Stress in Women (Manage with Ayurveda and Yoga)

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Stress is an everyday fact of life. The modern lifestyle, with its fast pace, occupational achievements, personal ambitions, social pressures environmental poisons and orientation to sedentary mental work, present us with constantly stressful situations. In the case of women, the scenario is all the more serious

As the stress is inseparable part of modern life, we cannot escape it. But we can manage it. This book suggest women how to manage stress with the help of Ayurveda and yoga.

Raakhi Mehra is an Assistant Director in the Department of AYUSH Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Ayurveda Central Research Institute and IRCH, All India Institute of Medical Science, New Delhi. Also, she teaches Ayurveda at Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, New Delhi and celebrity guest in Pragya TV Chaannel.

In addition to a good number of research papers, Dr. Mehra has to her credit many books, Vrana and its Healing, Significance of Ayurvediya Marma, Man Kitna Aham, Introduction of Ayurveda to Yoga, Andaman-Nicobar; an Emarld of Ayurveda Tourism and Rituved. She regularly writers for Times of India and The Meri Dilli. She has received several awards and medals for her contribution towards the promotion of Ayurveda. Also, she had represented Government of India at the Second SAARC Ministerial Meet in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Stress caused by modern lifestyle seems to have affected almost everyone, cutting right across boundaries of age, sex and occupation. Daily life itself presents challenges and in the quest of making the most of every opportunity, most of us make commitments which we find difficult to fulfill. The very thought of failure causes additional stress which has a snowballing effect over time. Of course different individuals react differently but hardly anyone is immue from the pressures that are exerted on all fronts. Stress caused by competition can be inspirational and to that extent in can become the driver of high-performance. But if it is not managed properly,, it can also become the root cause of despondency leading to psychological damage. Reversing the negative outcomes of stress can become very difficult and therefore finding way to prevent manage stress become that much more important.

While the phenomenon of Stress is almost universal in urban life, women bear the impact of stress much more. Society and the family expect her to perform roles which have little interface with one another but carry huge responsibilities. The woman strives to become the perfect daughter, the perfect wife, the perfect mother and if fortunate enough, the perfect professional. When she encounters a letdown in her own performance in one role or the other, she comes under severe stress. Far from rationalizing her roles she begins to blame herself or others. This can be self-destructive which has been borne out by independent surveys which point to the extent to which women can neglect their own health and well-being, driven by guilt, ambition or social stereotypes. In snort a reaction to stress.

The Indian systems of medicine and particularly Ayurveda lay great stress on mental happiness which prevents the onset of psychic and somatic disturbances with an emphasis of nurturing a healthy mind.

Dr. Raakhi Mehra has written a book which is a scholarly treatise on the functions of the brain and body responses together with how the Ayurvedic approach promotes mental stability and physical well-being. The holistic approaches of Ayurveda and to some extent Yoga, naturopathy have been described by her latest book “Stress in Women”.

I wish Dr. Raakhi all the best in her endeavor to link science with tradition by presenting the basis and the substance for imbibing the goodness of the Indian system of medicine.

“When you build a house, everyday brick counts, when you build life, every thought counts.”

Stress is an everyday fact of life. Even primitive men could not escape from its clutches. The modern lifestyle, with is quick pace. An occupational achievement, personal ambitions, social pressures, environmental poisons and orientation to sedentary mental work, presents us with constantly stressful situation. Sushruta , one of the famous authorites on ayurveda, has described the signs and symptoms of a healthy person as :

Samadosha samagnischa samadhatu malakriya. Prasannatmendriya manah swasthya itibhidiyate.

The doshas, the functional unit of the body, must be in equilibrium, the cell metabolism and digestive fire must be in a balanced state, then the tissues and malas must work in normal state. The sensory-motor organs with mind and Atma should also be in a pleasant state. This is narrated by Herophilus who quotes that when health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, are cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied. If the equilibrium of dosha , dhatu and mala, the basic physiological components, is there without mental and spiritual happiness, especially in stress then good health is not possible at all.

Life means the state of being alive, quality manifested by metabolism, growth, reproduction, and adaptation to environment. The duration of life begins at the moment of conception and ends at the death of an organism. Biologically, the life of a system begins at the moment of conception and ends at death. Because of the power of legal and other reasons the answer to when life begins and death occurs has been subjected to various interpretations.

The concept that certain types of intervention may allow a person to impress other to get good result in studies, to get job satisfaction , to achieve skill/ targets to earn more money/ prestige/ power to live healthier would have been the case if those intervention had not been used. Examples would be in the areas of nutrition, exercise, abstinence from harmful things like cigarettes, intoxication, alcohol; etc means getting up from sleep in the night make a person more stressed.

