Stress and Karma

Stress has been defined in many ways:

# Dr. Hans Selye: (Father of modern Stress theory) “the non-specific response of the body to any demand made upon it”.

# Lazarus: “The response of the body when pressure exceeds ones perceived ability to cope”.

In any situation, the primary impulse is sent to the amygdala, a small pea sized organ behind the eyes and over the nostrils for evaluation of threat. When the amygdala perceives threat, it sends an impulse to the hypothalamus which in turn transmits the threat to the sympathetic nervous system through the pituitary gland. This input floods the circulatory system with adrenaline.

The body responds by:

• Increased Heart rate & blood pressure: To get more blood to muscles & brain.
• Faster breathing: To increase oxygen inflow into the body.
• Dilation of blood vessels in muscles: Preparing for action.
• Dilation of the eyes and sensitivity of the sense organs: To assess the situation and act quickly.
• Auditory exclusion & tunnel vision.
• Inhibition of erection.
• Decreased blood flow to skin/ digestive tract/ kidneys & liver to divert blood to musculo-skeletal system.
• Increased level of blood sugar, fats and cholesterol: For extra energy.
• Increased level of platelets and blood clotting elements: to prevent hemorrhage in case of injury.

How can this be explained in Yoga terms?

In the previous post, we have seen that when we receive a stimulus, we either like or dislike it. Depending on whether we like (raag) or dislike (dwesh) the stimulus, we draw close to the subject or away from it. This action of moving close to or away is karma (action).

How do we like or dislike a subject? Like or dislike is personal and we evaluate against a standard called svadharma (sva= self + dharma = conditioning) which is uniquely our own. Dharma or conditioning occurs on account of our DNA, family, upbringing, societal norms, diet and habits. The behaviour exhibited by us on account of our svadharma is called svabhaava (sva= self + bhaava = manner or behaviour). Together they present to the outside world our identity and the weave of svadharma and svabhaava is called svatantra (sva = self + tantra = weave).

What happens after the threat passes?

Lessons are stored in the amygdala for future use; the experience changes our personal values (svadharma) on account of our awareness of the stimulus (vijnana) and its impact on our identity (jnana) and this consequently reflects as changes to our behavior.

Often, we are able to manage some parts of the situation, but not all elements. Also, there may not be enough time, or our conditioning may lack the capability to find a solution. This leads to sustained perception of threat and we begins to experience physical, intellectual or emotional discomfort.

Finally, the body which has gone into a state of alert now needs to come back to normal. This may be possible if there is enough time for the system to assimilate the learning and work out the adrenaline. But, we often find ourselves confronting multiple situations with different coping requirements in each situation which results in prolonged states of arousal that, over time, damages the body.

The chemicals released by the pituitary, the adrenals, the hypothalamus, the thyroid etc., are life-saving chemicals that inhibit routine functions to provide the drive to face danger. Prolonged exposure to these chemicals damages vital organs, leading to reduced resistance of the immune system, hypertension, psychiatric illnesses, and stomach ailments, etc., which over time result in other psychosomatic problems that affect different parts of our body.

Indicators of Stress

Physical: fatigue, headache, insomnia, muscle aches/stiffness (especially neck, shoulders and low back), heart palpitations, chest pains, abdominal cramps, nausea, trembling, cold extremities, flushing or sweating and frequent colds.

Intellectual: Decreased concentration and memory, indecisiveness, mind racing or going blank, confusion, loss of sense of humor.

Emotional: anxiety, nervousness, depression, anger, frustration, worry, fear, irritability, impatience, short temper, nervousness (nail-biting, foot-tapping), increased eating, yelling, swearing, blaming.

Anecdotes, experiences and situations to help understand…

Given below are a series of situations. Some are motivational situations, others distressing while some boring. Decide whether you would experience stress in these situation and give them weights between 0 and 5 on the impact they would have on you… for example - Stress on the day of marriage. Most would experience a mix of motivation and anxiety. Let us assume that the resultant stress experienced =2. Similarly, assess the resultant stress one would experience in the situations below;

• Stress on the day of exams.
• Stress on the day of the results of the exams.
• Stress of having got good marks.
• Stress of having got poor marks.
• Stress of getting admission into a college.
• Stress of losing a job.
• Stress of argument with one’s best friend.
• Stress of hunger.
• Do animals experience stress? Stress which a pet experiences when seeing the master leave for work.
• Stress that a pet experiences when master returns from work.
• Is earthquake a result of stress between 2 plates?

Share your opinion and experiences;

• How do we recognise a stress situation? 
• Is stress hard to manage? Why? Are all forms of stress hard to manage? 
• How do we recognise elements of our behaviour? 
• Is giving up bad? What happens when we give up? 
• What is fear of failure? 
• Can God help in a stress situation? How? 
• Can prayer help in a stress situation? 
• Can we really control events or are we mostly reacting to them? 
• Is fear of death a stressor or a motivator? 
• Can one get stressed when feeling motivated? 
• Can environmental degradation stress us? 
• Is lack of education a stressor? 
• Is stress impulsive or pre-meditated? 
• Is it hard to admit that you are stressed? 
• Is it possible to recognise a stressed person?