Experts hand out easy hacks to overcome stress

Lucknow: Are you among those who feel that a desirable event does not cause stress? Or that stress is always unhealthy? You may be wrong. Experts say though stress is inevitable, a certain degree of stress makes life worth living.In a session on ‘Managing Stress in the Newsroom: Practical Tools for High Pressure Media Environments’, behavioural science expert Chandra Shekhar Varma and clinical psychologist Nandini Sharma from Amity University, Lucknow, shared insights on managing stress both in life and at workplace.Varma said stress occurs when demand exceeds supply. “We are not stressed because we have too much work; instead thinking that we work too much gives us stress,” Varma said.With the concept of ‘7 Cs’ – Choices, Confusion, Change, Contradictions, Challenges, Competition, and Commitment — Varma explained how life can’t be imagined without these. “Whenever any of these comes to life, it causes stress. But it can be managed through a mix of physical movement, mindfulness and digital detox,” he said at the workshop which was held for TOI journalists.Nandini shared that if not managed well, stress can lead to multiple woes: physical ailments such as headache, stomach ache, fatigue, sleep disorders; emotional issues such as irritability, sadness, mood fluctuations, anger; cognitive problems such as poor concentration, overthinking; and behavioural issues like social withdrawal, burnout, substance use, doomstrolling.She recommended techniques like deep breathing, grounding technique (5-4-3-2-1) where a person has to acknowledge five things they can see, four sounds they can hear, three textures they can touch, two things they can smell and one thing they can taste to destress oneself.The key takeaway from the session was that resilience is key to managing stress. “Instead of thinking of reducing problems, we should enhance our tolerance and patience level to deal with stressful situations,” said Nandini, adding that unplugging from screens and establishing daily boundaries will lead to a healthy life.The session ended with an engaging activity where the participants were asked to draw five things for which they are grateful. “This small activity is a stress buster and can help people calm down in times of stress,” she said.