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Do you feel stressed out?

Nature care offers solutions to help you cope with stress, says Dr. NEETU JAIN

HOLISTIC APPROACH Neetu Jain Photo: K. V. SRINIVASAN

Stress — who doesn't face it? Is it bad? How does one beat it? If these questions stress you out, help is at hand in the form of Dr. Neetu Jain, freelance naturopath, yoga therapist and founder member of the Prajna Institute of Yogic and Allied Sciences (PIYAS), New Delhi.

"There is no life without stress. A certain amount of stress is good. It is only when stress becomes strain and cannot be tackled that it creates problems," says Dr. Neetu.

"With the right kind of tools, you can overcome stress. These days, we are more intellectual than creative or intuitive and it is important to set right this pattern," she adds.

PIYAS (which conducts "UTSAV" courses for awakening oneself to one's inner potential and experiencing the joy of conscious living) advocates tools such as yoga, spirituality, Nature care and medical vaasthu to promote healthy, holistic and harmonious living.

Celebrate life

According to Dr. Neetu, life has to be lived like it were a continuous celebration. "When you celebrate an event or an achievement, you don't entertain negative thoughts. Can't we celebrate each and every moment of life," she asks.

The moment we feel despondent we should remind ourselves to get back to the happy mode."

Learning to love is an important component of stress management. "Everyone has the capacity to love. Man basically likes to live in harmony with other human beings. When you fight with someone, don't you want to patch up immediately? Negativity is something we accept instantly, but not positivity. When someone is angry with us, we don't doubt the emotion. But when someone says he or she loves us, doubts crop up. We begin to wonder whether there is a motive behind the statement."

Given that people spend long hours at work, PIYAS has devised a questionnaire listing the stress triggers in a work situation. Asked how these can be tackled, Dr. Neetu says, "The scriptures advise us to enhance our capacity.Any work assigned must be done with sincerity. If you receive negative feedback despite doing a thorough job, stop and think for a while. Go deeper into your self and unveil the level where there is no stress (this has to be learnt). Then it becomes easy to sort out the problems. Honest and open communication helps. If criticism is not constructive, forget about it. Results for work done will come but they are not in our hands. People who practise this have seen a lot of changes in their lives."

Besides, Dr. Neetu underlines the importance of including natural foods in the diet. "Heed the signals sent out by the body. That's why in Nature care, it is said `All diseases are curable but not all patients.' Remember healing is not an art but a biological process. Your lifestyle can either help or extend the period of healing."

Breathing right

Correct breathing technique helps combat stress, says the doctor. "Breathing right confers many benefits — the body is cooled down, the heart rate and the basic metabolic rate come down, BP becomes normal and the brain is relaxed. Breath is the bridge between mind and body. That's why when a person is angry, it reflects in the body and the breath. Once you relax the mind, it takes care of the body."

SUDHA UMASHANKER

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