Stress, like essentiality, has taken the shape of an indispensable part of our lives; especially in today’s times. Earlier health issues witnessed queues of older generation but 21st century is unfortunately dealing with heart problems or ailments like blood pressure and diabetes, etc., in the younger generations too. On finding out we shall get to know that it is not only a consequence of snowballing strain among the youth but also a contribution of their arbitrary lifestyle.
Yes, competition has increased and so has the definition of healthy competition. We no longer believe, consciously or subconsciously, in competing with ourselves to become the better versions of our previous selves. But globalization and consumerism has developed invisible robotic features that have somehow turned us into mechanical slaves – all running after success. Practically it’s pointless to denunciate ourselves totally because we are webbed into societal expectations, lessening support networks, expectations from self, less time for recreation and more. A child in his teens stresses about his exams, worrying about his parents’ treatment towards him, a salesman is literally under pressure constantly as his inability to meet the targets might cost him his job, women are anxious about maintaining the balance between family and professional lives and examples could just go on. Be it the youngsters or the adults, everyone is hit by the stress bug in some way or the other, which on not being controlled is leading to lifestyle disorders like high cholesterol, high blood pressure or even cardiac arrest. Some experts reason out technology as well as disposable income to be crucial factors in affecting biological functions like sleep and appetite.
Many studies have revealed that almost 70 percent of people working in IT Sector of India are prone to cardiac diseases due to night shifts, untimely food habits and even inadequate sleep at the end of the day. On the bigger picture, a killing that took place in 2015 in Odisha where a constable of District Voluntary Force killed his whole family and then himself in relation to a family dispute that caused him extreme stress reflects how stress in today’s times is capable of grave psychological disorders. Although unwarranted stress can lead to bizarre situations in one’s personal lives and can handicap their social and occupational functioning, still some experts like to believe that stress is not mandatorily a limitation to our daily activities as it can act as a positive push directed towards the accomplishment of our goals, decided by an individual’s coping mechanism.
The need of the hour is self-ownership of health, backed universally by health experts. Schools and colleges must make physical activities and yoga compulsory in their curriculum to help children appreciate the importance of health from an early age and learn to deal with it as an individual subject. Along with rigid awareness about smoking and intake of drugs, the government should not merely uphold vague promises but highlight health sector in its main agenda. Primary healthcare seeks attention and along with infrastructural fulfillments, government must look after its delivery services which are extremely poor in India. However, all being said, the simplest solution lies in effectively managing time for staying physically and mentally healthy. After all, stress is nothing but an attempt of temptation that we must kick right back at!
