There are four ways that stress manifests itself:
1. Physically – through illness, because stress of the mind is reflected in the body.
2. Mentally – through confused thinking, loss of perspective, difficulty in making decisions.
3. Emotionally – through feeling stuck in a heavy mood that will not shift, a feeling there is a dark cloud constantly overhead, the feeling that all the fun of life is gone.
4. Spiritually – sometimes referred to as esoteric stress, through the loss of motivation for life, a sense of meaninglessness, no reason to get out of bed each day, ‘what’s the point?’
So, what is stress? Stress is a kind of pain. If asked, no one would say that they want pain in their life and yet pain actually has a purpose. It comes as a signal, as a messenger that something needs to be learnt, something needs to be done differently. If, as I walk along, I feel pain because there is a stone in my shoe, the pain is telling me to stop and remove the stone, before it does real damage, and then I can continue my journey in comfort. In other words, pain tells us to listen, pay attention, otherwise the pain will persist.
There is a formula for the reduction of stress: Stress = pressure ÷ resilience.
If we want to reduce stress, what should we do? First of all, we could try to reduce the pressure we are under, but that is not always possible for everyone. It often ends up being just a temporary escape. What is possible, though, for everyone, is increasing the resilience of the mind.
Short-term fixes include exercise, deep breathing, creative visualisations and music. One long-term solution is to shift the attitude and vision I have towards my life. By increasing my inner power through meditation, I become essence-full, that is I stop overthinking and over time, accumulate the power of silence which helps in any adversity. Secondly, I can develop a broader understanding of the principles that govern life and base my interactions on this understanding.
This is empowerment of the self. First, there is the journey inward, that of knowing and understanding the self, the being within. Then the journey upward, knowing and understanding the Supreme Being. This is the beginning of a personal and private mind connection with The Supreme. This connection will influence the conditions of the life I live, and it is a very different way of living.
I begin to use the principle of power derived from a deeper understanding. I will become more powerful and the best in me will begin to surface. Whoever I spend time with, influences my behaviour. The Supreme Being is the ocean of peace, love, kindness, and so much more. If I spend time in connection with The Supreme Being, my mind will begin to absorb this subtle and beautiful influence of all goodness. I will continue to have difficulties which I must deal with, but the more I spend time in the connection with The Supreme, that is the more time I spend in meditation, the more help I will receive from very unexpected directions.
This is true for everyone. It is the right of everyone to experience this help and guidance from The Supreme Being. All it requires is the willingness to take the first steps on the journey, and there will then be no need to ever feel as though you have to face everything all alone again.