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Study of Stress Management with special reference to Yoga

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 Study of Stress Management with special reference to
Yoga
*Manish Kumar Dwivedi ** Prof. J.S. Tripathi *** Prof. H.H.Awasthi ****Prof. R.K.Pandey

* Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Rachana Sharir, Faculty of Ayurveda, IMS, BHU

** Professor, Department of Kayachikitsa, Faculty of Àyurveda, IMS, BHU
*** Professor & Head, Department of Rachana Sharir, Faculty of Àyurveda, IMS, BHU
**** Professor, Head& Dean, Faculty of Management Studies, BHU

Abstract:
Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. For many people,
stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life. Stress isn’t always bad. Stress is a
natural human response to pressure when faced with challenging and sometimes dangerous
situations. That pressure is not only about what’s happening around us, but often also about
demands we place on ourselves. Stress is “a state manifested by a specific syndrome which
consists of all the non specifically induced changes within the biological system” (Selye,
1976b, p. 64). How we perceive a stress provoking event and how we react to it determines
its impact on our health. We may be motivated and invigorated by the events in our lives, or
we may see some as “stressful” and respond in a manner that may have a negative effect on
our physical, mental, and social well-being.
By understanding ourselves and our reaction to stress-provoking situations, we can
learn to handle stress more effectively. In the most accurate meaning, stress management is
not about learning how to avoid or escape the pressures and turbulence of modern living; it is
about learning to appreciate how the body reacts to these pressures, and about learning how
to develop skills which enhance the body’s adjustment.
Yoga is an ancient science, which originated in India and many studies have found
that yoga and pranayama can be practiced to manage and combat stress.
Key Words: Stress, occupational stress, yoga. Pranayama.

Introduction:
Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset
your balance in some way. When you sense danger—whether it’s real or imagined—the
body's defences kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-
flight-or-freeze” reaction, or the stress response. The term “stress”, as it is currently used was
coined by Hans Selye in 1936, who defined it as “the non-specific response of the body to
any demand for change”. Physiological or biological stress is an organism's response to
a stressor such as an environmental condition or a stimulus. According to the stressful event,
the body's way to respond to stress is by sympathetic nervous system activation which results
in the fight-or-flight response. The body cannot keep this state for long periods of time;
afterwards the parasympathetic system returns the body's physiological conditions to normal.
In humans, stress typically describes a negative condition or a positive condition that can
have an impact on a person's mental and physical well-being.

Types of Stress:
 Acute stress, the most common form of stress, is short-term and stems from the
demands and pressures of the recent past and anticipated demands and pressures of
the near future (APA, 2011).

 Chronic stress, a long term form of stress, derives from unending feelings of
despair/hopelessness, as a result of factors such as poverty, family dysfunction,
feelings of helplessness, and/or traumatic early childhood experience (APA, 2011).
Chronic stressors associated with health disparities include perceived discrimination,
neighbourhood stress, daily stress, family stress, acculturative stress, environmental
stress, and maternal stress (Djuric et al, 2010; NIH, 2011).

 Eustress and Distress: It is somewhat hard to categorize stressors into objective lists
of those that cause positive stress and those that cause negative stress, because
different people will have different perceptions and reactions to particular situations.
However, by generalizing, we can compile a list of stressors that are typically
experienced as negative or positive to most people, most of the time.

Examples of negative personal stressors can include: The death of a partner, Filing
for divorce, Losing contact with loved ones, The death of a family member,
Hospitalization (oneself or a family member), Injury or illness (oneself or a family
member), Being abused or neglected, Separation from a spouse or committed
relationship partner, Conflict in interpersonal relationships, Bankruptcy/money
problems, Unemployment etc.
Examples of positive personal stressors might include: Receiving a promotion at
work, Starting a new job, Marriage or commitment ceremony, Buying a home,
 Having a child, Moving, Taking or planning a vacation, Holiday seasons, Retiring,
Taking educational classes or learning a new hobby.
Symptoms of Stress:

The following table lists some of the common warning signs and symptoms of stress.

