Stress And Our Home

One of the major causes of STRESS is our multidimensional personality. We are not a monolithic structure. We are not homogeneous. We are our physical body, instincts, emotions, intelligence, perspective, conscience and our soul. We live simultaneously in our house, our village, our town, our province, our country and in the world and also in, past, present, and future; and our imaginary world!

Since all this "living of ours" is interwoven and full of multidirectional and shearing forces, pulls and pushes; we experience STRESS.

This is why, we have all the STRESS, which the other living beings have, which is further added with intricate and complex issues; our STRESS has become a difficult proposition to handle and conquer.

We simultaneously need harmonious functioning of our body, we need fulfillment of our instincts, we need warm and comforting emotional interactions and we need clarity of thoughts from time to time in the form of convincing answers. Since we also have ambitions; we need achievements of creation, mastery, control, and power over nature and others in other forms.

Thus we "feel at home" when we are free of physical discomfort, we feel at home when our thirst is quenched and our hunger is satiated, we feel at home we are satisfied in terms of sexual urge and procreation, we feel at home when we live in our habitat, we feel at home when we get emotional warmth, we feel at home when we are intellectually clear, we feel at home when we are in positions of power and status we envisaged or aimed for ourselves, and we feel at home when we are in our village, town, state, province and our country.

But even after all this we are still incomplete and not fully satisfied.

We do not get the ecstasy merely by well being of body, fulfillment of instincts, by emotional gratification and also after clarification of thousands of questions. We do not get the bliss even after getting fame, money; gaining control over matter and several natural phenomena; and holding sway over people and other fulfillments.

What is it that is missing?

It appears that we suffer from STRESS even after all this because; all these fulfillments are like different components of an engine, which have to be assembled and they are like different organs, which have to together so as to achieve optimal functioning and homeostasis respectively. Taking another analogy; they like the different wires which have to be connected so as to illuminate the room.

In simple words; all our achievements have NOT taken us to the innate abode of ours, the innate home of ours, where we can really "feel at home. Unless we reach and experience the "feeling of being at this home", which is common to all the inhabitants of the universe; we can not conquer the STRESS. However ever as we are on our way to this home we keep getting glimpses of our home and also the pinnacle or ecstasy of bliss "of being at home" in true sense! This home of ours is not only deep within us but is simultaneously present in the deepest core of billions.

This is a glimpse of the richness of the experience of Saint Dnyaneshwar who wrote in Marathi:

HE VISHAVACHI MAJHEE GHARA
AISI MATI JAYACHI STHIRA
KIMBAHUNA CHARACHARA
APAN JHALA

(He himself; becomes the entire universe (the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent), whose instincts, emotions and intelligence dissolve in; or get bonded with the aphorism; "this whole universe is my home"!)

Total Stress Management, which begins with the study of meaning, causes, dimensions, effects, mechanisms, and management of STRESS and practice and sharing of Total Stress Management in terms of holistic perspective; policies, plans and programs and actions; ultimately merges in this state of being, through NAMASMARAN, which reminds of "our true self" and "our home"; where we really are victorious over STRESS and feel at home!

In "our home"; we (our self) are independent of everything and yet in bond with the core of everything; simultaneously! Here is the eternal and self generating fountain of ambrosia.

The Author Teaches Yoga.