Stress Management: Understanding your body is the key

Stress is part of life. When our body faces challenges, difficult or harmful situations, it responds to it. Difficult is always equated to problems and it’s seen as something negative. This is so far the general concept of most people about stress. However some people nowadays know that stress may be beneficial, too. This is a good indication that people are becoming more aware of health issues and starting to learn how the body works.

Understanding our own body is the key to managing our health. Our body reacts to challenging situations, however we perceive it. According to Dr. Nisar R. Shaikh, a doctor of Ayurvedic Medicine, this reaction is called a stress response – “fight-or-flight”, as we call it. It’s an instinctive physiological response to a threatening situation that makes us either combat something or run away from it. When we are under stress, our body changes physiologically: muscle stiffens, heart races, breathing accelerates, blood pressure rises and body temperature changes. It affects our emotions, behaviors, mental and physical health which can eventually lead to mood swings, anxiety, low energy, nervousness, inability to focus, loss of appetite, or worse, illness.

But where do we get stress? Stress can be a deadline at work, responsibilities at home, bills to pay, dealing with difficult people, and the list goes on. It happens to everyone in many different ways and how we react to it varies from one person to another. However it’s best to understand that this variation means that the stressor (one that causes stress) can either bring out the best or weaken a person. In short, stress can be good or bad. Too much stress can be damaging, while a little of it, according to recent studies, is actually beneficial and it’s called good stress. Good stress can boost alertness, behavioral and cognitive performance and it explains why some people are able to perform well in doing tough tasks or meet challenging demands.

Understanding the body is the first step to stress management. When we know how to handle ourselves, we can easily adapt and resolve issues. One example is when you easily get stressed out with work deadlines you would eventually feel worn out and you will lose the energy to work with passion. When you understand what stress is and what it does, you’ll be able to address issues right away and fix it. But because stress means different things to different people, we all should know our own body symptoms when under demanding situations to be able to counteract its effect.

Unknown to many, most body diseases are caused by stress and instead of just popping pills, it’s high time that people learn the basic techniques and natural ways to prevent or even fight diseases. Good thing is that there are many different ways in stress management. But it is crucial to find one that will incorporate all the vital aspects of a perfect health. Yoga and Ayurveda, two healing disciplines from India play very important roles in fine-tuning the body – a way to strengthen the immune system and find the right balance of the body, mind and consciousness. These two are both known today as medical systems but it is actually more of a concept of living. Followers of these health systems are more likely to lead healthy lives. So even if you’re just a newbie in health awareness or someone who is already practicing stress management techniques, learning and practicing both Yoga and Ayurveda is the first step towards a stress-free and disease-free life.

Find out more about Yoga and Ayurveda in our next article.   *Content by: Gerard Diestro

For Stress Management please contact:

Dr. Nisar R. Shaikh
B.A.M.S   D.Y.Ed
+91 99600    74283
+91 (020) 65222263

dr.nisar786@gmail.com

akilt786@gmail.com