The biggest killer in the world today, accounting for over 80 per cent death worldwide, is not war, infection or natural calamities, but it is modern lifestyle. As stress is an inescapable fact of life, it is mainly generated from the transformed lifestyle.

Almost every event is day to day life invokes a biological response, which can be termed as stress. Such biological responses are vital for evolutionary process. Primarily stress is needed for health. At the same time, when it goes beyond an acceptable level, it can be lead to negative effects on health. Hans seyle in 1936 first formulated the concept of stress in which he says, “Stress is the non specific response of the body to any demand. “ stress involves the HPA (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal) axis and stimulation of the neuro-vascular system.

The incidence of stress in general population has been increasing at a rate of one per cent per year, especially in female it is very predominant. While stress places a demand on human mind and body, it can be well managed with the right attitude. The stress- response can even be an asset for raising the levels of performance during critical situations such as examination, interview, performance, sports activities, an important meeting. Or in situations of actual danger or crisis. All parts of the body are stress apparatus which become chronically over or under activated, and causing physical or psychological damage over time. It is considered that stress also provide women with better coping skills, as a result of which they can raise their children in a better way. For women, their career works as personality enhancer but at the same time this creates more stress in a lady who is having multiple work within limited time and has to make all of them happy. Despite acquitting highest degree and better skills, male dominated jealous world also makes stressful condition in a woman’s career.

An appropriate stress response is healthy, necessary part of life and vital for evolutionary process. But when it goes beyond an acceptable level, it can lead to negative effects on health.

Long-term stress manifests itself as high blood pressure, metabolic disorders, hyper cholesterol, diabetes , hyper lipidimia, polycystic ovarian disease and other ailments ranging from anxiety to Alzheimer’s disease from problem on sex to serious trouble in reproduction, from metabolic to hormonal disturbances, fro, psychic irritation, loss of sleep to somatic auto immune deficient disease and even to cancer, from asthma to skin diseases from various pains to intense tiredness and different psychosomatic disorders and then without warning, strikes fatally as heart attack which accounts for approximately 60per cent deaths and cancer which accounts for 20 per cent deaths.

In medicine, stress is the result produced when a structure, system, or organism is acted upon by forces that disrupt the equilibrium or produce strain. In health care, the term stress denotes the physical (gravity, mechanical, force, pathogen, injury and psychological fear, anxiety, crisis, joy) forces that are experienced by individuals. It is generally believed that biological organisms require a certain amount of stress in order to maintain their well-being. However, when stress occurs in quantities that the system cannot handle, it produces pathological changes. This biological concept of stress was developed by Hans Seyle, who intended originally for stress to indicated cause rather than effect. But through a linguistic error, he gave the term stress to effect and later had to use the word, stressor, for the cause.

In July 1997, the world was taken by surprise with the news that the Russian spaceship Mir (meaning ‘peace’) had a sudden failure of its power supply due to a wrong command issued by Commander Vladimir Tsibiev. The physician in charge of the crew, Dr Igor Gancharov, explained very naturally that the mistake was resulted from the Commander’s high level of stress. Never had the word gained so much notoriety in so dramatic a circumstance.

The amount of stress humans can withstand without having a pathological reaction to it varies from individual to individual and from situation to situation. From the data obtained in World War II, it was determined that individuals exposed to the stress of combat would become non-functional at different levels of degree of stress experience, but there were degrees of intensity and duration of stress that none of the soldiers could experience and remained functional.

Studies indicate that women are definitely meant to be more sensitive and detail-oriented. Women are born with stress response system that are exquisitely sensitive, to enhance their ability to give care throughout life. But it is a double-edged sword. It also makes a woman more prone to facilitate others with disregard to her own needs.

An observation is made that though living status may not be up to the make but stress level is definitely almost in negligible way in tribes or rural population where satisfaction level is high. The satisfaction level is gone down drastically in each field for every individual.

In today’s busy world, women are rushing around with complex schedules; a variety of activities right from domestic of professional work, leading to long days and various stages of our age right from menarche to menopause or even after it. Women are mistresses of multi-task right from physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, cultural, social. Socio-economical, vocational, environmental, nutritional, hormonal, and educational burdens. Due to the multi-dimensional aspects of women, the intensity of psycho-somatic problems increases when there is less support and motivation or high workload at office even though they may be enjoying strong support at the home front. Women who perform super work in all areas with devotion become stress busters to build up more efficiency in their skills. For them, their career works as a personality enhancer. Each one of them has the power to become a highly energized healthy woman.

