Maj Gen RN Tikku (retd)

Educationist

Be yourself, love yourself;
And lift yourself — by yourself.
— Mantra for well-being

True education lies in the inner space of the learner. It helps you discover who you really are, and a mindful journey begins from within. You are ‘present’ here and now, and you are self-reliant to face life’s challenges. The present century, characterised by fast social changes, has been aptly called the age of anxiety and stress. Everyone has just one thing to say: “We are too busy with our lives.” Tolerance levels is at an all-time low, self-centeredness, hatred, road rage, murder, suicide and like maladaptive patterns of behaviour have alarmingly increased.

What makes an individual behave so? That such an action, contrary to norms, has taken place has to have a reason. This ‘action’ is only an effect. It has to have a ‘cause’. The cause, in general terms, is stress — a force, a pressure, a strain or distress that makes a person act in an unusual manner. And yet, stress by itself is only an effect and not the cause. One has to look deeper and find the causa causans of stress — the cause of the cause, the first cause. Stress is caused by something and there the answer lies. To look at such a cause, the first or the main cause, one has to look at the affected individual, his wants and his needs. This is only part of a much wider problem.

The concept of stress envisages the stressor or stressful event, the individual (his self-perception and stress tolerance) and the response. The stressor is an adjustive demand placed on an individual that produces a psychological or physical reaction, and sometimes produces symptoms of emotional or physiological disability. Stress affects the mind and the body. The process takes time to build up. When people live in a constant state of stress, their bodies produce adrenaline, a short-term reaction to stress. They produce steroids, part of the immune system, as well. When you start producing extra steroids, the immune system suffers. The steroids start working against each other.

How is stress recognised and tackled? Stress is recognised by looking at its symptoms or manifestations, and thereafter tracing the cause, or cause of the cause, if necessary. Failure or delay in determining the cause may lead to serious consequences for the individual and the organisation. Manifestations of stress can be observed at three levels of operation: psychological (irritability, mood swings, worry, anxiety, withdrawal), physical (palpitations, diarrhea, impotence or lack of libido, migraine) and behavioural (impaired quality of work, increased absenteeism, careless driving, over indulgence in smoking, alcohol and drugs). The point of concern is that the stressor at one level may aggravate the situations on other fronts disrupting the homeostasis, a compensatory mechanism within. An example of psychological homeostasis is maintaining one’s self-respect in the face of failures through rationalising mechanism.

The determinants that govern the severity of stress include the characteristics of the adjustive demand (stress), the personality of the individual, and the cultural and situational context in which the stress occurs. What emerges is that stress is essentially individually defined and is the outcome of the focal individual and his environment. The environment presents stimulating conditions, but the perception, coping ability and control mechanism of the individual determines the degree of success achieved in coping with stress.

One man’s stress is another man’s challenge. If an individual handles stress well, it is referred to as eustress or positive stress, which is good for growth. On the other hand, if the individual does not cope well, it leads to distress and disease. The external support from people close to him acts as a prop and can certainly help him to cope. Individuals exposed to highly stressful situations tend to turn to others for support. A father’s statement to his son before the exam: ‘Do the best you can’ is more supportive than ‘I am sure you are going to do well’ or ‘I am not worried, you will surely pass’. The last two statements add to the son’s burden, for not only must he fear the disappointment of not passing, but also the loss of respect in the eyes of his father. This could have serious repercussions on the child.

A healthy mind-body connect is the bedrock of self-belief and consequent well-being. When it comes to health or stress, one cannot take the ‘mind’ out of the equation of prevention and healing. Most diseases are ‘psychosomatic’— they stem from the mind. And by constantly thinking about it, we are allowing it to actually breed. The answer lies in exercise and detoxification of the mind. Practices like mindfulness, self-compassion and meditation are ‘spiritual delights’ and tonic for the mind and body. By focusing on and controlling our breath, we can change how we think and feel. The breath is a means of changing our emotional state and managing stress. There is then inner balance, peace of mind and joy.

The author in his book titled The New Me: A Visionary Treatise to Uplift the Youth in Making the Right Choices has discussed a live case-study of a soldier confronted with the spiralling effect of stress, where the problems faced on the personal front do not receive any cushion or relief from home and work fronts. The case brings out how to recognise and assess stress by looking at its manifestations; the stressor should not be viewed in isolation, but relative to the individual’s perception, capacities and personality; and the role of the individual, the organisation and other agencies in the management of stress.

In today’s bizarre times, ‘self-help’ is the best bet for understanding stress, its early detection, observation, analysis and proper management of unusual behaviour.