Bust the Stress Even in its Peak!

Is your work stressing you out? Are deadlines and tight schedules making you irritable? Do you have mood swings during peak hours of your work? And you can’t do anything about it? Don’t worry. Here’s relief. We asked experts how anyone could deal with stress within a hectic work schedule. Dr. (Brig) S Sudarsanan, Sr. Consultant (psychiatry), New Delhi and Abhilash Ramesh, yoga expert, New Delhi reply to questions.
With the fast-paced life we are leading, we are always in a hurry. Our jobs have also become stressful due to deadlines, tight schedules, peak hours and other issues. Thus our life has itself become stressful. Often it is also seen that people try to reduce stress by turning to alcohol and other abusive substances. But this kind of abuse only increases the health problems. It is time we take stock of the situation and make some changes in our lifestyle so that the repercussions of stress do not affect us badly. Unwind!

When your job is stressful, there are certain health issues that plague you. Dr. Sudarsanan highlights, “First you will encounter stress related psychiatric disorders like Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder and Depressive Disorders. When these attack you, you do not care about what you eat or bother to exercise. The result is obesity. Once you are afflicted with obesity, Hypertension, Cardiac Disorders and Diabetes are not far behind. There will also be Sexual Dysfunction, Sleep disorders and Peptic Ulcer/Dyspepsia. If you abuse alcohol and other substance, close on heals you will also see disorders associated with alcohol and other abusive substances.”
Overcoming these disorders: Imagine, these nagging disorders taking the toll on your health! But according to Dr. Sudarsanan, there is hope. These disorders are often reversible or at least their negative effects can be reduced. His advice, “If you exercise, perform yoga, have adequate sleep and balanced diet regularly you can keep these disorders at bay. Adequate rest and recreation and healthy social life are important keys to a healthy life. Do not forget to go for regular health checks for it is better to find any disease at fundamental stages and not let it develop to a larger extent. Time management and prioritizing work are imperative. A ‘to do’ list is always a beneficial tool.”
Abhilash adds a few more of his suggestions to this list. He says, “A person in a stressful job can stay healthy by following the regime that Ayurveda prescribes; which is a whole body massage daily from top to toe. If not at least once a week at any genuine and good quality Ayurvedic center you should take the Abhyangam Therapy. You should also follow regular meditation practice during morning or evening hours. Morning walk is the best exercise and should be done on a regular basis. During work hours, you should take time out to do hand, neck and eye exercise so that you don’t feel tired and stressed. If possible, you should take a small walk in your office for sometime during the work time. This will help you in de-stressing.”
There are certain fundas of eating, too. Abhilash recommends, “If your job is more of a sedentary type, you should eat food that is easily digestible, fresh and healthy. Foods such as salads, soups, etc. are recommended while fried and junk foods are to be avoided.”

Managing Stress during Peak Hours: Peak hours can be worse. Sometimes, it might give you a nervous breakdown. To avoid such a situation, Dr. Sudarsanan suggests, “It is best to prepare a planned strategy. Then you should discuss this strategy with your colleagues and superiors in advance at least a day before. Have regular brain storming sessions. Practice relaxation exercises and pranayam when experiencing mental tension. Do not hesitate to consult mental health professional if your symptoms are not controlled.”
Abhilash says, “You can stay healthy in stress and in peak hours of work by doing some relaxing techniques like closing their eyes for few minutes and breathing in and out slowly in their sitting position. This will ease out the stress from eyes as well as mind and body.”