioned flar or owing a car. "

Now here we see two different types of stress-building factors. The couple was irritated because they had to stand in queues ; it is worth noting how small irritations day after day can build up stress. The other reason for suicide was that they could not lead as comfortable a life as they liked - " living in an air-conditioned flat or owning a car. " Here is a clear case of false sense of values. No one need die for want of luxuries of life in our country where even the necessities of life are not easily obtained. Anyway, the suicide pact of this couple tells a sorry tale of our modern concept of life. This is the age we live in. Stress is all around us and within us, very rarely for justified reasons, mostly for wrong reasons, and often for trivial reasons.

Psychosomatic diseases :
Apart from the functional conditions,psycho-emotional tensions can cause a number of organic diseases. Psychosomatic diseases or stress diseases are on an increase. Here is one investigator’s findings regarding the percentage of times physicians find physical complaints to be emotionally induced in whole or in part :

Pain in back of neck	75%
Ulcer like pain	50%
Gall stone-like pain	50%
Dizziness	80%
Skin Rash	30%
Flatulence	90%
Headaches	80%
Constipation	70%
Fatigue	90%

Though the result of 15 years’ study, these figures do not tell the complete story ; apart from emotional factors there always are other factors to induce conditions such as, say, constipation, which is often due to lack of tone in the bowels and lack of roughage in the food. Nevertheless, it may be correct to surmise that in 60% of all our ailments, emotional factors play a great or major part. Some scientists have put even diabetes and cancer in the category of emotionally induced conditions; and their assumptions are mostly correct.

The chronic worrier :
Worry is a well-known cause of tension. People worry for all sort of reasons, or for no reason at all. A university study has shown that 40% of the worriers worry over things that never happen or never could happen ; 30% over things in the past ( the irrevocable past ; why can’t they let "the dead past bury is dead?"); 12% over petty trifles ; and only 8% have really something worthwhile worrying over. The sobering conclusion is that more than 90% of our worries are unjustified or baseless.

Dealing with the stresses: Now, how can we deal with these worries ( the real 8% ones!), tensions, stresses and strains ? Over the ages, the sages have given a root cause of stress as the unbalanced life ; modern doctors tell the same thing in scientific terms. Dr. E.J. Kepler of the Mayo Clinic, USA., suggests that we should adjust our personal life carefully so that it is equally influenced by four things :

Work : Play : Love : Worship

They are not mentioned here in order of importance. And as noted in the lst Chapter the choice of words ‘equally influenced’ is very suggestive. It means that we do not spare equal time for work, play, love and worship, but that our life be equally influenced by the four factors. Sometimes in a stressful person, one of these four factors may be entirely absent, as happens when a born -rich guy may have absolutely no work; he may feel very unhappy because his life is unproductive, worthless and meaningless. Or, one may have no love in life; there are a few persons who love nobody (misanthropists) and who are loved by nobody. This is a very dangerous situation, for no human being can live without love. Those that do manage to live, merely exist. So, there needs to be a balance between the four factors. Let us consider work first.

Work :
Work needs to be such as we like. We cannot give of our best if we do not at least like our work ; preferably we should enjoy our work, but so often people endure their work, and then there is no devotion to work; work becomes drudgery, boredom, and fatigue is the first symptom noticed.

Studies conducted by the University of Chicago show that people who keep the busiest are the healthiest. Those who do not keep their hands and head synchronisingly occupied, deteriorate mentally and physically. Their resistance to disease is lowered. They are more likely to be hypochondriacs. ‘It is better to wear out than rust out’, someone has said. And it is better ; but there is no need to be either too active or too passive. A healthy mean can be struck.

Recently we had Mrs. Indra Devi of Hollywood speaking to our group. She talked about Lal Bahadur Shastri; she considered him a Yogi ; and he was truly a Karma Yogi. He had said after becoming the Prime Minister that he was finding less time for prayers, and usually he consoled himself with the fact that he worked with a devotion, and that his work was his worship. I talked with Mrs. Indra Devi last week in a temple and she mentioned the name of the great Dr. Albert Schweitzer, a Nobel prize winner. Not all Nobel prize winners are great, but Dr. Schweitzer was a truly great Karma Yogi. We have to learn the real meaning of WORK from such person’s lives, who did creative work, and who worked for others. The more we live for others, and the more productive work we do, the happier we feel. We should not work to merely eke out a living, or to raise a family and maintain it, or to amass wealth. We must work for others’ weal and welfare also, not only our own.

Play :
PLAY here does not signify the play of famed and ill-famed playboys of the world. Play does not mean fooling around with leisure time. There is a saying that " All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy", but all play and no work is even more harmful. As G.B. Shaw has said, "A perpetual holiday is a good working definition of hell." Play can be anc engrossing hobby, say, music, art, stamp-collecting, etc. But the obese should try to have hobbies that involve their bodies ; sedentary hobbies are no good for them. Leisure time is precious ; it should be carefully utilised so that it relaxes the mind. Some unfortunate people have a lot of time on hand, and they do not know how best to use it ; so that devise ways and means to kill time ( how murderous !)

Love :
First, you must love yourself; this is not a plea for being egoist or narcissist. How often we say, "I hate myself for this." That hatred of self, if frequent or continued, is bad.

Secondly, you must love life ; but this love should not exist because of a fear of death ; it should not exist because "tomorrow we die." The Bible says, " Love thy neighbour as thyself". Some take a very narrow meaning of it, and fall in love with the neighbour’s daughter! So ‘Love thy neighbour’ does not mean love if she is beautiful. As ‘neighbour’ need not mean the person next door. A neighbouring country also is a neighbour !

Love does not mean merely romantic love ; love means an all-pervading universal attitude wherein all living creatures are included and in which there is ‘reverence for all life’ that Dr. Schweitzer taught us to have. This love is a complete negation of all the negative emotions such as jealousy, hatred, anger, lust and greed ; such negative emotions sap one’s vitality more than any abuse of one’s body. We cannot perhaps really love all ; we are likely to dislike some persons, but that dislike should not mount to the pitch of resentment and hatred. We must increase our capacity to give more love ; for "ceasing to give, we cease to have, such is the law of love." When we are in the mood to go all out to do something to alleviate other’s suffering or to help others, we are in love with the world and in tune with life. In a phase of some young people’s romantic life, such universal love is occassionally observed. All the world may or may not love lovers ; but lovers are likely to love all the world.

Worship :
Worship is defined by Dr.Kepler as ‘devotion’ to something greater than oneself. Nobody in the world is truly agnostic or atheist. Looking at the star and the moon, the sea and the trees, we cease to be atheists - that is, if we really look at things around, however common- place they seem. Worship should be of things ever-lasting or ever dependable ; that rules out hero-worship and idol-worship. Only the ‘sanatana’ things remain therefore to worship. A deep and abiding faith in God, the Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent Force is absolutely necessary for freedom from crushing stress.

So much for the formula of Dr. Kepler. Now we shall study what Dr. Hans Selye of Canada has to say on the subject.

Index