Fretting never helps solve any problems and only adds to your stress levels. REENA SINGH gives you some time-tested golden tips to make your life relaxed and stress free
When I would worry about something or stay awake late into the night turning things over and over in my head, thinking what if I had done them differently, my father would tell me repeatedly, “Don’t fret, for what is done, is done.” And with a smile, he would tell me to wipe off those worry lines from my forehead. I would often notice that he, himself seemed quite carefree, whistling away all day long or singing melodiously and softly to himself as he went about driving himself to the bank or to the markets. It was of course, in an era before smart phones came into our life and destroyed our peace of mind.
Some of his philosophy rubbed on to me, for I decided that it is worthwhile having a good night’s sleep, whatever one may be fretting about. The problem will still be around the next morning and one can then resume worrying and solving the problem with a fresh head! Sometimes, problems just tend to solve themselves over time, so why spoil your night sleep over them?
In the course of my work, I once met a yoga guru who also knew the Bhagavad Gita, inside-out. He was fond of saying that life’s problems usually emanate from greed, for out of greed is born desire and this leads to attachment. This attachment eventually spirals into anger and from anger, comes stress that brings with it that dreaded Blood Pressure, suffering, and eventually, illness.
There are two ways to work out this anger. Either you turn to spiritual philosophy or you can consult your doctor and be on a lifetime regimen of medication. Dosages usually never go down, they only go up, as most people say. Plus, medicine comes with its own side-effects.
So what should one do? The yoga guru urges everyone to be a ‘modern-day Arjuna,’ and arm yourself with deep insights from the Gita and bring about a positive turn in your life. For sure, it will keep your blood pressure (BP) down.
Follow Some Simple Steps
1. Follow the Bhagavad Gita or any other spiritual text. Eliminate ahankar, lob, krodh, and vikaar. And lo and behold, before long you will find yourself bidding goodbye to your ego, greed, anger, and irrational, imbalanced thoughts.
2. Walk and exercise daily. Even the WHO recommends at least 150 minutes of exercise weekly — that’s barely half an hour, five days a week. And if you can do it for all seven days, that’s even better. You will be cheerful and happy because exercise releases endorphins, your feel-good hormones.
3. Eat wisely. Your plate should never overflow. Forget about second helpings and sugar-laden desserts. Your plate should have two parts solid food and one part liquid. Leave a part of your plate empty.
4. Spend 10 minutes on four pranayamas, in this order: kapaalbhaati, anulom-vilom, deep breathing and bhraamari. Do them very gently, especially if you are already a BP patient. Do your pranayama noiselessly. It’s always noiseless when you are doing it gently and not over-exerting.
5. Pick up a hobby. Learn a musical instrument. Like, I took up the piano and even passed my grade one exams at age 50. Unfortunately, I then succumbed to the daily pressures of life and my Kwai piano now gathers dust in one corner of my living room. Even as I write this, I am making a resolve to take it up again.
6. Sleep two hours after your dinner. Do not watch TV after dinner for it will only disturb you and certainly avoid TV news debates. That will only make your BP rise. Try and pick up a hobby like reading and try and read books from all over the world. A book will improve your knowledge and fill you with gyan, besides eventually lulling you to sleep. Moreover, you will open your mind to different cultures and countries and this will give you new perspectives on life.
There is so much more one can do when you are stress free, the foremost being that once you stop worrying, you start living. Give it a shot, right away.
Reena Singh has more than 39 years’ experience in senior editorial positions in The Times of India (TOI) and Genpact. She was Deputy Editor with TOI’s spiritual newspaper, The Speaking Tree, where she spent more than nine years.
Featured picture: Pixabay/StockSnap
