11 | May | 2013 | omlinkblogPlease do click the link below the picture to view the Animation to help learn more about how we create stress. Clear explanations with helpful diagrams and good options are included. Thanks again Jacinta for posting this for all to share. Please do think of family and friends who may benefit from viewing this animation and share with All, thanks for viewing, Namaste.
Feb13
omlinkblog 
this is a great reminder and I have so many people to share it with! thanks. the surgery went SO VERY WELL. I expect to see you Saturday morning..is there class?
Awesome!
Namaste
This video provides a great explanation of stress and the ways in which we can prevent it from pushing our lives in a negative direction. Instead of giving into the notion that stress is the result of external factors, we can instead realize that it is our thinking and attitude which largely determines the stress we feel. Because we can change the way we think and view things in our life, we are the ones truly in control of how much stress we feel and how we handle difficult situations. I really appreciated the way in which this video described what it is we can do right now to better the way we go about our lives.
Namaste
This is a great video because everyone experiences stress but we often blame situations for our stress. In reality, it’s something that we create for ourselves through our own thoughts and it can be difficult to gain control of those thoughts and manage our stress. Many illnesses are linked to stress and we can sometimes channel stress into sports, our health, or our attitude. However, medical patients who had some form of stress relieving therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness techniques, had improvement in their conditions. This shows how reducing stress can improve health whether you’re suffering from an illness or living with everyday stress. The doctor points out commitment, control, and change as the three steps or factors in reducing and managing stress. Being aware of our thoughts and keeping them simple are things we can do every day to help train our minds to avoid creating stress and a practice that we take part in if we feel overwhelmed with stress is writing letters to express that stress but not sending them. Personally I’ve gone through CBT therapy, mindfulness therapy, and I’ve written “stress letters” and I’ve had great experiences with all of them and I recommend them to anyone feeling stress. Overall I liked the video because of the factual information and that the doctor who made the video wasn’t pushing the idea that reducing stress will cure everything because I have seen reports like that and it’s frustrating. I appreciated this video and gained some valuable insight on stress that I wouldn’t have known otherwise.
-Emily Gregorek
An honest, fresh and well written comment, thanks for your insight and appreciation…Namaste
This video was interesting because it showed me just how deadly stress can be and how the things we get attached to (sports in the example the video gave) can have such profound effects on our health (correlation does not equal causation but it was interesting that the 50% increase in heart attacks only occurred to the Dutch people and not the French). His advocacy of mindfulness is something I am implementing in my daily life to alleviate stress and anxiety and having seen this video now I know just how important it is not to let stress run our lives.
OM
Overall I thought this video was very helpful in inspiring me to manage stress better. I like how he refrained from saying all stress is absolutely bad, and gave the analogy of a bicycle tire that works well with some air but not too much. I also appreciated that the video cited actual research on the benefits of practicing mindfulness, and it was found to have equal success at managing stress than drugs! Even though this is not the first time I’ve heard about the negative effects of stress, it always surprises me how much stress can impact our physical well-being, and how much our lifestyle, or our mental approach, can change the level of stress experienced.
-Jessica
OM
When the narrator of the video started to discuss how to reduce stress, he mentioned to change your thinking, to keep your thoughts basic and simple during times of stress: “I WILL sleep better, I WILL eat better”, etc. This reminds me of a book called The Secret, (the film is also on Netflix, its super interesting, I highly recommend it), which is essentially about the laws of attraction. The book goes on to discuss how our lives are the physical manifestations of our thoughts; all we have to do to achieve better outcomes in life is to simply think of them, imagine ourselves obtaining what we want, and the universe will provide it. The Secret doesn’t suggest that envisioning yourself as a millionaire 24/7 will make a hefty check appear in your mailbox overnight. However simplifying that thought of becoming a millionaire and thinking it over regularly, will bring forth simple opportunity and simple methods to obtain your millions that may not have been apparent before. The same can be done to reduce stress, I find the video to be very similar process and I can personally vouch as being a more relaxed person since adopting this method of thinking.
