Stress

Stress destroys the ability to concentrate in several ways:

Stress causes release of both norpinephrine and serotonin. Both these neurotransmitters are necessary for sharp thinking, but prolonged,excessive release depletes their store and eventually leaves the brain in short supply.

Stress releases hydrocortisone. Scientists have found that excess hydrocortisone damages the hippocampus, which is the centre of learning and remembering.Chronic hydrpcortisone release will actually shrink brain size through cell death.

Stress stimulates the glutamate receptors and causes excitotoxicity of the brain cells, which are pushed into overtime activity. This condition fatigues brain function,and in chronic conditions will eventually also cause cell death.

Stress interrupts sleep patterns.Loss of sleep immediately affects one's ability to concentrate.


Manage stress by developing a wholesome philosophy in life:
For effective functioning of the brain it is essentiqal to manage stress by adopting the following philosophy in life:

Live in the present : "NoW" is all there is, and the future is just another present moment to live when it arrives. the present moment is inseparable from us.At any point of time you cannot do away with the NOW. This is the only thing that is always with you. the past is dead and the future is unborn. People who experience stress are those who live either in the past or the future. Guilt of the past and worries of the future always haunt them.Those who know how to grab the present moment and maximise it have chosen a stress free, effective and fulfilling life. It is a choice each of us can make.

Accept the Inevitable: Many things in life are beyond our control. Our birth itself could be considered as fate. Death of our beloved ones may occur any moment in our life. Accidents can happen to any body at any moment .These are things for which we are not responsible.Many things cannot be changed. All things that are inevitable in life should be accepted gracefully;otherwise we shall be tormented with stress,tension and worries.

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference.

You are what you are:

Our relationship with others should be one of the neither superiority nor inferiority.the repetition of the following statements would reinforce in you this philosophy:
No one is superior to me
No one is inferior to me
I am what I am.

You are unique in this world:
Be convinced that you are something new in this world. Be proud of being unique."Make the most of what Nature gave you. In the last analysis all art is biographical. You can sling only what you are. You must be what your experience,your environment and your heredity have made you. For better or for worse,you must cultivate your own little garden, and play your own little instrument in the orchestra of life," said the Legendary Dale Carnegie.

There is no success or failure in life:
success or failure is a matter of attitude in life. We should take life as it unfolds. Our main business in life is to involve ourselves deeply in the creative activities in which we are keenly interested without bothering much about reward or result.There is no question of failure. Failure might or result.There is no question of failure .Failure might suggest that we have to make some more attempts to accomplish the task in hand. Develop the attitude:
"When I win I win ,when I lose I learn".Every second of our wakeful state provides a wonderful opportunity to learn one thing or another.Every failure should be considered as deferred success. Never quit.Pursue your project till you succeed in your attempts.
"Never,Never,Never.Never, NEVER GIVE UP" said WINSTON Churchill.

Whatever happens is for your good:
Think in a positive way that whatever happens to you in life is for your own good. An ancient story is related here to illustrate this point:
A king and his minister went into a jungle to hunt. A tiger attacked them and in the fight the king lost a finger. He was in agony, but the minister said,"Every thing is for our good." At this the king got angry and pushed him into a shallow dry well. Falling into the well, the minister uttered,"Everthing is for our good."
After a while some tribals captured the king. They intended to sacrifice him,bu on second thought freed him when they realised he was minus a finger. Then the king came to the minister, rescued him from the well and asked, "Why did you say 'Everthing is for our good' when I pushed you into the well?"
The minister said: "you Majesty was saved because of the loss of a finger, for the sacrificial victim should not have any blemish. But if I had not been pushed into the well, they would have sacrificed me."

Convert minus into plus:
one of the best ways to manage stress is to convert minus into plus. Count your blessings and not your troubles. Develop an attitude to convert minus into plus.

Don't expect justice and fairness:
There is virtually no justice and fairness in this world. The general trend is that might is right. The prisons are filled only with those who are not able to defend their case with money. People in power do far worse things but escape due to the power they hold.Few politicians in India have been punished for fraudulent and corrupt practices. Only poor and helpless people are regularly punished and victimised. There fore, don't except justice and fairness at every turn of life3.

Expecting gratitude is unrealistic:
People may tend to forget the good you have done them. It is unwise to expect that every one should be graceful.

Accept mysticism gracefully:
We cannot reason our everything that happens in our life. A certain amount of mystery pervades the life of everyone. In an accident many died and a few escaped. Why? we don't know.Accept it.

the best is yet to be:
This is one of the best principles to be adopted in the sphere of personal growth and development. We should always be satisfied with what we have but not with what we are. It i s better to strive hard to improve our potential , capabilities ,efficiency, character etc. Every minute of our personality for a happy and prosperous life through a stress free attitude.
Kaizen is the word given by the Japanese for continuous steady growth and development in life.