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Simple life is a joyful experience, with absolutely no expectations, neither from self nor from others. Some may term it as mediocrity but this averageness is most under rated yet most valuable possessions in our life. Expectations cause anxiety, worry and lead to stress. There are several factors like blaring noise, crowded places, delayed flights/trains, unfulfilled ambitions that manifest into stress. Such factors are termed as stressors. Few optimists believe stressors help to push the individual to his maximum capacity. But is it really so? What is stress?

Air is pumped into a balloon. We see the balloon happily swelling in size. After a few more pumps we see the stretched skin and tension mounting. If we still continue to pump air into it, the balloon will burst. This is, exactly, the concept of stress turning into distress. Stress is good until it motivates to perform better. At one point of time fatigue raises its ugly head. This is a subtle indication of good stress turning into distress. More than often we ignore this warning and end up paying a heavy price.

It is one of the happiest moments when a child is born. The couple is instantly transformed into parents. Amidst this happiness, hugs , mirths and squeals, a worry is also born, a worry about the infections, the germs, and the virus. The mother is robbed of her happiness. Thankfully the infant is still too young to sop up the vibes of stress in his mother. As time passes, this child grows up and learns to observe and grasp things going around him. He observes the hustle bustle of busy life. He learns that life is a mad run. He says good bye to happy infancy and joins the crazy race. Few years on and he is ready for admission in Nursery school. Parents, turn by turn, help him learn counting and rhymes. Lo, he is a smart child. He learns counting, both forward and backward and the rhymes too, within a week. The frenzied parents are proud of their smart progeny. The kid has learnt everything that was supposed to be taught in the school, throughout the year! Unknowingly the parents have sown the seed of stress.

Schools reopen. Mother coos into the ear of the child to wake up. The child is too sleepy. She gives a gentle reminder thrice. Now her patience runs out, as the taps get dry after Municipality timings. Enough is enough; she says and wakes the child with a rude shake or a thunderous slap, depending on the stress level she is carrying within her. What a way to start the day! School life is a phase which is meant to discover, understand the world around us. It is to create our own theories, philosophies and inventions. But, stress plays its vicious role and kills all the natural instincts of discoveries and inventions. The child has learnt to look forward to days filled with stress.

Schooling is, now, to finish in a couple of years. The parents begin a massive preparation for tuitions, extra classes and competitive exams. Phew! Please hold on, take a break. Relax the overwrought nerves. Let the child breathe and take time to understand his goals in life. But, the real issues take a back seat as the priority is to get admission in the best college. The child is put on the horse of ambitions, saddled with expectations of parents, teachers and society. The parents hunt for best tutors, Coaching Institutes and ‘the van drivers’, just like a warrior who prepares for a sudden military offense by his enemy on all the frontiers.

The kids bid a grand adieu to the stressed school days to enter the much coveted college life. The college life is supposed to be filled with fun, romance, freedom and enjoyment. They look forward to experience the glamour straight out of Bollywood movies. But Alas! The enthusiasm takes a nose dive just like a cake baked without baking soda. The child, now an adult, realizes that real challenges have begun, Now. He is worried about placement and social status. The college life is spent worrying for a good placement and rest of the life is spent meeting everyday deadlines in the job. The fatigue starts raising its ugly head. For some it happens early and for others a little late in life. But it definitely happens to all of us.

Apart from serious issues in life, there are several other inlets through which stress makes its way into our life as the choking smoke sails through the open window. Soap operas, viewed for entertainment rate quite high to induce stress levels. The weird story lines, the dialogues, the counter dialogues, the climax, the anti climax, and most importantly the uncanny zooming of shots, to project faces with changing skin tones, to emphasize the seriousness of scene, also indicate our fondness to ensconce stress in more than one way.

At a subconscious level, we all induce stress into our lives. It pervades every thought, activity and each cell of our body. The seed of stress sown at a very young age has grown into a strong tree. This tree never blossoms, neither does it bear fruit nor does it render shade. By the time we realize the futility of this tree, it is too late. How often we hear students committing suicide under pressure, youngster dying of heart attack in the office. These are all the consequences of undue stress. We have turned every stone to build this culture of stress. We have ensured to make place for the stress in our life, just like the Arab who let the camel in. The type of stress we all are facing today cannot be cured with a ‘chill pill’.

How important is it really to win every race in the life? How much does it really count to be richer than the others? How much does it really matter to have a degree better than the others? In this vast macrocosm all these materialistic accomplishments are simply micro issues. They are actually not worthy of sacrificing the peace, beauty and serenity of life. Combatting stress at an individual level through Yoga, Meditation and Aerobics is a temporary solution. The real challenge is to extirpate the culture of stress by educating our generations to learn balancing the ambitions and achievements and also to differentiate the need and greed. We need to strengthen ourselves with confidence and decision making to face all the situations.

What is this life so full of care

We have no time to stop and stare.