Stress hurts. If it doesn’t hurt us directly, it affects our spouse, partner, children or coworkers. But by taking responsibility, we can start healing ourselves and those around us. The first step in taking responsibility is seeing what causes the most stress – then letting it go. Today, that culprit is multitasking: trying to do many things at once. Only by releasing the urge to multitask will you find peace.
That’s no easy thing: people today are proud of their ability to multitask! They brag that they have so many irons in the fire, they’re juggling many balls in the air, they have multiple tasks simmering on back burners. Yet these are often the people with the most stress.
Stress itself isn’t a bad thing. It can challenge us, get our blood pumping. The stress of running a marathon is sometimes called “Runner’s High,” and athletes look forward to the sheer joy of pushing body and mind to their limit. But negative stress can run our lives – and ruin them, if we let it. This kind of stress is characterized by an uneasy state of mind, and a mind-body reaction or response to a challenging situation.
Stress, and its modern companions, depression and insomnia, can lead to a cascade of unpleasant and even lethal symptoms: toxins, loss of memory and creativity, negative thoughts / attitude, diseases such as high blood pressure, cancer, and immune-related diseases… and ultimately, to unhappiness, a disturbed mind and life, a state of living without peace.
These factors are different for every person. What’s stressful for you might be enjoyable for your neighbor. Stress results when you’re doing more (or trying to) than you think you can. “The unnatural work of another’s path is done with fear, therefore it produces too much stress.” (Gita 3.35)
Different personalities feel different levels of stress for the same situation.
Stress isn’t written in stone. It’s caused by our perception and in how well we handle the tasks we’re given. You can change your perception, reprogramming your mind to release the stress you don’t need and take on through positive action the stress that might otherwise overwhelm you.
How? Let go of everything except one task.
One task at a time, the way humans operated for thousands of years. Just let all the balls drop but one and see what happens: you will release the stress that makes you weak, sick and afraid.
Even the concept of multitasking is brand-new to our generation, a computer term invented when personal computers’ ability to perform multiple tasks was very impressive. Suddenly, everyone began trying to multitask – to achieve multiple goals simultaneously. This is impossible for humans, who can only work well by focusing on a single task.
Our brains were not made to flip around wildly from one chore to another. Despite the growth in Help Wanted ads begging for multitaskers, the Huffington Post reports that, “If you think you’re good at multitasking, you’re probably just fooling yourself.”
Where does modern stress come from?
Today’s stress isn’t about hunting and gathering and keeping our families alive through the winter. This new – and deadly – kind of stress has emerged right alongside the concept of multitasking. In a controversial Harvard Business Review article, business leader Peter Bregman points out that multitasking causes up to a 40% loss of productivity, along with increased stress.
He describes his disastrous attempt to listen in on a conference call while sending an email. First, he forgot the email attachment. Then, he sent an attachment, but it was the wrong one. Finally, he needed a third email to explain the problem, with the correct attachment. At that point, he realized he hadn’t heard a word of the conference call in which he was supposedly participating. “The more you multitask, the worse you are at it,” says Bregman.
Forget multitasking: become more human instead. Focus on oneness. Take one thing at a time.
Remember this message – by releasing the stress you don’t want, you can turn STRESS in your life to PEACE in your life.
S tress is necessary in your life… but negative stress can stop P
T imes may be hard… adversity is part of life E
R elaxation, yoga and pranayam (breathing) exercises… balance every chakra A
E very day offers new gifts and challenges… so never panic C
S erious times and S cary times… handle them all ONE by ONE. E
Bregman, decided to try one week without multitasking – focusing on one thing at a time. His biggest surprise? “It was delightful.” His senses were finally free to explore the world around him without fear of interruption. “Don’t laugh, but I actually – for the first time in a while – noticed the beauty of leaves blowing in the wind.” In other words, he found himself in a state of peace, completely stress-free.
Instead of multitasking, practice release with the triple A approach: Awareness, Analysis, and finally Action, through these steps:
1. Make a commitment to a stress-free lifestyle, and take full responsibility – no “blame game”
2. Enjoy the company of calm and positive people
3. Educate yourself
4. Positive thinking and attitude
5. Develop hobbies, reach out to help others
6. Healthy lifestyle (Balanced, Food/diet)
7. Daily spiritual practices: Yoga, Breathing exercises, Relaxation, Meditation, Prayers…
8. Do your best and surrender, let go (Have trust/faith in yourself and Supreme)
Lord Krishna said, “Surrendering all action to Me with your mind fully focused on Me, without selfishness and anticipation of any reward, no claims to proprietorship, attachment, and without any mental stress, do your duty and fight the battle without any hesitation.” (Gita.3.30)
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