Stress, the feeling you get when you're overwhelmed, is not a one-size-fits-all concept. People can be stressed when nothing is wrong in their lives, and people can feel stress on their best days. Mental peace is such a vague concept that we are always aspirants, never examples. Today, when we are all in this rat race, to do better, to be better, to evolve constantly, every day is overwhelming, and it is only natural to seek help.

Importance of peace of mind

The importance of peace of mind lies in your understanding of it because it is different for different people. Mental peace or peace of mind is a state of calmness, a state without restlessness, a state of being, and how you perceive it or define it is up to you.

It’s benefits are:

• It can help you focus, concentrate.

• It teaches patience and tolerance

• It can help you sleep better

• It can help you live in the moment and experience happiness

• It can help you improve your relationships

The importance of stress management

First things first, stress is not a bad thing. When the brain senses you are in danger, or something bad might happen, the fight or flight mode is activated, and your senses are heightened, you feel more energetic and alert. However, it's all about the timing. 

When there is no danger, and your brain is still hyperactive and stressed, that is when you need to worry. Untimely stress that is constant and unmanaged can cause high blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the chances of a heart attack, and cause several emotional as well as psychological imbalances. That is why mental peace and stress-relieving activities to enhance that is important.

Are you stressed? What are the symptoms?

So, are you stressed or not? The easiest way to know that is to compare your symptoms to the well-researched symptoms of stress. Those are:

• Cognitive Symptoms: Memory issues, lack of concentration, poor judgment, anxiety, constant worry

• Emotional Symptoms: Irritability, agitation, anger, depression, loneliness

• Physical symptoms: Rapid heartbeat, Diarrhoea or constipation, Chest pain, frequent cough, and cold, body aches

• Behavioral symptoms: Loss of appetite, stress eating, insomnia, sleeping too much, substance abuse

How to attain peace of mind?

Attaining mental peace seems like such an unattainable feat today. Where is the time or space or place for that, right? Wrong. Through stress management exercises, stress-relieving activities, and alternative stress controlling practices, mental peace is quite attainable. Here's how:

• Three still contemplative, calming breaths to flip your entire system from fight-or-flight mode to nirvana mode don’t seem like a reality, but, they are. It is the least you can do to help yourself fight stress and it doesn't even take a minute, this is the first step of meditation. If you continue on this path and meditate for 20 minutes each day, you can say goodbye to stress.

• Being in nature can teach us to be mindful, to be unaffected by what others say or think about us, to live life with our purpose, whatever that might be. You can learn to just be, and that is the beauty of nature.

• Pets and the feeling you get while playing with them and petting them is indescribable. According to researchers, that feeling is the increase in oxytocin and endorphin levels in the brain that activates the body’s self-healing mode.

• Creativity beats everything, including stress. Indulging in creativity, be it making music, painting, sketching, singing, dancing, designing, or anything in-between can help bring mental peace to your doorstep.

• Set an intention for every day and engage in ritualistic behavior just like our ancient healers and generations did. By ritual, we do not mean you have to pray or perform ceremonies, we mean you have to set a spiritual tone for your days, something that you will do every day.

• A playlist for mental peace? Yes, please. Music has been used therapeutically since the 18th century, and researchers worldwide have continuously stressed its impact on stress management exercises.

Gemstones to the rescue

Little astrological marvels called Vedic gemstones and astrological gemstones can aid in the stress controlling practices. A natural gemstone from a certified gemstone store in Delhi or anywhere in India can greatly benefit people partaking in stress management exercises. Lepidolite, for example, helps with anxiety, Hypersthene can help with emotional balance and expression, Amethyst helps in decreasing fear and cravings, and pearl helps in anger management as well as stilling the mind.

In closing

Stress management is an achievable goal today. There are as many things you can do and support you can seek if your stress levels are overwhelming you. If stress management exercises don't help, you can use Vedic gemstones to aid the practices, and if that doesn't seem enough, you can always seek medical advice.

Also read: Decision making in the time of Covid-19: Can gemstones help?