Rashid Minhas, a young pilot and the only son of a wealthy family, set off for his usual flight training, however, to be met with an unfortunate incident. An instructor forced his way through and, and took control of the plane and took off. It became apparent that the pilot was flying towards India. Not being able to sabotage the pilot’s effort, he then damaged the plane’s controls, leading the plane to crash in a barren land.
His parents, not being able to bear the fact that they had lost their only son, and then decided to build an entire city in the deserted land, where their child breathed his last. The city became to be known as ‘Rashidabad’, named after their deceased son. Rashidabad is a city that provides free education and healthcare to the improvised, and also offers other remarkable charitable services. For the Minhas, this was their way of coping with distress.
The Neurobiology of Stress:
Now, what does exactly happen when we experience stress? In the neurological level, stress greatly enhances certain neurotransmitters – namely adrenaline, in our brains. This provides us with a surge of energy required in order for us to deal with the high-pressure situation. This increases our heartbeat and respiration to fully equip ourselves to deal with our circumstances.
In a way, stress can prove highly beneficial for us. It has the potential of acting as a motivating factor and can help us provide the much-needed energy to deal with the difficult situation. However, prolonged stress, which leads to the release of excess amounts of adrenaline, which can be potentially destructive.
Human beings have come far over the past few centuries. We live in an exceedingly competitive society, where the pressure to succeed has become more intense than ever before. Therefore, it is natural to say that we, with time, have become more prone to anxiety than ever before. Here are some simple steps you can try out to make yourselves less stressed.
Relieving Stress:
As mentioned above, when our bodies are in a state of stress for a prolonged period of time, it can in turn make us feel restless, irritated, and frustrated. This is caused mainly due to adrenaline. Another hormone, called oxytocin, is known to counter this effect. Also commonly known as the ‘cuddle hormone’, this hormone works to relax us greatly. In other words, oxytocin counters the negative effects of stress. Oxytocin can be released into our bodies through a number of ways, namely:
1. Physical Contact-
The human touch has a surprisingly powerful impact since it releases the ‘cuddle hormone’ as mentioned above, which is oxytocin1. This makes us more relaxed and aids us in connecting with others.
2. Getting social-
Yup, oxytocin is also released when we socially connect with people. So, whenever in a state of overwhelming anxiety, you can significantly be felt more calmed meeting up with friends, hanging out, or talking to someone.
3. Caring for others-
Altruism is also a means by which this hormone is unleashed. Helping others is a great way for enhancing our well-being, which is why the plane crash incident was mentioned in the beginning. Lending others a helping hand, whether if it’s something significant such as social work, or something common like helping out with the chores, can have a remarkable influence on our mental health.
Helping out does need not to be as elaborate as in the example mentioned at the beginning of the article. It can also be small, random acts of kindness. Vanessa van Edwards, in her blog, the Science of People, states that when we become stressed, we tend to focus on ourselves, which can further enhance this feeling. Instead, what we can do to combat stress is to shift our focuses towards others. This can be small, random acts of kindness, like offering someone a compliment, buying someone a cup of coffee, and much, much more.
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