Reduce Stress with FAITH

More smiling, less worrying,

More compassion, less judgement;

More blessed, less stressed;

More love, less hate.

(Roy T Bennet)

The more one is involved in prayer and has faith in God, the more a communion with God becomes visible. This field has been neglected by science for long since scientists look for empirical proof and it is difficult to investigate spirituality and the power of faith scientifically, as it is a matter of heart, faith and feeling. Unfortunately, people who need evidence of God’s existence don’t try to feel His grace. Religion may have a placebo effect that reduces stress and heals us. Some believe that the idea of God is necessary for us to stay on the right path.

Faith, spirituality and meditation can positively affect the ageing of our body. Ageing is a mental process and the physical aspects of the body are controlled by the brain. If one provides a healthy diet to the body and soul, with adequate periods of rest and rejuvenation, it can definitely slow down ageing and increase lifespan. ‘Intense yoga and ‘in tense meditation’, both calling for deep focus, can contribute positively to one’s health and slow down ageing.

Twenty years ago, only one in 20 young people used to suffer from lifestyle-related health problems. The trend has reversed now. There is an increased need for faith, prayer and spirituality in day-to-day life. Mindfulness and meditation are particularly useful for CEOs, top and middle management persons, busy businessmen, bureaucrats, politicians, housewives, and professionals. It is not difficult to achieve something if you want it with your whole heart; all you need is trust and faith in God.

Tension stresses and depresses the immune system — bone marrow, spleen, thymus and lymph nodes — leading to an increased risk of infection. Cancer is commonly seen in patients with depression but a strong will and desire to survive reduces the risk of relapse. Stress diminishes white blood cell formation and function and causes the thymus gland to shrink. Successful patients teach the doctors, how to heal and reawaken ourselves and our patients and to become better healers.

It is an established fact, proven by several scientific studies that faith betters your health; it reduces stress and parasympathetic blood pressure. It improves personal behaviour and lifestyle, which in turn slow heart rate and improves your physical as well as psychological health. For the past 20 years, sure. The relaxation western medicine in the US has been exploring uncharted territory: The healing power of spirituality. Now many medical colleges include classes on spirituality as it boosts immune functions and enhances and accelerates the healing process beyond conventional medical treatment.

Christina M Puchalski founder and director of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health, says, “People who practice spirituality tend to recover from depression sooner than those who don’t.”

Stress causes acceleration of cellular ageing, thereby accelerating ageing process. Herbert Benson writes in his book The Relaxation Response that this is caused by sympathetic dominance over parasympathetic activities, which leads to faster heart rate, increased blood pressure and prepares us for a fight or flight response. Relaxation events such as meditation and visualization cause parasympathetic dominance causing slow heart rate and fall in blood pressure. The relaxation response of the body leads to reduction of stress at a cellular level, thereby slowing down the ageing process.

Stress is the main troublemaker today. It is a situation that produces a negative body response. Stress is good only in small quantities.

Matter referenced from:

V.K. Nigam, Faith can reduce stress, (Science and Spirit section), pp-04, The Speaking Tree, Ahmedabad, Times of India/ 17.11.2019.

By: Dr. Bhawana Asnani.

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