2. The only way of effective stress management is
to understand the nature, causes, dimensions,
mechanisms, effects and principles of
management of stress. Basically this involves
improvement in cognition, affect and conation.
In other words, this involves improvement in
our views, our feelings and our actions. In my
book, โSTRESS, UNDERSTANDING AND
MANAGEMENT, A WAY TO TOTAL WELL
BEINGโ, I have discussed these things.
But having studied the basics required in
stress management one looks forward for
greater efficiency.
For more effective management of stress,
management of conceptual stress is essential
and for that, further improvement in views,
feelings and actions is essential. For this, it is
imperative to study issues, which affect
3. private as well as public life and especially
those issues, which are pertinent to our
fields.
Please remember, without evolving views,
feelings and actions with respect to issues in
individual as well as social life, pertinent to
your field, stress in general and conceptual
stress in particular can not be managed
effectively.
Unfortunately many of us try frantically to
manage stress [and conceptual stress],
without this understanding and as a result,
create and perpetuate misery for themselves
and the society. All short cuts marketed
under the disguise of stress management can
at times be temporarily useful but ultimately
prove useless and even counterproductive in
personal and social life.
4. Now let us see why effective stress [and
conceptual stress] management is essential.
Every one of us has stress. Thus a student may
have stress of examination or competition and a
doctor may have a stress of treating a difficult
disease. A farmer may have stress of drought
and a mill worker may have stress of lay off. A
Prime Minister of a country may have stress of
a crucial decision making such as nuclear
testing, dealing with religious sentiments or flak
from media etc.
It has to be appreciated that just as the causes of
the stress vary, the implications of the stress
also vary.
Thus the adverse effects of the ineffective
management of stress in individual life as well
social life vary. Thus the student may avoid
appearing for examination, the doctor may shirk
5. from his duty, the farmer may commit suicide
and the mill worker rendered jobless may be
forced into illegal underworld activities. The
wrong decision of a Prime Minister may
influence not only his life but also that of the
generations after generations of one or more
countries, in adverse ways.
This clearly illustrates that the adverse effects
of stress are not restricted to oneโs own body
and oneโs own family. The ineffective
management of stress by political leaders,
industrial leaders, union leaders, media leaders,
religious leaders and in general people involved
in decision making can adversely affect various
walks of life and even the future generations
directly or indirectly.
This is comparable to most dangerous and
rapidly spreading pandemic infectious disease.
The patient suffering from such infectious
6. disease, if does not undergo proper treatment,
then he/she would harm himself/herself as well
as the others.
Effective management of stress [and
conceptual stress] therefore, is vitally
important for oneโs own well being and that
of the society as well!
Dr. Shriniwas Kashalikar
