‘Happiness Is Not Something To Run After, We Can Find It Within Us’, Says Sister B.K. Shivani On How To Deal With Stress

New Delhi: Each one of us experience multiple emotions in our daily lives. According to experts, negative emotions lead to stress. This can be because of bad interaction with someone or some unpleasant situation, too much work, or even due to too much of everyday hassles like being stuck in long traffic jams. Negative emotions can impact both mental and physical health of people and so it is important to manage these emotions. But how can one deal with negative emotions like stress, ego and fear? To find answers to this, NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India Campaign conducted a Facebook Live interview with Sister B.K. Shivani, Spiritual Teacher and Mentor on how to deal with stress.

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Stress Is The Ratio Of Emotional Pressure And Inner Resilience

While talking to NDTV about stress management, Sister Shivani said that stress is the ratio between emotional pressure and resilience in a person. She said,

Each one of us respond to situations differently due to the difference in the coping powers. Something that is stressful for person may not be a matter of concern for someone else. For example, for a child the reason for stress could exams, for a professional it could be a target, in a relationship it could be getting along with the other person. A lot of these pressures are not in our control. It is important to note that the intensity of stress can differ with respect to our attitude towards it. We must learn to be more resilient because how much inner resilience or coping power we can have, is in our control.

She further said that instead of focusing on the situation, people need to work on building the coping power. She asserts that just like a person needs to build physical stamina to deal with physical stress, there is a need to build inner resilience to cope with emotional stress. She said,

Instead of blaming the people or situation, we need to focus on our thoughts because we are the creators of our own thought and feelings. If we feel stressed, it is because we let ourselves to feel so.

While answering a user’s question, Sister Shivani suggested that choosing the response towards a situation is a way to become the master of one’s mind instead of being mastered by it.

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Meditation Helps The Mind To Let Go Stress And Build Resilience

According to Sister Shivani, meditation is the key to a healthy mind, stronger resilience and better will power. She said that meditation comprises three things – building an affirmation, visualising it and experiencing it. As per her, one can start meditating with simple affirmations like ‘I am a happy soul, untouched by negative energies’, visualising and experiencing the same throughout the day which will help in being positive and calm. “As is our consciousness, so will be our thoughts and behaviour. Concentration and determination will always be elusive for a wavering mind. A simple life with control of mind can always find happiness,” asserted Sister Shivani.

She also suggested on being mindful while feeding the brain with outside content from sources like televisions, books, newspapers, and internet. She recommends consuming only that content which can help in keeping one positive and aids in personal growth of the person. Talking about the importance of keeping the mind under one’s control she said,

If the mind is not in control, the words will not be in control and eventually the body will not be in control of a person leading to complications like conflicts and accidents.

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Detoxify Mind For A Better Life Balance

Answering a question on maintaining a proper balance for a wholesome living, Sister Shivani said,

Mostly, right before sleeping and the first thing after waking up, what we do is check our phones. In this way, we stimulate our mind and go to sleep and we force it to become active as soon as it is awake.

She emphasised on sleeping well and stopping the use of mobile phones and computer devices two hours before sleeping and at least two hours after waking up. She stressed on disconnecting from work communication during the night and early hours and during vacations.

(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.) Helplines:

AASRA: 91-22-27546669 (24 hours)
Sneha Foundation: 91-44-24640050 (24 hours)
Vandrevala Foundation for Mental Health: 1860-2662-345 and 1800-2333-330 (24 hours)
iCall: 022-25521111 (Available from Monday to Saturday: 8:00am to 10:00pm)
Connecting NGO: 18002094353 (Available from 12 pm – 8 pm)

Watch the full video of the discussion on ‘How To Deal With Stress’ with Spiritual Teacher and Mentor, Sister B.K. Shivani

https://www.facebook.com/banegaswasthindia/videos/246307179601682/