OM
I was not expecting something like this video to come up in this class because its not specific to yoga, but I’m glad it did and I enjoyed watching a video that is fully related to my everyday life. Dr. Evans talks about managing stress and points out how realistically it can be a bad and a good thing. We deal with stress everyday and by changing our mindset and how we think about our everyday stressors, we deal with stress effectively. Dr. Evans points out that we create our own stress and
therefore we have full control over it. If we can keep the 2 Cs in mind, Commitment, Control, and Change, then stress can be a lot less stressful. Being in school I deal with stress of many kinds everyday and Its ,nice to be reminded that it’s manageable and using techniques, especially ones from this class, life doesn’t have to be so stressful.
Namaste
This video was very eye-opening. I had always perceived stress as something external. It hits you like a truck. But stress ultimately comes from within, from the projection of our thoughts. I’ve been reading and hearing that happiness is a choice which means its a thought that you choose to have. So conversely stress is a choice. It’s your decision to perceive a situation as bad. Your consciousness is your own and situation is what you make it. Last semester I studied abroad in Istanbul, Turkey which is a predominately muslim country. Everyday, 5 times a day, there was a call to a prayer. At first it struck as something obtrusive and harsh. But after a month they became welcoming and the consistency and melody in prayer brought me a meditative peace for the 5 minutes they lasted. There is something so profound to think that someone 20 or 100 mile away is listening to the same prayer and that you are connected in such a grand way. What was originally stressful became a peaceful occurrence as I learned to appreciate it.
OM
That video was awesome. I notice that I have major stress issues. I often create these negative thoughts and allow them to manifest in my mind which in turn makes me worried, anxious, and upset. It is interesting that we create our own stress even though we tend to blame our surroundings. My mother always told me, “You can’t control anyone’s actions, only your reaction.” Making choices to have a positive attitude can help with dealing with stressful situations where you may be prone to act negatively. As I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, practicing Isha Kriya is assisting me with my stressors. The video suggests that you write letters to people that make you feel stressed without sending them and I’ve tried this method many times before; I strongly suggest everyone try it because it is unbelievably helpful. I write down whatever I feel is bothering me and it allows me to sort out my thoughts without exploding on someone. Commitment, Control, and Change! Three extremely important elements of my attitude that I struggle with. I’m quick to give up, scared of losing control, and learning to change my attitude. I’ve become more aware of myself and open to working on these things to better my mind, my body, and my health.
These are all wonderful experiences, congrats on incorporating these new ideas….OM
I very much enjoyed this video. I loved the use of animation to enlighten the viewer with great advice on how to deal with stress. I found it interesting that Dr. Evans talked about both the negative and positive aspects of stress, and how if regulated and targeted correctly, stress can be used constructively. I loved the quote by Dr. William James “our greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” This is so important to remember in our daily lives and how it is up to each and every one of us to remain at peace in our own minds.
OM
In the next scripture, we see Arjuna suffering from paralysis of the will when the skin starts burning, when the bow Gandiva slips, when Arjuna can’t stand etc. The same exist when we suffer from confusion and paralysis of our will when we say we want peace but instead we go and fight wars and kill millions of people. This is true in all facets of live. When we say we don’t like violence but we let our kids watch violence television shows and play violent video games etc. The list goes on and on and this scripture seems to be addressing that and one way one can fight this paralysis of the will and confusion is by practicing the teachings of the Gita, which shows us that real bravery and strength comes from a person “who is patient under attack, who will not retaliate, who will suffer rather than inflict suffering on others. etc. Easwaran also reminds us that this is the same message that Jesus Christ preached, the same message the mystics preaches, the same message Sri Krishna preaches etc.
Remember to write about your Isha Kriya practice and to print out your comments for remainder of assignments, thanks, OM
I agree with the video’s mention of positive versus negative stress. If I focus on the external problems of the ones I love it will stress me out because in conjunction I am ignoring my own problems; allowing them to fester and worsen. On the other hand if I focus on my aspirations and advancements in a disciplined way that is beneficial to my well being then I feel a productive/positive stress. When a bone is broken is it not stronger when allowed to properly heal and in turn more resistant to break under stress?
In stress related to projection/aspirations I find the concept of recognizing the fact that to much rigidity leads to anxiety. You need to be more like water than ice if you want to move through anything. Glaciers are solid and sluggishly blow through the earth; water flows rapid and always finds it destination.
