Dear Sir,
I will be grateful if you please publish the
enclosed in your issue and oblige.
With many thanks and kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
Dr. (Fr.) Walter de Sá
PRINCIPAL
ST. XAVIER'S COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCE & COMMERCE
MAPUSA - GOA.
Coping With Stress
An In-Service Programme was conducted to the
members of non-teaching staff by the faculty of
COOJ led by Donna Noronha and Tanya DSouza,
which was held on 06/09/2013 in the seminar hall
of St. Xaviers College, on the theme Coping with stress.
The Principal, Fr. Walter de Sa welcomed the
participants and explained the relevance of this
programme particularly in the present
circumstances as working people find themselves
involved in situations they find it difficult to
face. He added that this programme would help
them not only at their place of work but more
importantly in their own families.
The resource persons asked each participant to
introduce himself/herself with actions, which was
repeated by others. They also sought to know what
it was exactly that was causing stress. Several
and diverse answers came forth from the
participants such as pressure of work, lack of
communication, no time, childrens misbehavior,
deadline to comply with, no time to relax, family issues, etc.
In such a situation, what do you do? They
asked. Some responded that they listen to music,
watch T.V., play games, visit friends, watch
movie, play with their children, and do breathing exercises.
Through a practical demonstration, they drove
home the message one has to learn out of a
critical situation. A participant was asked to
hold a glass filled with water for a while. They
asked him what he was feeling. He replied that
his hand was paining. Had he kept the glass in
his hand for a longer time, it would pain him
much more till such time that he would be no
longer capable of holding it, in which case then
the glass would just fall down and break. The
resource person applied this example to the
stress an individual faces. Therefore, the best
thing one can do is to keep the glass down, i.e.
to settle oneself. Remain rooted on the ground like a tree, they said.
If something or someone is bothering you,
communicate your concerns to your friend in whom
you have confidence. If you do not voice your
feelings, resentment will build up within you,
and the situation will worsen leading to
physical, mental and emotional disorders. Holding
stress in our mind and body affects adversely our
health. Therefore, one needs to express ones
feelings instead of bottling them up.
They pointed out that people many a time resort
to unhealthy ways of coping with stress, such as,
smoking, excessive drinking, taking pills or
drugs, arrogant behavior, withdrawal from
friends, etc. These, they observed, may
temporarily reduce stress but in the long run, they cause greater damage.
They noted that the stress has a repercussion on
the body such as palpitations, dry mouth,
headaches, etc. They taught to the participants
some of the positive result yielding strategies,
like, concentrating on and stretching body
organs, deep breathing, listening to music,
playing with a pet, working in the garden,
watching a comedy, playing with a child or
finding an activity one enjoys, and feels the
stress melts away. If you regularly make time for
fun and relaxation, you will be in a better
position to handle lifes stress, they added.
They also advised to repeat these exercises that
would contribute to relaxation and feeling
lighter. The participants expressed their
feedback that the program was useful and
beneficial to them. It ended with a vote of
thanks to the resource persons from COOJ.
MD