Stress Warning Signs and Symptoms

Cognitive Symptoms Emotional Symptoms

 Memory problems  Moodiness

 Inability to concentrate  Irritability or short temper

 Poor judgment  Agitation, inability to relax

 Seeing only the negative  Feeling overwhelmed

 Anxious or racing thoughts  Sense of loneliness and isolation

 Constant worrying  Depression or general unhappiness

Physical Symptoms Behavioral Symptoms

 Aches and pains  Eating more or less

 Diarrhea or constipation  Sleeping too much or too little

 Nausea, dizziness  Isolating yourself from others

 Chest pain, rapid heartbeat  Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities

 Loss of sex drive  Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax

 Frequent colds  Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

Occupational Stress:
Occupational stress is stress involving work. According to the current World Health
Organization's (WHO) definition, occupational or work-related stress "is the response people
may have when presented with work demands and pressures that are not matched to their
knowledge and abilities and which challenge their ability to cope."

Stress at work is claimed to have increased in most of the developed and developing
world (Cooper, Dewe, & O’Driscoll, 2001). The drive toward manpower cost-cutting has led
to fewer people doing more work and feeling more insecure in their jobs. The rapid
expansion of information technology through the Internet has meant the added burden of
information overload, the accelerating pace of work, and demands for immediacy of response
in 7 day–24 hour work cultures.

Causes of Occupational Stress:

 Organisational factors: Change and job security are stressful for employees.
Restructuring, downsizing, acquisitions, closures and retrenchments leave the
survivors facing job loss, extra work demands and anxiety about the next change.
Many South African organisations still have a mechanic or bureaucratic structure.
This also inhibits employee flexibility, risk taking and career development, causing
frustration (Potgieter, 1996: 206).
 Job design factors: Some jobs have to be performed in difficult and unpleasant
working conditions such as extremes of temperature (heat or cold), loud noise,
crowding, poor lighting, or with old and inefficient machinery. Unpleasant features
such as noise are at their most stressful when they are unpredictable, uncontrollable
and excessive. The best example is road construction engineers with drills digging up
the road (Potgieter, 1996: 208; Rice, 1999: 187).
Interactional factors:
 Lack of social support – Having friends and supporters in times of difficulty helps
managers see stressful events as less threatening and more controllable than if they
had little or no support. They can provide emotional, financial and information
support at different times. (Potgieter, 1996: 208; Rice, 1999:187).
 Lack of participation in decisions- It make middle managers feel as if they are
victims of decisions made at a higher level, over which they have no control. The
major cause is that managers are neither allowed to witness not to contribute to
important business decisions that affect their jobs (Furnham, 2005:113).
 Career and promotional factors-Poor performance appraisal can also cause work
related stress. At least two types of stress result from problems with performance
appraisals. The first is not receiving any appraisals and hence not knowing how one is
doing. The second is being given negative feedback without being told how to
improve one’s performance. Unless an organisation has a good, well thought through
performance appraisal system, employees can suffer great stress (Furnham, 2005:
115; Potgieter, 1996: 210).
 Role-related factors- For many executives, it is important that they engage in role
juggling – rapidly switching from one role and one type of activity to another (from
boss to friend, teacher to partner). These adverse effects of role conflict are less
pronounced in work settings characterised by friendliness and social support than in
work settings where such conditions are lacking (Furnham, 2005: 132; Potgieter,
1996: 210).
 Role ambiguity- Stress resulting from uncertainty, can occur when managers are
uncertain about several matters relating to their jobs, such as the scope their
responsibilities, what is expected of them, and how to divide their time between
various duties. Sometimes, ambiguity results from not having clear job descriptions,
goals or specified responsibilities, but often it is attributable to changes occurring in
the organisation or the marketplace at large (Rice, 1992:187). Stress can also result
from having two jobs, home and work. Although probably more common among
females than males, stress often results from conflicts over time and loyalties between
the many demands of the home and work (Furnham, 2005: 132).
 Work underload and overload factors- Work overload can be both quantitative and
qualitative. Quantitative overload stress occurs when managers are asked to do more
work, in a limited period, than they are able to do. Qualitative overload stress occurs
when managers believe they lack the required skills, ability or resources to perform a
given job. Similarly, stress is related to both types of underload. Quantitative
underload leads to boredom that occurs when boring, routine, repetitive jobs are
associated with chronic lack of mental stimulation (Cooper, 1983: 371; Potgieter,
1996: 210).
 Stressful occupations- Some jobs are quite simply more stressful than others.
Various studies have shown that certain features associated with particular jobs are
stressful. For example, the greater the extent to which the job requires: making
decisions; constant monitoring of machines or materials; repeated exchange of
information with others; unpleasant physical conditions; and performing unstructured
rather than structured tasks, the more stressful the job tends to be (Hildebrand, 1986:
80; Potgieter, 1996: 210).
Pathological process of Stress in the body:
When you perceive a threat, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of
stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rouse the body for
emergency action. Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath
quickens, and your senses become sharper. These physical changes increase your strength
and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus – preparing you to either fight
or flee from the danger at hand. It is assumed that stressors cause the body to adapt, leading
to tension on the body and increased risk of illness (Lepore et al., 1997; McEwen & Stellar,
1993; Selye, 1956). For example, while under stress, the adrenal medulla will secrete
epinephrine and norepinephrine in response to sympathetic stimulation. These hormones have
actions that enhance the cardiac and the respiratory functions, increase blood sugar levels,
and increase blood volume. Other organs of the endocrine system, including the adrenal
cortex and the thyroid gland, release hormones (corticoids and thyroid hormones) that can
also inhibit inflammation and immune functioning.
Not surprisingly, a large body of literature has shown that major life events (e.g., job
loss, marital disruption, death of a loved one) predict a variety of physical, mental, and social
dysfunctions, including hypertension (Chiriboga, 1989; Markovitz et al., 1993), increased
risk for mortality and morbidity (e.g., Kaplan, 1985), arterial damage (Manuck et al., 1995),
increased production of interferon, which may lead to an increased risk of cancer (Schleifer et
al., 1985), general psychiatric symptomology (Chiriboga, 1984; Dohrenwend & Dohrenwend,
1981), and clinical depression (Brown & Harris, 1986).

