Winning over Stress, Winning Life. Review on Handling Stress

Unfortunately, not all of us have the ability to lift our heads from gloom. It strikes hard when we least suspect it and spreads its darkness to smolder all hopes. Usually, the seemingly strongest people become victims while the weak come through it unscathed.

The signs are always there, though at times, may be difficult to dictate the symptoms. We can help if we see a change of routine or a drastic shift of one's disposition. No one would come forward and say, 'I'm depressed.' It is not that simple.

When that happens, we need to relieve ourselves with the things that slow us down. Like paperweights, they keep us firmly anchored on the same spot day after day until something snaps. The physical part of the body may be moving about but the mind may be rooted in a mental prison to stay in a permanent state of hopelessness.

The mistakes of the past and the fear of the future usually are two pivotal reasons that keep us locked within ourselves. If there is no willingness to change then the state of one's mind becomes more receptive to pessimism. When dark moods begin to settle even the usual sparkle of life starts to die down, and, with it goes the real reason to stay alive. There will be only one voice that speaks louder and that is'welcome to the living dead' and heaven help you if you obey its call.

We do strange things because we are forced to act out of character, when it becomes too difficult to reason with our losses. Sometimes, the need to hope is greater than actual achievement. Hope elevates one from fear. Hope, too, can be your own only comfort when nothing else is working right. No one is indestructible.

When your worse fear surfaces, even the most powerful are driven to their knees. I hate to give examples but Alzheimer has reduced a once most powerful man on earth to ineffectiveness. I think to feel needed or useful give us the strength we require to keep on living. Having said that, we all notice that not everybody breathing is alive. Oh, yes, we walk, talk and even manage to smile. However, we may not connect with the rest of the world as we would like to.

There are many reasons to drive one in a mental detention. Fear of losing a job or never finding one has become a plague of modern life. Fear of not fulfilling one's dreams can make the detention narrower. When you realise that every step you make is actually three steps backward, you begin to think that if you are waiting for a wrong bus. It is funny, isn't it? Waiting is one of the merits of patience but sometimes, you could wait eternally and nothing good comes out of it. I am not sure why.

There are, however rescue packages. Recognising them as a godsend gift can be a problem when nothing is going right for you. When you have written yourself off for too long, opportunities may knock a hundred times and you would not be able to reach for the bolt. It is all in the mind, you may argue, but it is the mental state that puts us all in trouble at one time or another. I think we owe to each other to give a helping hand. We need a push to the right direction every time we falter.