Stress - How to manage

Life is what everyone is willing to live. It is like an ocean wave we have ups and downs but it still goes on…when we rowing up in our life people will like to talk to you, make you their best companion, will invite you to their important events and will share with you all their worries, but when your stars get unfavorable these people will not even look at you. These are not called relationships, instead we can call it as an opportunistic relationship and stress is the result of these opportunistic relationships. When a child is born she/he is free of all of his/her worries but as soon as she/he get to know the world around her/him the level of stress start increasing and it grows with the advancement of age.

We face various problems in our life but due to lack of experience we don’t have the solution for it. Instances are there that when I was a kid I get myself into troubles which cannot be shared with my parents or peers so I have to face that problem alone, this feeling of loneliness exaggerated my worries and terror by thinking continuously about the problem and the way to solve it, and as I cannot disclose my problem to anyone it pushed me into a state of stress. Not only kids but adults too are the prey of these kinds of situations and they keep themselves busy in thinking about the problem and thereby increasing the same.

We work for achieving a specific goal. If after working hard to achieve that specific goal we achieve an entirely different result from what we were expecting a gap arises between expectation and reality, this gap produces stress and which in turn reduces our decision making skills which will result in GENERATING negative thoughts which increases the stress, thus a person get himself stuck in a stress cycle which is very hard to break. Many persons because of getting stuck into this stress cycle take wrong decisions and felt more stressed in turn which results in decreasing appetite and health therefore grabbing various diseases. The old concept of “Healthy Body have Healthy mind” in today’s competitive world is been changed to “Healthy mind results in Healthy body”

We can feel stress because of various reasons the most important are:

1. Wrong Career Choice: this is the most important reason why people are stressed out. A simple wrong decision made of choosing career field can result in wrong career path which leads to loss of enthusiasm to work which results in low productivity, more frequent job switches, conflicts etc. Many online options are available like Indian Sarkari Naukri website (http://insarkarinaukri.com)

2. Not working Relationships: This factor is very important in one’s life. Relationships are the reason why a person is able to live. Man is a social animal and cannot exist if left alone. Emotional breakdowns results in a more permanent type of stress. It is a situation where a personal interest is at stake and we often do not like to share it with other people. It also hamper self image and people often question their ability to judge other people.

3. Situation Placed: Often people are seen unproductive but in reality they are not but the situation in which they are placed make them unproductive. For example if a person is a very good at shooting photographs but he is given a work to write essays then he will produce very bad essays and will be marked as unproductive or if we are very social but we just happen to spend our time with persons who are not social and friendly then stress will be there.

Apart from above main points there are numerous other reasons which can be placed in above broad categories now and then but the main categories or reasons why a person is stressed are the above three points.

There are various ways to overcome stress some do yoga, pranayam while some do meditation and some go for stress therapy but one should understand that all these will not erase stress but can give you physical strength. If one want to completely get rid of stress we have to do the following steps :

1. Do analysis of factors that you can control and factors you can’t control. Often these are described as internal environment and external environment. Internal environment can be controlled but external is very hard to control.

2. Relax your mind and try to avoid thinking about the problem for a day(here you can use pranayam and other categories of options mentioned above

3. Try to consult the problem with your elders to whom you are friendly or friends to whom you can trust. This will give you a kind of support and you are unknowingly doing brainstorming of your problem. You will be having lots of ideas after this I can bet.

4. Write down the important issues which constitute your problem. This will make you clearly understand what the problem really is and thus you can set your way to achieve your goal i.e solving it

5. Now indicate what options you have to resolve the important issues you have just jotted down.

6. Voila now you can pick up the best option which suits you the most

7. Follow the plan and you will definitely reduce your stress level

It is well known that every problem is unique in its nature and cannot be solved by following a definite pattern but at least for time being we can resolve the same, its like giving the first aid to the patient and one should keep in mind that the every problem has a solution it depends on how we are solving it.

 

[Priyani Gupta]

Thank you for such a heartfelt and deeply introspective article. You’ve tackled one of the most pressing and often overlooked realities of modern life—stress—by shedding light on its root causes, especially the emotional and psychological aspects that stem from societal dynamics, expectations, and personal misalignments. I’d like to offer a reply that appreciates the essence of your thoughts while also critically engaging with the themes raised.


To begin with, your analogy comparing life to an ocean wave is both poetic and accurate. Life indeed flows through crests and troughs. What you call "opportunistic relationships" is a brutal truth—many connections are transactional and often dissolve when adversity strikes. While this can be disheartening, it also opens the door for self-growth. It teaches us to value authenticity over popularity and substance over surface-level attachments.


However, one might argue that branding all relationships that falter during tough times as "opportunistic" might be overly broad. Sometimes people distance themselves because they lack the emotional tools to help or are managing their own struggles. In other words, not every absence is betrayal. This nuance is important, especially when addressing young readers or those already struggling with trust issues.


Your narrative of childhood stress evolving into adult anxiety is relatable and raw. However, we must distinguish between regular challenges that build resilience and deep-seated issues that fester into long-term mental health concerns. Stress is a part of life, but prolonged, unmanaged stress becomes a disorder. A practical step forward is advocating for early mental health education and awareness in schools so children learn to navigate emotions and communicate openly without shame.


The concept of the “stress cycle” caused by mismatched expectations is powerfully explained. Your insight into the expectation-reality gap reflects modern society’s relentless pursuit of perfection and success. Social media exacerbates this by showcasing curated wins and hiding failures. Perhaps what we need is a societal shift toward normalizing failure and valuing effort over outcome.


Your emphasis on “wrong career choice” as a stressor is spot-on. Too many individuals choose careers under pressure from parents, peers, or societal trends. A more controversial yet necessary step would be encouraging schools and parents to focus less on marks and more on aptitude and passion. Unfortunately, tools like aptitude tests and career counseling are still underutilized in many educational systems.


Your steps to overcome stress are logical and well-structured. However, step two, which suggests “avoiding thinking about the problem for a day,” could be misinterpreted as avoidance. Perhaps it would be better to reframe this as a deliberate pause or temporary detachment to regain perspective—something mindfulness and meditation support.


In conclusion, your article bravely opens up a critical conversation. It challenges superficial societal values and encourages introspection. While some generalizations could benefit from nuance, your message is undeniably impactful: mental well-being is a priority, not a luxury. Thank you for your honest and thoughtful contribution to a much-needed dialogue.