To keep it basic we must maintain a foundation of well-being in order to tackle any endeavor. A house on a mountainside will topple into the valley if not for a strong support system; the same way a person without a strong spiritual fitness is prone to relapse on their drug addiction in a surface attempt to cope with stress.
Sam McCausland
OM
I really enjoyed the video on how to manage stress. I think stress is an unfortunate thing we all go through, and have noticed that the way people handle it is completely dependent on the person. I for example, tend to handle it in not the best format, letting it build up inside of me until I have anxiety about things that are far beyond my control. What the narrator said about us being able to control it, and just changing our mindset really stuck with me. I think it is very true, as everyone is dealt with different challenges but how we are able to handle it is a factor in how healthy we can be. I have tried to resolve some stress factors by coming at it with a positive mindset, and exercising, and have noticed that I am happier in my day to day activities. Though sometimes I stress about things beyond my control, what I can control is how I handle it, and that is what the video reiterated. I think it is alarming that doctors feel as though 70% of their consultations are stress related, because it is something that can be managed. Yet I think it is important to understand the importance of the alarming statistic and make drastic changes into how we handle stress. It is not an alienated notion, everyone experiences stress, yet how people handle it should be something we can all tackle together and provide a healthier outcome. I really liked the style in which the video was shown as animation with dialogue keeps the viewer interested, and doesn’t bore us with a power point type style. I think it illustrates a difference in his thinking than the average person. He wants to bring a positive and fun light to teaching, thus grabbing the viewer’s attention immediately.
Well stated, thanks, OM
I loved this video, and made sure to share it with my friends and family! Stress is definitely something that affects everyone, and while everyone handles it in different ways, I find that overwhelmingly, it just causes negativity, anxiety and pain not only for the person experiencing the stressful feelings, but also for the people that they interact with in everyday life. Stress can negatively affect your relationships, work/school productivity, and even your health — which is why it is such an important thing to keep control of. Like the video mentioned, changing your mindset is a key component in managing stress. I find that when I am stressed out, I become consumed by racing thoughts and worries, which causes me to freak out or break down completely. Snapping myself out of that mindset by focusing on the bigger picture helps me calm down.
OM
I found this video to be a very helpful and constructive explanation to why people accumulate stress and what they can do to avoid it. I found the information about the current trends in mental health to be interesting because I think its true that the importance of mental health only revolves around major diseases, such as bipolar disorder and OCD. These diagnoses usually come with lots of medication, which can be very detrimental to the patient. During the last few years of my life I have noticed that I have become way more stressed about certain situations, and that i have taken on somewhat of a stressful mentality about life. I find myself often forgetting the exact cause of my stress, i notice that I would be way more stressed out than normal. My time spent in yoga has greatly decreased my stress, and articles such as these help greatly. Through conscious breathing and positive thinking I feel that its possible to overcome about any stressful situation.
Wonderful I hope you stay on your path….Namaste
Upon hitting play, the first thing I noticed was that there was something rather soothing about the narrator’s voice (I’m sure it wasn’t an accident haha). It definitely opened me up to truly listening and simply taking in the information. I tend to get very overwhelmed with stress and a lot of times I’ve noticed it is my own thoughts that cause me to become anxious. It is my own mind that floods my body with these stressful thoughts. He discussed how stress has to do a lot to do with negative thoughts and that by changing the way you think makes a huge difference. By letting go of thoughts and focusing your attention somewhere allows you to concentrate and not fall into these negative thoughts. A lot of times stress can be dealt with by changing your train of thought and simply remaining positive and “Think Basic”. To stop overthinking and simply focus on the simple steps and take it little by little rather than take it all at once.
-Lucia Meneses
OM
I understand how this video helps manage stress. Western culture deals with stress in a different manner than Eastern cultures. Although we all naturally go through stressful experiences, how we deal with it effects our health. I understand the video’s mention on positive stress. I enjoyed the video’s positive effect on stress, because although stress is mostly associated with negative effects, there are also good things that come from it. We can only control our own reactions, therefore we must watch how we act around others. I liked that message from the video.
OM
In the video Dr. Mike Evans explains how stress affects us. He says that there was research done following a soccer championship game between the French and the Dutch. During that time it was found that there was a 50% higher chance of getting a heart attack. I truly believe this because naturally when people experience high stress levels their blood pressure increases which increases risk of heart attack. I believe that some stress is important especially if it’s short term like a game or finishing a paper. He also says that stress is in the mind, which I feel is correct and to handle stress by changing your mindset. I agree that changing your mindset is a huge part of managing stress.