Stress Management Techniques:

 Identify warning signs- It is very helpful to be able to identify early warning signs in
your body that tell you when you are getting stressed. These vary from person to
person, but might include things like tensing your jaw, grinding your teeth, getting
headaches, or feeling irritable and short tempered.
 Identify triggers-There are often known triggers which raise our stress levels and
make it more difficult for us to manage. If you know what the likely triggers are, you
can aim to anticipate them and practise calming yourself down beforehand, or even
find ways of removing the trigger. Triggers might include late nights, deadlines,
seeing particular people, hunger or over‑tired children.
  Establish routines-Having predictable rhythms and routines in your day, or over a
week, can be very calming and reassuring, and can help you to manage your stress.
Routines can include:
• Regular times for exercise and relaxation
• Regular meal times, waking and bedtimes
• Planning ahead to do particular jobs on set days of the week.
 Spend time with people who care- Spending time with people you care about, and
who care about you, is an important part of managing ongoing stress in your life.
Spend time with friends and family, especially those you find uplifting rather than
people who place demands on you. Share your thoughts and feelings with others
when opportunities arise.
 Look after your health- Make sure you are eating healthy food and getting regular
exercise, Take time to do activities you find calming or uplifting, such as listening to
music, walking or dancing, Avoid using alcohol, tobacco or other drugs to cope.
 Notice your ‘self-talk’-When we are stressed we sometimes say things in our head,
over and over, that just add to our stress. This unhelpful self-talk might include things
like: ‘I can’t cope’, or ‘I’m too busy’, or ‘I’m so tired’, or ‘It’s not fair’. Notice when
you are using unhelpful self-talk, and instead try saying soothing, calming things to
yourself to reduce your levels of stress.
 Practise relaxation- Make time to practise relaxation. This will help your body and
nervous system to settle and readjust. Consider trying some of the following things:
• Learn a formal technique such as progressive muscle relaxation, meditation or
yoga.
• Make time to absorb yourself in a relaxing activity such as gardening or
listening to music.
• Plan things to do each day that you look forward to and which give you a
sense of pleasure, like reading a book.

