When everyone from a newscaster to a national leader talks about the “crises” and the “pandemic”, it takes quite a daring to make this declaration.

I’m not unduly stressed.

In fact, I’m very positive about this situation. May be it’s because where I live. India has one of the lowest death rates in the world for Covid-19 with nearly 50% of the infected people walking out of hospitals hail and healthy.

Or, may be, it’s the fact of staying indoors for seventy days. The forecasters of doom may say stay-at-home would trigger stress and depression, but the only worry I have is how to curb my humour on the situation that could sometimes land me in trouble because I might sound a lot less serious when I should be sounding otherwise.

Yes, the pandemic has hit my finances. Yes, there’s always this anxiety about economic paralysis that has already brought down a few businesses and my industry isn’t immune from the troubles. If I have any illusions about it, I’ll have to consult the headlines to reassure myself that things aren’t great.

But I’ve been through worse in the last few decades, thanks to blindness and its consequences. Being in a crises isn’t new. It’s like being a social worker in a virus-hit city area. When you defuse one crises, there’s always another to take its place. The pandemic may be a global phenomena, but I’m facing it the way I did of every other crises: as an individual with family and friends for support. So my troops are right where they were when I faced my last crises. They’re ready to fight for me, as I adjust my armour and reach for the sword.

Truth be told, you’d feel the same. You don’t need a life-shattering crises, but something sobering and significant has already happened in your life, the memory of which is keeping you strong right at this second as the world around you is teetering.

Believe it or not, human beings like you and I draw strength from tragedies that strike our lives and apply the lessons in a crises situation.

Foremost thing of all is, you realise that excessive stress is bound to break you down sooner, when you’re fighting to remain relevant in a world gripped by the fear of economic collapse and social chaos.

Like many things in life, stress is inevitable, especially if you’re wrestling with impossible situations. But letting it spiral out of control would hurt you physically, emotionally and psychologically.

FIVE THINGS YOU COULD DO TO KEEP STRESS IN CHECK
PRACTICING RELAXATION

When you realise that your stressing out, the first thing you should do is to stop whatever you’re doing, take a break and consciously try to relax.

Deep breathing is a foolproof method.

All you need to do is to sit erect and ensure your spine is straight. Inhale slowly, steadily without stutters and jerks. Let your stomach fill with air. When it gets full, slowly, gently release the air steadily without stutters or jerks. Continue this until you feel totally relaxed.

Another method is to imagine your body releasing the stress while exhaling. You could imagine black smoky air escaping your nostrils like exhaust from the tailpipe of a vehicle. As you inhale and exhale, issue a gentle command to your subconscious mind to relax.

PRACTICING POSITIVE AFFIRMATION

Experts say that self-talk, or auto-suggestion, is an effective way to break negative behavioural patterns.

During one of the most stressful times of my life, I heard this statement in a self-help tape: ‘there’s a movie playing inside you complete with picture and audio. It doesn’t mimic but predicts your action.’

A voice is constantly going on inside the head, like a commentator of a football match. What that voice says has a tremendous impact on the subconscious mind. That’s why it’s important that you create statements of your own to make sure your subconscious mind releases stress out and relaxes.

Here’re some of the self-talk, positive affirmation statements I use for myself

I stay relaxed to achieve all my goals

I confront problems with a relaxed mind. I find out the reason and solve the problem. It’s that easy.

I always find what I want without panicking or getting excited.

I love my work, I love my life and it’s easy to find ways to earn

Love and peace are at the centre of my existence. I approach all my challenges with love and grace.

I trust the higher force to help me overcome a crises.

If you’re not impressed with these, you can create your own positive statements.

PLAYING RELAXING MUSIC OR MANTRAS

Soothing and relaxing music remove the tension in the atmosphere. They help you clear your mind and keep focusing on the task at hand without the need to stress out.

My favourite has been the Tibetan singing bowls. You find the bowls in the market place of any town/city (mine is a gift from a friend in the U. S.) or you can play the recordings in YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4QfgQ3CcC0) which are also extremely relaxing.

Similarly, you can play the Om chants (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL_cSZ_LWC4), binaural beats (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaBt0q0Xgr4 ) or any chanting that could create a relaxing atmosphere.

BURNING OR SNIFFING AROMATIC OILS

This is also my favourite activity. I specifically like Jasmin or Rose oil. At office, I pour several drops of Lemon essential oil on a tissue paper and sniff it frequently. Lemon revitalizes the brain and makes you feel fresh.

HOLDING CRYSTALS OR MALA BEADS

The semi-precious crystals and gemstones have the quality to create meditative effect. Especially stones like Amethyst, Rose Quartz or Hematite. If you have one of these stones (just a 100 gram rough chunk will do), just hold it in the palm and do deep breathing. You’ll feel instant relaxation.

If you don’t think crystals work for you, you’d probably like to fix a blue light in your work area and stand in its glow for ten or fifteen minutes. Warning: standing in blue light for more than half an hour would make you lazy or depressed so don’t overdo.

Ultimately, you as an individual like to evolve your own methods of relieving stress. It could combine all the above techniques, or something entirely different.

Let us know in the comment area so that it can help anyone looking for ways to handle stress.

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I’ve spoken about storytelling in this space before. So, when I announce another webinar on storytelling, you might think in what way it is different? I’ve even tried to start a storytelling community but I wanted more time and thought process to build something meaningful.

Now, after research and reflection, I’ve designed a webinar basically to help each of you discover the personal narrative that comes from the core of who you are and use it to sound authentic, persuasive and appealing in your job interview, business presentation or fundraiser campaign.

I’m basically trying to reach more students so that they learn to be effective in their communication. If you are a student, you wouldn’t like to miss it because this vital skill would open all the doors in your quest to achieve success.

And if you are not, you’d probably like to refer someone who you know need this badly. I’m knocking off 25% of the fees if you refer someone. It’s only a small gesture to show my respect and appreciation for your willingness to help a youngster.

All you need to do is to use the below link to register and follow the payment instruction (which isn’t anything difficult). In case you need more clarification, feel free to comment below or write to me personally at: lsubramani.visa@gmail.com

Remember, I’m only admitting 15 people to this webinar so that I could achieve the goals. If you miss this, you may have to wait for some more time for the session again.

Register here: https://subramani-lakshmi.ck.page/579333d94f