THERE are phases in life when you are surrounded by trouble and nothing seems to work. All you know as the momentum builds up is that something has to give somewhere and things will cool down again. After all,a situation of stress cannot continue forever.

However,while the experience lasts,how do you hold yourself together.Intense,stressful situations test your true grit and strength of character.And that of those close to you the best and closest of relationships have been known to give away under stress.For,we change under pressure and our actions,body language and decisions are all different from what they are in normal times.Even the coolest of people seem to lose their ability to stay calm when faced with the slightest challenge to the smooth running of their lives.

The seemingly happygo-lucky Modi,who was matching steps with Bollywood stars just a few days ago,is tense and seems on the verge of a breakdown.Quite natural.We can all empathise with them since we have all been in that boat,in varying degrees,sometime or the other.And here,for Modi,his entire life,career and reputation built painstakingly over several years,seem to be collapsing around their ears like a pack of cards! How can one not be affected The challenge however would be to retain your demeanour and cool particularly when under the most pressure.Experience proves that stress can have an acute negative impact on health.Increased weight,high blood pressure,heart problems,migraines,mood swings,irritability,and insomnia you name it and stress gives it! Did you know that when stressed out,you not just tend to overeat but also eat all the wrong stuff And that stress can be so overpowering that a study shows men even change their definition of which woman they find attractive when under acute stress they end up choosing the wrong woman!

Wouldnt it be nice if,secure in the knowledge that even the worst of times cannot last forever and knowing the ill-effects of tension,we could distance ourselves from a stressful situation and watch life like a bystander Difficult to imagine,but not impossible.

If like a yogi,you could but detach yourself from life and watch yourself from a distance you would be able to escape the resultant forces that shape your life.Though at the epicenter of the activity,you would be able to rise above and stay unmoved and unfazed.Sounds improbable Try it.With every impossible situation,when we are under deep stress,there comes a moment when we finally give in and go with the flow.The moment when we realise that no amount of struggle or effort is going to help us and its better to give in and conserve energy.And at that point,you find yourself enter an area of stillness.The chatter is cut out and a quiet delight is born.And that is the point at which you start living a carefree life

All the misery we experience can be attributed to our failure to understand that true happiness can be attained only when one is able to harmonise with the best thing in him,with the Supreme Divinity,and not with the brute.Happiness constantly eludes one who is dominated by base instincts and in the process suppressing the inner voice of conscience.

We are all conscious that there is another inside of us;that there accompanies us through life a divine,silent messenger that higher,better self which speaks from the depths of our nature and which gives its consent,its Amen,to every right action and condemns every wrong one, wrote Marden.Men and women in all times have tried to attain happiness by ignoring their conscience that keeps reviewing all their good and bad actions on a constant basis.Therefore,all efforts to buy its approval;to silence its voice in nervous excitement;to drown it in pleasure,with intoxicating substances are bound to go in vain.

The Supreme Being created us along the lines of truth and justice;therefore,in order to gain true happiness it is imperative that we do not violate the laws that constitute the very core of our existence.So long as we continue to indulge in negative practices,for example,to earn money through unlawful means by accepting bribe or exploiting others so long as our aspiration is to amass wealth by any possible means,we can never attain true happiness,simply because we have deviated from the path of righteousness.

The thought that we can indulge in corrupt practices and then beg the Lords forgiveness through prayer or by bathing in a holy river;the thought that we can do wrong and be forgiven without atoning for wrong actions,has done more harm than good.He who has a clear conscience,leads a clean life,and is able to obliterate the negative traits of selfishness,jealousy,envy and hatred from the mind.

We tend to make happiness too complicated an affair.Most people are governed by the understanding that happiness can be derived by doing something on a grand scale;from making a big fortune;and from ostentatious display of wealth with the purpose of showing off ones affluence and high status in society.But happiness can be attained from the simplest and most unpretentious things.Pleasure can never be forced;it must come in a natural way,from uncomplicated living.One often hears the statement: He has the money,but cannot enjoy it. Helping colleagues and friends without expecting anything in return;acts of kindness towards animals;conducting oneself with utmost humility;performance of ones duties with utmost sincerity;protecting the gifts bestowed upon us by bountiful nature;living in a spirit of togetherness with fellow beings all these are simple things,yet they are what constitute true happiness.And this is what leads us to bliss that lies within reach if only we knew how to access it.