Good comments…missing about your Isha Kriya practice…
It’s very easy to blame stress on work, school, relationships etc. but what we don’t realize is that we generate our own stress. This video reaffirmed the idea that stress does take a toll on our health, especially when we put our own health on the back-burner. We tend to let things overwhelm us and stress us out and we forget to take care of ourselves, mentally and physically. I remember going to a neurologist for the first time when I was 14, because I suffered from constant headaches, and I was shocked when all he wanted to know was about my stress levels. I was expecting medicine but instead he prescribed a good nights rest, to get my sleeping schedule in check, and to take things easy. I liked this video because the doctor did not say all stress is bad, and he gave many actual sources of research etc. I will be sharing this video with people whom I think will benefit from hearing his ideas, just as I have.
Isha Kriya: So far this week I have been able to do the Isha Kriya only once, and I have felt the difference in stress levels (they’re a bit higher) especially because it is finals week and I am not giving enough time for meditation.
Well this was a great visual into and behind stress. I never really factored in all the little things in my life that can cause and bring on stress. To manage stress is something I have been working on in my life with talk therapy, but I never thought of yoga to really help. I found myself relating to the part where it is talked about the negative filter. I have always had a negative filter my entire life. I always think the worst of every event. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is something i believe to be very extremely helpful and beneficial. I have ben diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. SO relying constantly on medication is stressful alone, all these tips and ways of helping stress was wonderful to learn about. Everything is able to be controlled in life or at least be helped, not everything is out of hands reach to control, what a helpful video and great way to see pictures as tips being explained. -Shannon Reilly
I am so happy that you can relate to the ideas from the video and that they are helpful…I am sure this semester will offer you a variety of yogic tools to bring more balance and wellness into your life…OM
I feel the biggest piece of information in this entire video is the idea that we create stress for ourselves! Yes, there are many things through out peoples lives which may cause more stress then other, but it is our mind set that can turn this stress into something that will eventually negatively affect us. It is our jobs as functioning people to deal with this stress safely and let is help us. We need to categorize the difficulties in our lives into things that we can manage in small pieces. letting stress build up inside you will, like the video states, cause you to “hit a bump and explode.” Small amounts of stress is good for motivation you to get something done, but when you let it build up, it starts to affect your health. After all, high stress levels make you 50% more likely to be affected by heart attack of high blood pressure. We need to stop looking at the people who manage stress well as “having it too easy”. Everyone has stressful situations in their lives and everyone deals with it differently. It is out job to let this stress not hurt us, but to help us.
Yes! Namaste
This video articulates a lot of things I have been thinking about lately. I think it basically comes down to one issue: if you can be happy in the present moment, you will be happy. It is really, really easy to get caught up in worrying about the future, and for me, there is always this vague, scary idea that looms in the back of my head, what if I end up a failure? What if nothing goes right? What if my future turns out rotten?
All of these questions are so vague and broad, they seems real when they first arise, but once I start to unpack them, I realize they are illogical questions to be asking one’s self. There is no “end up,” there is no point in the future where you have messed up so badly you are stuck in one bad place forever, everything is transitory and in motion all the time. So if you can deal with stress, change, problems and take joy in life, you will be fine. there is really no need to worry, because there is always a way out, a way to improve, and if there isn’t, you can think positively, be thankful to be alive, do one little thing each day that makes you happy. It is how you interpret each present moment that defines who you are.
You’ve got it! OM
I’m glad the video mentioned that not all stress can be bad; we as humans face external pressures at all times, but these pressures are completely manageable and a good part of life because they push us to be better versions of ourselves. It’s only when you lose the ability to effectively manage your stress level that you see the negatives. Our ability “to choose one thought over another” is one of our greatest assets. The fact that this was proven by the CBT study on heart disease just goes to show that people put an unnecessary amount of stress on themselves and alleviating that stress can literally save your life. The number one killer in the United States is heart disease, so the thought of saving thousands just by changing the way they think about themselves and the world around them is absolutely astounding.
