Teenage Crisis

The crowd was cheering on: ‘Go Sachin go Sachin go’ and ‘We want Sachin, we want Sachin’. The adrenaline levels in Sachin’s veins should have been soaring. His mind would have had racing thoughts, no? What if this does not happen right? I have been waiting for this. More than me the whole world has been waiting for this. What if I do not live up to what I believed I could? Will I let people down? Will I let myself down? Will I let my country down? The apprehension must have been tremendous in his mind don’t you think? And then Shakib Al Hasan’s the ball came as if from nowhere; and the smooth single, lead Sachin to the 100^th run of his 100^th century…

And what does Sachin Tendulkar say after that?

• “I can't think of anything at this stage, it has been a tough phase for me”
• “I started off the season well but was luckless”
• “It does not matter how many hundreds you score, you still have to grind it out”

So…

• Did it matter what was going to happen?
• Was there apprehension?
• Was there restlessness?
• Did he not have to grind it out?
• Was he stressed?

Or he dealt with the situation with poise and stood strong throughout his career, looking forward always; not worrying about the rest of the world around him?

WHY DO WE STRESS SO MUCH OVER STRESS?

Everything in this world seems smooth as long as things are going on their pre-destined track. But then, are there always pre-destined tracks for everything? When we set out in this world to pave our own way, there is bound to be resistance. And this leads to restlessness, apprehension, fear and anxiety. Anything that we love, things that matter to us; and are important to us, make us worry (what an irony!). And worry is quite an unpleasant emotion. And then once we ARE worried, we start fretting over the fact that we are getting extraordinarily worried!

STRESS MAY JUST BE GOOD!

Truly, some worry is essential since it motivates us to perform better and keeps us on the guard. For any performance-related activity, there is an optimal amount of stress that drives you into action. This worry constitutes good stress or ‘Eustress’. If you are involved in an interview for a job, you will benefit from a certain amount of apprehension. It is stress that provides you with focus and gives you your "spirited edge" that will help you think quickly and clearly and express your thought in ways that will profit your interview process. But on the other hand, if it escalates to an abnormally high level, it interferes with performance and constitutes ‘Distress.’ Exercise for example is a good stressor. But overtraining can cause injury and illness. You need to build the adequate quantum of pressure in the fruit to squeeze out the nectar; not crush the fruit to a complete pulp!

TEEN STRESS: WHAT’S GOING ON?

Any event that demands our body to raise a fight usually qualifies as a stressor. The mind uses psychological defenses to fight these stressors. Sometimes these defenses suffice; at others they are insufficient and take a toll on our system in totality. The mind gets cluttered, we cannot think straight, we get angry and upset, we get violent, we feel depressed and in extreme cases we may be driven to suicide too. Today’s life and its fast moving pace places a lot of demands on tender teens. It takes a good deal of determination and strength to face these with composure…

• Moving to a new school
•  Joining college
• Making friends 
• Examinations
• Homework 
• Extracurricular activities 
• Poor time management
• Concern with ones looks
• Family rules and regulations
• Having a boyfriend or a girlfriend 
• Inadequate pocket money
• And so much more…

WHAT STRESS CAN DO TO YOU

Needless to mention, in today’s world, stress has become an integral part of our existence. However, the stressed mind urges one to transiently suspend rational thinking, leading to denial of reality and brings in pessimism. This causes the damaging tetrad of negative perceptions, negative thoughts, emotions and behaviours that eventually result in self damaging lifestyles. If continued beyond the limit of the defence mechanisms and coping strategies, it may lead to burnout, anxiety problems, depression and in some extreme cases even psychotic phenomena and suicide.

Negative perception

         Negative thought

                Negative emotion

                        Negative behaviour
MANAGE STRESS BEFORE IT MANAGES YOU

Stress is an inseparable part of day to day existence. It is not possible to change the situation in most cases; however, changing oneself is a feasible and suitable option. Use of adaptive coping strategies (problem solving approaches; instead of being fatalistic and blaming the world for your woes), yoga, meditation, cognitive reconstruction; all can promote a healthy, positive and stress free existence. It is essential to keep up your optimism, constructive outlook and belief in betterment. You are responsible for your own sanity. Learn to keep it!
WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Manage time well
• List out your goals
• Plan your future
• Take good breaks
• Stay focused
• Eat well always
• Sleep enough
• Exercise regularly
• Learn to forgive
• Make many friends
• Keep those friends
• Love your family (they matter)
• Go easy on yourself
• And lastly…
• Love yourself (no one is more important than you!)