Stress and Anxiety

Stress and snxiety are the major factors threatening the mental health of modern man. While there were occasions for stress and anxiety in older times, it is not as acute or as prevalent as today. The pace of the world today as well as ever-increasing tevels of population have conspired to pummel the human psyche like never before. As technology has advanced to enable man to create more products and wealth, it should stand to reason that human satisfaction should also rise to the level of the production of these products which are designed to satisfy men's wants. Unfortunately, this increased productivity has only served to increase man's appetite and craving for more and more consumer products while leaving him largely unfulfilled.

The rat race or the race to be ahead of everyone else has made man more affluent but largely stressed and unfulfilled. This is a real paradox and man has forgotten the real delights of nature and simple living. Man has left behind his real source of power and energy which is nature itself. He has lost touch of his inner self and this has left him more and more alienated from himself and other people and the environment. Tall buildings might symbolize the loftiness of his aspirations but it has also kept him from the natural world. Instead of breathing fresh, oxygen-rich air, he must live in artificial environments which circulate unhealthy air. The natural ionization of the atmosphere that happens during a thunderstorm is unavailable to him as he lives inside airconditioned buildings.

It is no wonder then that man's closest companion is stress and anxiety. This fact reinforces the need to go back to techniques which the ancients have devised to bring the mind's attention to inner peace and find the endless source of inner strength and energy. Learning the techniques of meditation can alleviate stress and anziety.