With increasing innovation in the field of technology and digitalization, we thought that we are trying to make our lives simpler and more efficient. We expect to complete our everyday tasks quickly with the help of automated devices and nowadays, artificial intelligence is also a hot topic. But, are we actually making our lives simple or even more complex?

Let me explain this with an example. In the earlier times, before WhatsApp, emails or easy access to internet or telephones, the sharing of official documents between organisations was done by using mail services, such as the Indian post and it used to take over weeks to get a reply. Life was easy and simple but slow. Now we have moved to an era, where in we reply to at least 10–50 emails and WhatsApp texts every day. We save phone numbers digitally and not in a mini phone book or diary. We basically live in a fast forward life. We have become so much dependent on technology, that we are unable to remember so many things at the same time and  feel overburdened. Because of this issue, with numerous task that we do every day, it creates a lot of stress.

What is stress?

It is something that we don’t want but most of us are experiencing it every day and it has become a part of our lives. Stress is the feeling of emotional or physical tension that can come from any day to day task, which makes you feel frustrated, nervous or angry. Our body experiences some external changes and reacts to adjust our response to these changes.

According to a report, about 17 Lakh people have died of heart attacks in India this year. Another report suggests that heart attacks have been reported at a much younger age in India, the age-group of 30-50 years.

International Diabetes Federation says that India is one of the top seven countries in the south-east Asia region, having about 77 million cases. That’s a huge number. So, every one in six people with diabetes in the world is from India.

COVID-19 has acted as a catalyst to exacerbate our existing stress levels due to uncertain future. The good thing that COVID did, during initial lockdown in March, was that it gave a pause to the working class from there every day stressful routine. It was a blessing in disguise. Students were happy that they did not have to get up early morning for school or college, and their parents were happy that they got time to spend with their children. Many people also realized that now they can go for their morning walks and even better to ride a lovely bicycle on almost vacant roads. Bicycles started selling like hot cakes.

But as the lockdown began to be lifted and organizations started operating, with employees working from home or as they say WFH, things changed. Many people reported that they worked for more hours now and their weekends had turned into working days. Some were happy to get back to their offices because now they worked like before.

Many people also lost their jobs or faced salary cuts because of the pandemic. That lead to symptoms like difficulty in sleeping, excessive sleeping, anxiety attacks, headaches, difficulty in concentrating, feeling overwhelmed, etc. These are the symptoms of stress. Not only adults were stressed, but also the students were stressed about their exams, results and admissions because of so much uncertainty.

One of the main causes of stress is uncertainty and how long COVID will exist is also uncertain. So the big question is how do we manage stress during this uncertain situation?

It’s easy, don’t take stress, but it’s easier said than done. Some people take anxiety pills while others join meditation classes.

My way of dealing with stress is by completing my tasks as soon as I get them and not leave them for the last day. I also plan my schedule for classes 1-2 weeks in advance. But my planning is flexible enough to accommodate any changes.

Other ways of minimizing your stress levels can be:

• Make a list of situations/tasks that causes  stress and understand how you can resolve those situations or find out whether  it is even worth taking stress about.
• Talk it out to your family and friends and find out their strategy to deal with similar situations
• Don’t compare your life with that of another
• Have a positive attitude
• Accept the changes as they may come by believing in the philosophy that whatever happens; happens for the good
• Try yoga and meditation
• Keep yourself fit by exercising
• Follow well-balanced diet
• Learn to manage time
• Identify stress buster activities such as listening to music, playing games, etc.

Also change your goals in life. Retire with memories, not millions; get a job that you are passionate about and not for high salary; make your parents proud by being happy and not only successful.

Stress isn’t a bad thing because we perform better when we are stressed and serious about that particular task, but excessive stress can have adverse effects on your health. Remember that clocks and calendars are only Measures, not your Masters.

We at JIMS VK 2 ensure free flow of communication between faculty and students, which encourages students to share their issues and get counseling from us.

Mr. Yogesh Sharma

Assistant Professor (Management) – JIMS – VK 2