Concept of yoga:

Yoga is a philosophical system for personal development that originated in India, over
3,000 years ago. The system embraces spiritual philosophy and both mental and physical
disciplines.
 The word Yoga is derived from the sanskrit root Yuj or Yujir dhatu(word) meaning to
bind, join, attach and yoke, to direct and concentrate one’s attention on, to use and apply. It
also means union or communion.

Yoga is most Recognized form of Exercise, Stretching, Aerobic exercise and

Meditation. The definition of yoga is “to yoke or joint together” it integrates the mind and
body focusing on balance posture, deep breathing, stretching and relaxation. Yoga evolved
from of the Hindu, Jaina, and Buddhist religious traditions in India. Yoga alters stress
response and person’s attitude, towards stress along with improving self confidence,
increasing one’s sense of well being, and creating a feeling of relaxation and calmness.

Yoga is one of the best tools for managing stress because it encourages you to focus
internally. Yoga conditions your mental “muscles” along with your physical muscles to help
you prevail under pressure and to respond more gracefully and effectively. At the same time,
yoga helps eliminate and soothe the damaging effects of stress.
Some of the physiological benefits of yoga practice include:

• Better health • Improved sleep

• Normalization of weight • Decrease of physical tension
• Greater flexibility and strength • Increased vitality, endurance, and resiliency
• Improved circulation and digestion • Improved posture

Some of the psychological benefits include:

• Decrease of anxiety, hostility, and depression
• Improved memory, attention span, and ability to concentrate
• Calmness
• Improved mood and sense of well-being
• Greater self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-actualization
• Improved balance

Effect of Yoga on Stress:

Yoga is an ancient science, which originated in India and many studies have found
that yoga and pranayama can be practiced to combat stress. Pranayama involves manipulation
of the breath that is a dynamic bridge between the body and mind. Pranayama consists of
three phases: “Puraka” (inhalation); “kumbhaka” (retention) and “rechaka” (exhalation) that
can be either fast or slow. Pranayama has been assigned very important role in Ashtanga
Yoga of Maharishi Patanjali and is said to be much more important than yogasanas for
keeping sound health. Previous studies have shown that both fast and slow pranayamas are
beneficial, but they produce different physiological cardiovascular responses in healthy
subjects. Slow pranayama like Nadishuddhi, Savitri and Pranav have been shown to decrease
Heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and increase
pulse pressure (PP). Very few references are available on the effect of practicing fast
pranayamas. Few studies indicate that fast pranayamas like Kapalabhati and Bhastrika when
practiced alone increases sympathetic activity thereby, increasing HR, SBP, and DBP
whereas, other studies showed that they decrease sympathetic activity and therefore, decrease
HR, SBP and DBP. Other studies have found no effect of fast pranayama after 12 weeks of
practice. Previous studies have shown that perceived stress negatively affects cardiovascular
function by raising blood pressure (BP) and diminishing cardiovascular reactivity in the
subjects .To the best of our knowledge, there is no study comparing the cumulative effect of
fast and slow types of pranayama on perceived stress and cardiovascular parameters in
health-care students. Therefore, we have planned to compare three commonly practiced fast
i.e., Kapalabhati, Bhastrika and Kukkuriya Pranayama and slow Pranayama i.e.,
Nadishodhana, Savitri and Pranav on these parameters. Stress management programs for
students including meditation, yoga, hypnosis, imagery, muscle relaxation etc., have shown
improvement in their positive coping skills.

Conclusion:

Stress is one of the leading causes of disease. Prolonged exposure to stress can lead to
physical ailments such as insomnia, chronic muscle tension, digestive disorders, ulcers, high
blood pressure, and heart disease. Mental and emotional consequences include memory loss,
inability to concentrate, anxiety, hostility, and depression. Yoga promotes a healthy
interaction between the mind and body. Yoga helps to slow down to appreciate and create a
balance among all aspects of human being physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
Actually yoga combines several techniques to combat stress. Yoga provides a combination of
benefits such as breathing exercises (pranayama), stretching exercises, fitness program, and
meditation practice and guided meditations all in one technique. Just by doing this individual
can have great benefits with the practice of yoga. So in conclusion yoga can be a great
remedy for stress and can offer some stress relief.
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