Rajeev Verma, self-written and published in the year 2001
The ninth letter of Gayatri Mantra “bh” (भ) teaches us to keep the mental emotions balanced in every situation:-
भवो द्विग्न मना चैव ह्रदुद्वेगं परित्यज ।
कुरु सर्वा स्वव स्थासु शान्तं संतुलितं मन: ।।
Give up your anxious mind and your anxiety about the lake. Keep your mind calm and balanced in all situations. In other words, let go of the mental stimuli. Keep the mind calm and balanced in all states.
The quality of our life is determined by our state of mind. If we pay attention to our mind, we will find that it is either entangled in the past or worried about the future. When the mind wanders into the future, apprehension, fear and uncertainty surround us.
What will happen in the future, how will it happen, will it happen or not, etc. The more the mind swings between past and future, the more pressure increases on our nervous system, as a result of which we become victims of physical illness or mental stress.
Lord Buddha has advised the general public to follow the “Manjam Magna” i.e. the middle path. Those who run very fast get tired quickly and those who run very slowly lag behind in reaching the desired goal. One who walks at a moderate pace reaches his destination at the right place without getting tired or lagging behind.
The activities of the mind are divided into three parts:-
1. Emotion – which originates from the heart.
2. Thought – which originates from the intellect.
3. Actions – The work we do due to their occurrence.
There are very few people in whom there is complete harmony between these three activities. A person in whom there is complete harmony of these three elements is completely healthy from the mental point of view.
If we have to remain stress free in this world, it is always necessary to keep under control those disorders which destroy our quality balance, make us one-sided and lead our work towards degradation.
If we behave according to the rules of quality, then stressful days and adverse events will easily pass by. On such occasions, it is most beneficial for us to maintain a stable mental balance and to resist the obstacles with calmness and determination.
We should always remember that mental imbalance is the root cause of quality failure. In case of mental imbalance, a person can neither make worldly progress nor can do his work properly in the office. Why don’t we manage our daily routine in such a way that we neither have to be impatient nor hasty in doing any work.
Let us focus on some tips for stress management to maintain quality:-
1. Set a time to wake up in the morning. Pledge that I will be today’s winner. Meditate on God. Go for a walk. Do yoga exercises etc. Read the newspaper. Stay connected to the present so that self-confidence increases.
2. Instead of going against the quality of life system, adapt to it. Think in your mind – I want success in life, I will achieve success only because I deserve success. Observe the efforts I have made to achieve the quality goal I have to achieve. Give appropriate time for every task.
3. Instead of criticizing the life system, try to improve it. After reaching office, sit with colleagues and discuss about work. Work seriously at work because only the success of that work will give you happiness.
4. Seriously consider work quality control. Human intelligence is like a parachute, it works only when it opens. Sit with your colleagues at tea time and think about the shortcomings that are getting resolved late and their solutions. Write down all these problems on paper and write down how much time was wasted due to these problems.
5. Good until good is not good when there is a desire to achieve the best. Keep deadlines for a quality life. Take the responsibility of success on your shoulders. Keep writing on the paper where you left your unfinished work. When you save time, complete some other small task.
6. Keep in mind that I cannot achieve success alone, we, the team, are involved in my success. Finish your old work first. Consider how this work can be further improved. How can the work be expedited? Are associates provided with all the facilities they actually need?
7. When we do not deliver the work on the basis of quality, we suffer loss. This loss is called the “cost of quality”.
To avoid this, avoid the following seven pitfalls: –
(a) Waiting for the right time
(b) Waiting for transportation
(c) Waiting for colleagues
(d) Incomplete knowledge of working method
(e) Not maintaining proper records of stores
(f) Excessive Manufacturing of the item
(g) Defects in the work.
8. Discuss the quality system frequently. Mental success is like the heart. He will go only where he will be praised. Praise the quality.
9. Reward colleagues for every successful task. Win the hearts of your colleagues. Discuss in detail about future work, explain to them how to achieve quality. Protect their self-respect.
In the end you will find that no work is left incomplete. If so, then take some time to complete it even after office hours so that you can do new work the next day. Before going back, observe the day’s work with a keen eye.
Strictly follow three disciplines:-
1. Self Discipline
2. Technical Discipline
3. Organizational Discipline
Go home and spend the evening.
Pray – Oh God! Give me self-confidence so that I can successfully do the work that I want to do. Give me patience so that I can forgive the mistakes of my colleagues whom I do not like. Oh God! Give me strength so that I can differentiate between truth and falsehood.
The effect of stress can be reduced in three ways. Physical exercises, such as rest, walking or pranayama, cognitive control or acquiring creative thinking and interpersonal skills and adapting to the environment.
To keep yourself physically and mentally healthy, various types of physical exercises are necessary and these exercises have proven to be the best technique to deal with stress. These provide entertainment and mental peace. Regular exercise increases emotional strength and creates a natural self-confidence. Exercise relieves nerve-related stress and anxiety because it relieves negative thoughts and irrational beliefs. Walking is the best exercise.
One should not exercise to the point of fatigue as it disrupts sleep and leads to weakness. Stress and pressure can be relieved by walking regularly. Stress and pressure can be relieved with the help of relaxation and introspection.
Leave yourself alone in a room where no one will bother you. Lie down on the bed, close your eyes and completely relax your body. This physical inertia will increase mental peace and more suggestions will come to the mind. While doing this, one should stop thinking clearly.
Try to think about the unthinkable and then refocus your thinking on the thought that is troubling you and transform it to confront it. Say to yourself, “I am not suffering from any anxiety or fear. I am not. I can do better work, I am completely right.” Repeat this process again and again according to time or leisure, find many such opportunities, if you do this with full ability and confidence, you will definitely get success.
Other ways to relieve pressure or stress include developing rational beliefs and creative thinking, developing self control to get rid of stress and developing internal resources for personality development, related to physical dimensions of stress control as per one’s interest. Developing habits, like yoga, meditation, sports, fine arts and crafts, pranayama, etc. and developing relationship skills, includes. In today’s stressful life, these simple and practical methods can prove helpful in living a happy, stress-free life.
We can become successful in maintaining mental balance by becoming stress free from this routine and we will find that the quality of our life has already improved.
From the above discussion, we come to the conclusion that if we have to maintain the quality of our life, then it is always necessary to control those mental disorders which destroy our quality balance and make us one-sided and lead to the downfall of our work.
Please let me know what you think about this article on mental well-being in the comments below.
RAJEEV VERMA 