I also found it interesting that the Mindfulness course utilized many of the same practices we use in yoga: increased self-awareness, meditation, breathing, and letting go of distraction. Yoga itself is a course in mindfulness, and that’s why it’s so effective in alleviating stress. Our practices give us the opportunity to live simplistically, if only for the brief windows of time we devote to yoga on a daily basis.
Well stated, thanks, OM
Firstly, I love animation clips. They are a great way to communicate ideas to someone who is drawn to visual examples like me. It was very interesting to see how even sports, something thought of to be fun, could stress a whole demographic of people who lived with stress about the outcome so much so they had bad health outcomes. It really does begin to articulate how our perspective or attitudes towards something, even if we love it, can cause us to go into despair.
Glad that you are receptive to the post and information, please do invest more time and effort in your comments to include: comparison, contrast, personal experiences to validate your understanding of the information in a college level well written essay format to earn a grade you will be satisfied with, thanks, OM
I agree strongly with this animation. Stress is one of the leading causes of health issues and unhappiness in peoples lives. We let it pile up because it is so hard to actively change it since it is something we cannot physically see happening to us (which is an issue with mental heath issues across the board). I watched the negative effects of stress on my grandmother who is currently living with leukemia. Her health was stable with the condition, but after a negative and stressful experience at the hospital one day, her health suffered consequences.
I also experience negative effects from stress, ranging from disrupted sleep to crippling anxiety. There are also the positive effects of stress. I resonated with the concept of “the right amount of stress” concept, because to function in this society or get something done, we must work and do more always. Creating stress with boundaries is a way to function efficiently, and “do good” as Lincoln said.
I also wanted to mention about how my stress and anxiety informs my practice in the arts. I utilize and take advantage of my issues to make informed work about how stress makes me feel and translate it into a visual form. I think this is my way of dealing with stress/anxiety, like the way the animation suggests writing a journal to address the self. Art is meant to console, and I use for that purpose.
I would love to know more about your art as a product of channelling anxiety…please share….OM
Thanks for your honest reflective comments that are validated with your own experiences….Namaste
Stress for myself has been very positive in my life, Usually i have used my stress in a positive way. Stress has been a good push for myself to keep going in life. I agree that changing the way you think does help improve your life. When i had just entered my freshman year in high school my mother left us stealing much of our savings and most of all my need for a mother. Stress was every where, in my father, in school, at work. At 14 i could not play with my friends, i was working so i could buy my books and clothes for school. The stress turned into depression i was failing in school, i wasn’t having fun with my friends because i had to work. As some years went by i realized how negative i had become in life from my stress, so i changed my mind set and improved my life, using my stress to become a better person this was also around the time i began bikram yoga. I found peace with my mind because i then realized i was taking the right step forward, it isn’t about freezing and shutting down when times get tuff, but to keep going and pushing through it. Stress has become my ally, i remember when i started working at my first job and Maria this wonderful woman who was training me asked are you nervous or stressed and i said yes….she replied that means that you care…it is good.
Gianna Caranfa
Namaste
Love this video. Shared it with friends and family. I was aware of CBT and Mindfulness before this video, and have experienced and shared both information and practice of change the way I think. Control of the mind is one of the most important tools in life. The mind controls everything from health to behavior. I can see how this relates to yoga. The physicality of yoga is the easiest part for me. Pushing my body to go where it previously could not. The hardest part is final relaxation. Letting go, forgiving myself, calming down my anxious mind which is constantly jumping thought to thought. The ability that is developed during final relaxation is almost the same thing as what this doctor is describing. Mindfulness. It helps stress, it affects happiness, and even health.
Namaste
Personally, when it comes to stress, I already try to deal with it in some of these ways. My two favorite ways, as both were mentioned in this video, are bringing a sense of humor into the situation and writing. As an artist, I had a situation where I was getting very stressed out about my work, but like always once I started to think about it with humor and to try to not take it so seriously, it almost instantly made the situation better. I felt that I was creating better art all because I had to take a step back and remind myself that not everything should be serious. I tend to find in life that people that take themselves and everything too seriously are not people I enjoy being around. We most certainly do create our own stress, because there really isnt ever anything stressful about any situation if we just sort of remove ourselves for a bit to assess it all. Nothing is ever as bad as we make it seem and all that happens to change our situations is how we think about it.
Wonderful…OM