Articles > Balanced Living > Stress is not the Enemy

Stress gets a very bad press these days, it is the number one culprit behind nearly every illness and condition humans suffer from, but it is NOT STRESS that is the real problem.

It is the mismanagement of stress that is one of the main factors behind all illness and disease.

The simple fact is that we cannot avoid stress in our lives. In fact, no one in their right minds should want a stress free life - because that would mean no excitement, no motivation, no joy, no fun, no sex - nothing. The problem is that all those silly headlines and scare stories are talking ONLY about the worries, and the mounting responsibilities - the not so fun side of stress.

In fact, it is the way we handle stress, rather than the amount and duration of stress itself that determines whether the stress in our lives is translated into bodily tension, worry and eventually ill health.

If we learn how to handle it effectively we can ride on the wave of stress and generally feel exhilarated and content with all aspects of our lives.

"Stress is implicated as one of the primary factors behind many health complaints.

It has been linked to heart disease, cancer, arthritis, asthma and the functioning of our immune system - which means everything from full blown AIDS to the common cold is effected by the stress in our lives." Unless you are able to totally retreat from the world then you will have some stress. When you are excited, that is stress. When you are stimulated, that is stress. And of course when you are worried or frantic or discouraged that too is stress.
The big difference between what I keep reading and what I have to say to you is the element of choice and control that we have. Every single one of us can learn to handle the stress in our lives in such a way that we stay healthy. Every one of us who is ill or in pain can change their condition, often very dramatically, by simply changing our daily routines and some of our attitudes.

Am I offering the answer to all pain, trouble and traumatic circumstance? Not at all, in life as we know it stuff happens. Of course we can learn from it all. What I am talking about is the possibility of transformation through a simple, easy regime that you control - that gets you to wherever you want to be. There are several things that each of us needs to be aware of, and to monitor in our lives, before we can arrive at that place of health where we are glowing and just as healthy and content as we can be. I am not talking about anything mysterious, nor anything that you probably have not heard of many times before. The sort of things I am talking about are nutrition and diet, relaxation, and learning to listen to our bodies needs.

Best of all - you can do this all by yourself and for yourself. There are many books on meditation, health through movement, food and juices for better health, nutrition, and many, many more topics. Of course you will need the time to read them, and the self motivation to explore the various options and pick out the best things for you at this time.
There are also many web sites that offer you free advice on how to handle your stress, and all of these strategies will be valuable for some people at some point in their lives. Your challenge will be to get started on your own, and to keep the motivation high enough so you continue with your stress management programme.

Help Getting Started

Of course, some of you might consider taking a course or a break that will help you get started. I am sure that there are many wonderful courses and breaks available, and I am not suggesting that the ones I offer here at Ashwhin are necessarily perfect for you. That is for you to decide.

I mention it because I care deeply about this world, and helping people to handle stress in their lives is an important part of my life. Also, like most of you, I rely on my work to financially support home and family.

What I will endeavour to do during the Stress Busting retreats and workshops is to introduce you to a huge variety of helpful strategies for handling stress.

The possibilities that I will present to you are simple. They include many ways of relaxation from breath control to meditation, several ways to develop your self awareness and suggestions for improving your dietary and health routine.

At every stage you are in the driving seat. You decide the pace, and the components of the changes to adopt into your daily routine.

This is because I don't believe that there is any single way of living that is more correct than every other. Each of us has different needs, different influences and different goals, so how could a single change or set of changes be right for each of us? It cannot.