Manoj, a MBA student, came to my clinic complaining severe headache, acidity, irritable bowls and rapid hair fall for the last 6 months. He has been working part-time also. Because of the irregular study hours and work pressure he said he was not able to take his meals on time neither was he able to sleep properly. He also gets irritable often on trivial matters .He was apparently disturbed and wanted to be cured and quickly so. I could clearly see his anxiety and helplessness. He was under tremendous stress .His body was not able to cope up with the demands of the work and study and consequently was suffering. His was not the first case I was handling of student stress. Unfortunately, there had been many prior to this.

What is stress?
Anxiety, pressure, tension—these words figure very often in our day-to-day conversations. But unfortunately, these are not mere words but feelings that reflect our modern stressed out lives. In medical parlance ‘stress’ is defined as a perturbation of the body’s homeostasis. This demand on mind-body occurs when it tries to cope with incessant changes in life. A ‘stress’ condition seems ‘relative’ in nature. Extreme stress conditions, psychologists say, are detrimental to human health but in moderation stress is normal and, in many cases, proves useful. Stress, nonetheless, is synonymous with negative conditions.

Students’ Stressors
There are many reasons why students are stressed out, including lack of control over time, information overload, feelings of disconnectedness, high cost of studies, increased competition
advanced technology,
personal and
professional change, and a more complex and paradoxical society.

In today’s competitive world stress on young minds is immense. Prof. S.Bharti of Excellent Business School says: ‘There is an awful lot of pressure on students these days to succeed and do extremely well, especially because they have invested a lot of money in their education and so they feel they have to do incredibly well.’

As children get older, academic and social pressures create stress. In addition, well- meaning parents sometimes unwittingly add to the stress in their children’s lives. For example, high achieving parents often have great
expectations for their children, who may lack their parent’s motivation or capabilities. “Parents who push their children to excel in sports or who enroll them in too many activities may also cause
unnecessary stress and frustration if children don’t share their goals” says students’ counselor Dr. Akhil Mittal.

How stress affects body & mind
Stress if not handled seriously, can take its toll. Today, the number one reason people           ( including students) get sick is due to stress-related symptoms. It is no longer what you are eating, but what is eating you

When we feel stressed our body and mind show it. The human body responds to stressors by activating the nervous system and specific hormones. The hypothalamus signals the adrenal glands to produce more of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol and release them into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. Blood vessels open wider to let more blood flow to large muscle groups, putting our muscles on alert. Pupils dilate to improve vision. The liver releases some of its stored glucose to increase the body’s energy. And sweat is produced to cool the body.
The nervous system senses continued pressure and remains slightly activated, producing extra stress hormones over an extended period of time. This can wear out the body’s reserves, leaving us feeling depleted or overwhelmed. Over time the immune system weakens causing illness and fatigue, mood swings, lack of focus, and irritability.

Stress diminishes our enjoyment of life as it is implicated in many health problems from poor digestion, and weight gain to peptic ulcer, migraines, insomnia to several autoimmune diseases such as lupus, psoriasis, alopecia, eczema, ulcerative colitis, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, poly cystic ovarian disease, cardiac ailments and most dreaded cancer. Depression and anxiety may be the result of chronic stress in students, in particular. If mental health problems are ignored, they can develop into serious mental illnesses. Clinical depression, left untreated, leads to students committing suicides in 15% of the cases.
 
Dealing with Stress
Students can resort to sports, music, theatre or any form of exercise to combat stress. A yoga practice is an excellent way to soothe nerves that are in a constant state of overdrive. Yoga helps give the ability to live healthy amidst hectic schedules, complex demands and bustling environments.

How Homoepathy Deals & Heals
Homeopathy is a holistic system of medicine, based on an understanding of the interconnection between mind and body. It is a safe and effective system of medicine that helps to heal mind and body. Homoeopathy makes the patient healthier not just by fighting symptoms but also by addressing the root problem i.e. an imbalance in the body.

By taking a full case history, homeopathy aims to treat the whole person, taking into account personality, lifestyle and hereditary factors as well and not just the disease. Instead of attacking symptoms with strong drugs, homeopathy aims to stimulate and strengthen the immune system, thereby helping the body’s natural tendency to heal itself. Homeopathic medicine is prescribed in very low dilution after a special individualization process, which takes into account individual symptoms and characteristics. For example, headaches in different patients would each be treated with different medicines, according to the patient’s individual symptoms. Homeopathy claims to treat the symptoms of a wide range of chronic and acute illnesses, including stress.
Role of Diet
Whether students accept it or not, diet plays a very important part in alleviating the symptoms of stress. Eating regular meals and a sensible diet (fruits, green and seasonal vegetables, pulses, yogurt, eggs, chicken and meat) sans junk food helps a great deal. Avoid too much caffeine products e.g. coffee, tea and fizzy drinks. These will give you quick high followed by an energy stump.
Just Talk
It sounds trite, but it is also true, that a problem shared is at least a problem reduced. Just talking to friends or family can often put your troubles in perspective. If this doesn’t help, or you don’t want to approach loved ones, a trained counselor can offer professional help. Counseling has been shown in studies to be effective in tackling stress
The feelings of stress come from your perception of the event/situation, and whether you view it as positive or negative. A stress management program is a regular and consistent program of thoughts and activities designed to reduce stress. By becoming smart, being proactive, and taking control, you will be able to handle whatever life gives you in a more positive and productive way.