Sagar Poudel & Anish Poudyal
Stress is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses. Stress is a normal part of life. we can experience stress from your environment, your body, and your thoughts. The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert, motivated, and ready to avoid danger. Stress becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between stressors. As a result, the person becomes overworked, and stress-related tension builds. Today the globe is being affected by Covid-19 pandemic and we are facing such negative forms of stress like what can be other consequences of such pandemic and how can we overcome such pandemic. We are in condition of social distancing and we even don’t know whom to trust and we are also unsure about who might be effected by corona this develops mistrust among our neighborhoods, friend circle and between family members too. This develops negative form of stress in an individual. So what can we do and how can we overcome such stress:
There is one saying in mental health perspective that “Never ignore a person who is in any kind of stress or problem because when I gets replaced by we illness becomes wellness.”
There are other measures which we can take to overcome such stress and some of them are:
Keep positive attitude. : Think positive and be optimistic and develop the feeling of I can and I can do and I can face any situation. A positive attitude helps us cope more easily with the daily affairs of life. It brings optimism into our life, and makes it easier to avoid worries and negative thinking. If we adopt it as a way of life, it would bring constructive changes into our life, and makes them happier, brighter and more successful.
Don’t rely on alcohol, drugs, or compulsive behaviors to reduce stress
Although initial drug use may be voluntary, drugs can alter brain chemistry. This can actually change how the brain performs and interfere with a person’s ability to make choices. It can lead to intense cravings and compulsive drug use. Over time, this behavior can turn into a substance dependency or drug and alcohol addiction. So, we must not rely on alcohol , drugs or compulsive behavior to reduce stress.
Make time for hobbies and interests:
Without having a hobby, your life may become boring, seem demanding, and end up in an unhealthy cycle. While having a routine is great because it is so easy, incorporating a hobby into our life can add excitement and spark that it may need to increase our personal satisfaction. This will then flow over to our work performance and ability to maintain a healthy family and other relationships
Seek out social support. Spend enough time with those you love : I and most of us are maintaining social distance but the point above says to seek social support and spend time with love ones but question might arise how can we do so I suggest to either share your stress with your family member whom you trust must by using safety precautions and also we can set limit and use social media where we can share our negative emotions with those whom we trust.
Be assertive instead of aggressive. Assert your feelings, opinions, or beliefs instead of becoming angry, defensive, or passive
Learning to be assertive takes time and practice. If we have spent years silencing our self, becoming more assertive probably won’t happen overnight. Or if anger leads us to be too aggressive, we may need to learn some anger management techniques.
If despite our best efforts you’re not making progress toward becoming more assertive, consider formal assertiveness training. And if certain issues such as anger, stress, anxiety or fear are getting in our way, consider talking with a mental health provider
Learn and practice relaxation techniques; try meditation, yoga,
Yoga’s incorporation of meditation and breathing can help improve a person’s mental well-being. “Regular yoga practice creates mental clarity and calmness; increases body awareness; relieves chronic stress patterns; relaxes the mind; centers attention; and sharpens concentration,” says Dr. Nevins. Body- and self-awareness are particularly beneficial, she adds, “because they can help with early detection of physical problems and allow for early preventive action.”
Always develop a thinking that I can do and I am able to face any situation.
(Sagar Poudel & Anish Poudyal are MSW Graduates from TU)
