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“Smiling and positive thoughts can alleviate stress and anxiety”
New Delhi, 05 October 2018:
According to statistics, an average adult smiles about 20 times per day, and babies flash a full-fledged, ear-to-ear smile up to 400 times a day. Smiling benefits our health and well-being, and positively impacts those around us. It can make a huge difference to one’s social and personal life – not to mention also make a person more likable and approachable. Above anything, it can relieve stress and anxiety too.
Nearly 9 out of 10 Indians suffer from stress. Some recently releases findings suggest that stress levels in Indians are higher in comparison to people from other developed and emerging countries, including the United States, the UK, Germany, France, China, Brazil and Indonesia. Stress is known to exacerbate, among other things, the chances of succumbing to health conditions such as heart diseases and high blood pressure.
Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee, Dr K K Aggarwal, President, HCFI, said, “Stress is the reaction of the body or the mind to the interpretation of a known situation. Stress management, therefore, involves either changing the situation, changing the interpretation or taming the body the yogic way in such a way that stress does not affect the body. Every situation has two sides. Change of interpretation means looking at the other side of the situation. It is something like half glass of water, which can be interpreted as half empty or half full. Smile in every situation to make it a little better. It is said you are incomplete in your dress if you are not wearing a smile on your face. Music and dance are known to great stress busters and bring a smile to the face of the performer and the viewer/listener.”
As one thinks, so he becomes — the human mind is very powerful and has unlimited potential. It can influence behavior. Repeated actions change to habits, which ultimately shape your personality.
Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, who is also the Group Editor-in-Chief of IJCP, said, “Our body is the largest pharmaceutical group in the world and has the capacity to heal diseases and relieve stress. Music and dance are ways to initiate positive changes in the body and mind. Singing or listening to music and dancing can reduce respiratory rate leading to a parasympathetic healing activity. When a person in absorbed in music or dance, there is a change in the body’s biochemistry. These are healing mediums and can alleviate a person to the Turya state – that where the performer and the audience become one.”
The 25th MTNL Perfect Health Mela will witness many music and dance performances. By engaging the audience positively, they will help reduce stress. It is said that in a relaxed state of mind, information can be imparted effectively. This is what the Mela hopes to achieve in the form of health education through entertainment. The event is scheduled from 23rd to 27thOctober 2018 at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi.
Some tips from HCFI
- If you want to feel happy, practice faking a smile. Hold a pen in your mouth and force a smile. This is what happy people do.
- Adopt power postures, even when you don’t feel so confident. Compared to a low-power pose (sitting hunched over with arms and legs crossed), a high-power pose (expansive posture) has been shown to be associated with increase in testosterone and decrease in the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Testosterone is related to dominance and confidence.
- Join a laughter club.
- Dress the part. How you dress will affect how others see you. Clothes make a strong visual statement about your self-image.
- Model yourself after a person who is successful. Mimic their actions.
