Normally human beings are constantly in search of happiness but the one who desires happiness must get misery because happiness is actually an illusion. Suffering is also caused by our desires, lusts and greed. A person’s own evils or impurities such as lust, anger, infatuation, greed, ego and jealousy make him stressed. Countless desires make him run and insatiable desire increases a person’s stress as it is impossible to complete all limitless desires.

Because there is no end to desires, there are countless worries and regrets about what we haven’t got yet than the joy of getting something, and we can’t enjoy the happiness which we have because of the craziness or race for what we do not have. Happiness is actually a positive state of mind. Satisfaction is essential to achieve that stage of happiness. A person who lives a contented life and is free from all the ailments or evils, accepts himself and accepts all the conditions of the world with a sincere heart, understands the will of God, can stay away from all problems and disease of life. Meditation and yoga are also very useful for experiencing calm and stability. Through which the mind is calmed, relaxation of the body becomes possible, metabolism slows down and aging slows down.


The main causes of stress are as follows.

1) The desire to have everything as per our wish
2) The desire to be special and get everything in life
3) Relying on others for one’s own happiness and having high expectations in relationships
4) Instead of living in the present, chew the past and plan for the future
5) Infatuation and attachment, for a thing or a person (this is the only reason to be annoyed at death.)
6) Worrying about people’s reaction (what will people say? and what will people think of me?)
7) Inferiority complex
8) Noise pollution
9) Fear of losing things we have
10) Family strife and conflict
11) Self-Hypnosis – means our thoughts or suggestions do not accepted by others, if they refute it then it hurts our ego and stress increased.

After understating the above reasons of stress we need to understand some special features or symptoms of stress so as we can judge our-self means to get idea that are we stressed or not because without understanding the symptoms of stress how can we remove stress from our life.

Below is the list of certain symptoms of stress by which we can get idea that a person is suffering from stress.

1) Impaired breathing
2) Tense muscles
3) Irritable nature
4) Excessive anxiety and frustration
5) Excessive anger
6) Less sleep
7) Lack of judgment or weak decision power
8) Poor digestion, irregular blood circulation
9) Restlessness and lack of desire to do anything
After understanding the reasons and symptoms of stress, the most important question arise in our mind that how to live a stress free life, answer is given below.
1) Stay away from things that cause ego.
2) Forget the past and do not worry about the future.
3) Give up the greed to get something more and more, live a contented life.
4) Don’t expect everyone to do as per your wish (in every relationship).
5) Find happiness only in your own self not in others.
6) Leave the attachment and infatuation towards any item or person.
7) Stop worrying about what people will say and try to know and understand your own self.
8) Accept whatever you have, avoid inferiority complex.
9) Build up confidence that requires meditation.
10) Avoid noise pollution and practice silence
11) Be fearless and avoid all kinds of fears (even the fear of death)
12) Avoid self-hypnosis and even over hypnosis of others that is do not be over impressed by yourself or others.

Stress is the gap between expectations and reality, the bigger the gap the more stress. So that the person who can reduce the expectations in life and accept the realities instinctively can always live a less stressful or stress free life.

Shilpa Shah,

Director in-charge, HKBBA College