What is Stress and Its impact on Body and Body Diseases?
There is one story telling that when one King complains about all sorrows and troubles he has, on which one saint advises him to wear a happy man's shirt. But king's servant visit all kind of wealthy people but finds it difficult to find one happy people among those. They finally find one simple looking man who sitting on river bank with just one pair of clothes, but was happy to give away that last shirt to king saying he is happy and content with whatever he has. Moral of the story is subjective person to person.
Although this story is very old but the situation is still the same. We look for happiness outside and peace of mind as end product of the process.
With similar complicated thoughts, I decided to start studying Indian wisdom of yogic practices to acquire knowledge about holistically healthy mind and body. Whatever i learnt in course...i can say is just the preschool level of entire yogic philosophy but yet it can have positive impact for whole life. Learning is still going on. But thought of pen it down which can be useful at basic level for all of us to understand mental and physical interaction and it's effect. And also discussed solution to improve Holistic Health.
Today metabolic and digestive diseases are at peak, in Western countries people use terminologies like "epidemic of obesity", "Diabesity", “occupational diseases”, “syndrome x”, chronic fatigue syndrome. These are also called as psychosomatic disorder (Mind and Body Disorder).
And common reason among them is Stress, Both physical and mental.
So this writeup is actually from notes I talked earlier which can give us understanding of vicious cycle of diseases and how to break that cycle.
Let's go through these points.
- Stress is a maladaptive response pattern and characteristics of person to his overpowering and perceived psychological, sociological, psychobiological and bioecological demands..
According to yogic perspective, stress is produced when environment interacts with kleshas (The third śloka of the second chapter of Patañjali's Yogasūtra explicitly identifies Five Poisons: अविद्यास्मितारागद्वेषाभिनिवेशाः पञ्च क्लेशाः॥३॥) ; cittavrittis produce and when these cittavrittis get powerful leads to stress.
(Checkout images for better understanding..)
-Modern concept says, environment stimulate stress depending on personalized genetic makeup. Therefore heredity is important to consider while talking about stress.
Heredity is a genetic predisposition to behave in certain way. We have some inborn qualities by which we react or respond to outside factors.
Some respond violently, while some accept and try to solve problem. This may be called as fight or fly response.
-Stress in simple language is an emotion produced when environmental factors (outside circumstances) interacts with genetically predisposed factors which find it dangerous or threat.
-It important point to note here, different people react differently at same situation.
E. G
Sudden loss of prestige may lead one person to end his life on other hand another one accepts the fact that and gets ready to restart from zero.
So what is the difference between them. Modern concept call it as perceptions of each person towards the situation.
- Although we can't change our genetic makeup but good news is that we can change our perspective.
Studying Yogic philosophy gives comprehensive awareness and helps to understand & accepts realities. When this coupled with yoga practice, like “Kriyayog” we can start looking into ourselves, our life purpose gets clear, mind start becoming calm and quiet.
So, even though our heredity is weak, we can remain stand still with right and improved perception.
Patanjali yogsutra (pys)in its text stating kleshas (refer image above) are root cause of all problems. Let's understand how it affects:
#Avidya mean either lack of perception or malperception (perception=awareness)and it's main cause of other four kleshas.
#Incorrect perception about self leads to either underestimation of self or overestimation of self ie ego.
#This further leads to possessiveness/slavery of sensory attachment, Jealousy, insecurity. And ultimately all insecurity have fear of death.
All these kleshas are interconnected and when they get stronger and interact with environment (physical and social), they develop chittavrtti (pramanit, smriti, nidra,,viparyay, vikalp) and make them stronger and influential enough for you to lose your original identity (self, life purpose) and leads to stress.
There are four stages of Stress leading to Psychosomatic Disorder:
(Points are explained along with two metabolic disorders as an example ie PCOS and Type 2 Diabetes)
When Chittvritis starts overpowering us, we enter into
1. Psychic stage. This is where occurrence of nonclinical symptoms like anxiety, mood swings, eating disorder start appearing.
It's very critical and important stage, but often gets ignored.
Here you may develop emotional/ psychological challenges like feeling irritable, feel like staying alone, gets short tempered, sleep apnoea, hunger pangs. Irregular menstrual cycle, prediabetes where these emotions problems are common.
Instead of only looking for temporary solution like popping medical pills,alcohol intake, smoking, crash diet; If you identify such issues and learn to develop healthy habits, lifestyle modifications, acquire yogic practices like yam- niyam, shatkriyas, asanas, pranayama; can 100% reverse the problem.
2. But if we overlook psychic issues, after a period of time we go to psychosomatic disorder (mind body disorder). E.g. PCOS, Type 2 Diabetes.These disorders may remain with you lifelong.
Relief may be possible by dedication towards healthy habits and yoga practices, one can control disorder at this stage only. E.g. blood sugar remain at control in diabetic person, in PCOD further ovarian cyst formation can be prevented, interval between two menses cycle can get reduced.
3.Person who is not getting serious about his health and ignoring symptoms, enters into somatic stage where complications are noticeable.
E.g. Type 2 diabetic person develops diabetic foot, body swelling and he compulsorily needs to take insulin injection.
A woman having PCOS, starts developing acne, facial hair, obesity. A Personal health coach is very important at this stage to develop healthy habits and avoid further complications. Coach is must because at this stage person is emotionally incapable of self care discipline.
4. But if person misses out prioritize health even at Body level,
Next stage is at organ level. Mostly organ failure. E.g. diabetic person needs the removal of diabetic foot, develops diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy. Woman with PCOS may lead to infertility.
At this stage nothing but organ replacement, clinical/surgical procedure becomes necessary for life.
And all this further aggregate stress not only at emotional, physical level but also at financial and social also. This aggravated stress may lead to another psychosomatic cycle e.g uncontrolled type 2 Diabetes leads to Hypertension or Kidney failure, while PCOS leads to Type 2 Diabetes and then this cycle becomes difficult to break.
Long story short, Learning and daily practices of Pranayama, Yogasana, Yogic Diet principles, Yam and Niyam (rules of good conduct towards self and society), shatkriyas (shudhhikriya like kapalbhati, jalneti) under professional expert is a need of time for living holistic health. We then start finding happiness within us and start any thing with peace of mind.
Dietitian - PRACHI M.
Contact:9969326096
I'm Postgraduate in Nutrition and Dietetics, working in the field of Nutrition Coaching and Diet Planning since year 2007. I have also completed 220 hours teachers training in Yoga Philosophy and Practice from kaivalyadhama.
