Her smile beckons me; it is captivating, friendly and full of warmth. She cuts the paddy stalks rhythmically with the other womenfolk labouring under the harsh afternoon sun. They giggle as i wave out to them and ask if i can join them in their work. The woman with the warm smile shyly points out that such hard work is not for the likes of me. The rest start laughing. I too join in the laughter, in response to the simple truth of my inability to swiftly cut paddy stalks with the sun burning my back. Theres so much hard work, harsh circumstances , and little leisure in this remote tribal hamlet....

Signs and symptoms It is important to understand what is happening on a physiological level when you are feeling stressed.When you are feeling stressed your brain perceives a threat and the fight or flight response is triggered. In a potentially threatening situation this response is invaluable and may save your life or the life of another. However, living in this state of heightened arousal (which short or long-term stressful events can generate) is not good for you and your body may begin to signal this to you in a variety of ways. Physical Physical symptoms experienced include: ✦ a pounding...

If you thought that the only way to feel elated is by drinking alcohol or drugs, think again. There are several ways by which you can get a natural high, which basically happens when there is a release of endorphins or ‘feel good’ chemicals that give you a sense of well-being. Run Put on your running shoes, and just take off! The term ‘runner’s high’ couldn’t be more apt. Don’t expect anything, if you plan on running just for a few minutes – yo need to for at least 30 minutes before you start feeling good. You may feel incredibly tired during the...

It seems that at the University of Lubeck in Germany, people given a mathematical puzzle were twice as likely to find a shortcut to the solution after getting a good night’s sleep than the group that had not slept. Participants given the problem after sleeping didn’t have the same success rate as the group who did “sleep on it,” suggesting that slumber helped the problem-solving process along. Ground-breaking conclusion? Sleep’s important. Get some. This is yet another wave of evidence indicating that rest, not work, is the basis for success. Unfortunately, the world’s...

Last night you came home tired and in “a bad mood” because of your boss’ “unreasonable demands”. Then, you gave your family member a verbal bashing over something. You skipped dinner, set off to work in the morning feeling guilty and hopeless. It is a folly to blame your behaviour on a foul mood or a though time, just because you are prone to moddiness. If you’ve had a spate of such episodes of late, you might be in the middle of clinical depression. Just feeling low Power-cuts or salary cuts, there are many occasions for us to feel down in the dumps. It’s...