There are so many health care systems. Yet people are complaining of not feeling well even though their doctors tell them they are healthy.

Similarly, health for whole life of a woman is interwoven with the Indian systems of medicine to keep herself fit, happy and healthy forever. India is having prime vision on health sector and increased spending on health care, in tune with the commitments made in the national common minimum Programme, revamping medical education with a thrust on improving health care delivery in rural areas, to senior citizens, in population control and enforcing women health. But in this book, I would like to highlight the management from Ay (ayurveda , yoga and naturopathy systems of medicine which covers ) B ( behavioural approach), C (cognitive strategies), R ( relaxation techniques), M (meditation solution), etc

The holilstic approaches of ayurveda and yoga from Indian system of medicine deal with any situation from both prevention and cure aspects. Both sciences are attaining the four important goals of life, i.e. four Purusharthas. They are dharma, arth, kama and Moksha means service to self, to society, to family and attainment of Godhood. It one unit of the society, i.e. a woman wants to attain the way of self-realization and salvation by means of correct living, correct attitude, correct nourishment , correct thinking , correct behavior, and correct cognition , they must follow the rules of ayurveda and yoga,

The aim of the ayrveda system of medicine reflects the same that keeps yourself and the society healthy to maintain individual as well as social psychosomatic and spiritual health.

Similarly, the word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word yug meaning union with the divine. To achieve physical, mental and spiritual health, yoga creates a body-mind harmony by stretching all part of the body, massaging the internal organs, stimulating circulation and supplying oxygen to all parts.

Especially by the adoption of ayurveda and yoga systems of Indian medicine, it is possible for women to prevent the risk factors of stress and promote health as they neglect their own selves and often cannot cope with stress.

Based on this idea, the present book has come up in shape. The simple language and easy techniques to cope up with lifestyle-related stress, this book will certainly make the readers especially a woman happy. At the same time, this book also helps a man provider a healthy environment to a woman as a true son , father , friend or companion.

By reading the book a person can also understand how a lifestyle, unhealthy environment and self – negligence lead woman to stress which further hampers the functioning of her brain, metabolism , musculo-neural, hormonal, reproduction, respiration, and vitality as a whole. The coping methods, techniques and approaches from ayurveda and yoga mentioned in this book will certainly put one step forward in global health scenario.’

This book is an outcome of my stress in which I am bound to suffer due to my unreasonable bosses and crafty collegues on daily basis. My stress could be a good thing that helps strengthen myself by doing more creation and successfully putting forward the coping skill. By Satvajay and pranayama. With this I didecate the book Stress in Women: Manage with Ayurveda and Yoga to the life.

If you give your heart to holistic, natural AYU (Ayurveda , yoga and Unani Medicine), I think you will not get heart attack. A woman alone lives a worthwhile life, who has a cool head, warm blood, loving heart and zest for self. The search of SELF requires truth to the self.

At the onset , I express my deep sense of gratitude to the Almighty, without His blessing, the vision , Pragya, Dhi, Dhriti with Vivek in my life could not have come who always put me in the right direction in all stressful condition.

It takes vision to perceive opportunities. Grit to achieve targets; Work and dedication onto achieve goals, comparison to serve; but above all it takes a pioneer to lead.

I pay my salutation to Smt. Shailaja Chandra. IAS(Retd.), for not only her blessing but also her dynamism by which I got inspired to put excellence in my career since her tenure of Secretary , AYUSH, Government of India.

I pay my obeisance to my esteemed parents Mr.S.B.Gupta , Smt. Sarla Gutpa , in laws Mrs. Kanta Mehra , Commander B.K Mehra and husband wing Commander Manoj Mehra for their perception and inspirations for stirring my ambitions to achieve my goals , and who are creditable for carrying me in my present existence.

I express my special thanks to my loving kids Eshita and Manas for their cute smile which always provide me untold assistance, unstinting patience and happiness.

I personally thank my publisher, Readworthy Publications (p) Ltd, New Delhi, who has given my views in a very presentable and an attractive manner.

I am sincerely grateful to all whom I know personally or indirectly for their prudence, sagacity, continuous creative thinking, promotional blessing, unstined support, concurrence, zealous efforts, executive portfolio of distinguished guidance, for showering their great confidence on me which always motivate me towards better performance.

Moreover, I acknowledge the stress provided by unreasonable bosses , crafty collegues and jelous peers who always motivate me for new creation to burst out stress given by them.

I move with the infinite in nature power. I hold the fire of the soul. I hold life and Healing