The Misunderstood Nature of Stress: A Perspective
Stress is not an inherent part of our lives, but a result of our inability to manage our minds, emotions, bodies, and energies effectively. It's not external situations, but our internal mechanisms that cause stress. A daily routine called 'inner engineering' can help reduce stress significantly. By understanding and managing ourselves better, we can avoid stress altogether.
- Side hustle
When I first arrived in the United States, I was intrigued by the prevalence of the term 'stress management'. My initial understanding was that we manage things that are precious to us - our families, businesses, money, property. The idea of managing stress, therefore, seemed puzzling to me.
With time, I realized that people have come to view stress as an unwanted yet inseparable part of their being - almost like an extra limb or an appendage that can't be eliminated. However, I believe this perspective is flawed. Stress isn't inherently a part of us. We become stressed because we haven't learned how to handle our minds, emotions, bodies, and energies effectively.
Our lives are complex systems that we're often managing haphazardly, leading to a state of constant stress. This stress, contrary to popular belief, isn't an inevitable consequence of our jobs or life situations. It's not being a student, finding employment, getting married or having children that's stressful. These are just life situations. Stress is essentially a result of our inability to manage our own system.
If you knew how to manage this system, if things happened the way you wanted them to, you wouldn't feel stressed. It's not about the external situations, it's about your internal mechanisms.
A part of this management system involves a process I like to call 'inner engineering'. This is a daily, 21-minute routine that can help you reduce stress significantly. An easy way to observe the benefits of this process is to measure your pulse rate before and after food over a period of six weeks.
You'll likely notice that your pulse is considerably lower for the same level of activity, indicating that your system is functioning at a more relaxed pace. If you can do everything you need to do at a relaxed pace, your system is operating efficiently. Machines with the least amount of friction operate efficiently and produce more with least stress.
In conclusion, it's high time we shift our perspective on stress. Stress isn't something we should accept and learn to manage. Instead, by better understanding and managing ourselves, we can avoid stress altogether. This is the essence of 'inner engineering', and I urge everyone to give it a try.
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