… A mind without a working faith and self confidence finds it hard to face stress

… It is not a question of what causes mental stress as to what type of mind is prone to stress

… A weak mind, a reactive mind, a dull and lazy mind is more prone to stress

… A mind which lacks concentration, will power and faith succumbs to stress

It is not a question of what causes mental stress, as to what kind of mind is prone to stress. The human mind is complex and complicated and the life situations that each one faces are different. Therefore, there is no easy answers or solutions as to how can a mind face stress situations.

There are many guidelines and nostrums to deal with stress situations, but most of them are only palliatives.

There are many hidden factors in stress. Behind physical stress, there could be factors like lack of energy, lack of will, lack of an orderly and organized life, lack of rest and relaxation, a weak mind and a lack of direction in life. All these factors have to be looked in and an integrated and holistic approach to cope with stress is needed.

The most important factor in stress, or in a more appropriate technical term – distress, is the mind factors :

… A dull and distracted mind is more prone to stress

… An emotional mind, gets easily agitated and disturbed and is generally incapable of handling stress

… An infatuated mind, working at a sensory level, finds itself engulfed in a chain reaction of stress

… A restless mind incapable to finishing a job well and finds itself with too many loose ends and weaves it web as it were of a stressful life

… In a hedonistic life style, pain plays havoc and stress snowballs

… Constant reactions to life situations, depletes the mind of its vital immunity and one is unable to face stress situations calmly

The Lazy Mind and the Status Quo

All of us like a secure and friendly place to live in. Most of us want that the nice situation in which we live in should continue. But with a little bit of observation, a little capacity of analysis, with a little forethought, we can see that the nature of world itself is of change.

The body changes and it becomes weak. Our energy gets depleted. Our relationships are not always ideal. Our idealistic thinking gets a battering. Finances are like a roller coaster, highs follow lows. The best plans that we draw can develop hidden cracks and fractures. Our overblown ideas of invincibility can take a beating from unknown sources. Our immunity built with science and technology can evaporate on the appearance of a virus or bacteria. Our rational mind and linear thinking can get pulverized when unseen forces are unleashed around us. To an undeveloped mind, without mental and spiritual training, everything can look hostile and the mind can disintegrate with the onslaught of multi-faceted stress.

Yoga Training

Yoga is replete with ideas, practices, and guidelines of developing a stronger personality, which can help to face stress and cope with it:

… Ethical and moral behavior helps to reduce inter-relational stress and builds goodwill. In times of stress we get a lot of support from those around us

… Psycho-physical training: training of body and mind together, so that they can build rapport among themselves, and the body with its intricate and infinite resources, can learn to heal itself from the battle wounds that stress showers upon us, in this fast paced and aggressive life-style around us

… Energy building and conservation: like a miser with his money we should "hoard" our energy and let it not needlessly be depleted with wrong thinking, wrong habits, and wasteful ways of living

… Taming the senses, who like wild horses, can gallop in different directions and endanger the mind and destabilize the intelligence

… Seeking the inner counselor: to make it a regular and daily habit to check out with our inner counselor, that is the Self or Soul through reflection and meditative practice. In the depth of our Being we find answers and modalities of facing stress

… Have faith in a Higher Reality, whose boundless love and boundless wisdom can help us in dire stress situations.

(Edit Note): TIP: Don't wait till you come to the panic level of disintegrating mental stress; build immunity through the multi-dimensional training of Yoga

H. Sequeira