Stress has emerged as a major 21st century disease that is usually ignored due to our busy lifestyle. The WHO has estimated that stress-related disorders will become one of the leading causes of disability by 2020. Though stress affects every profession, levels and sources of stress are higher among professionals in the health industry, especially nurses.
A recent research paper authored by Dr Raja Amarnath G, Professor, Department of Pulmonology and Critical Care, Sree Balaji Medical College & Hospital, senior consultant, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, and other researchers has concluded that Heartfulness meditation can be employed as an effective therapy to deal with stress in a clinical and learning environment. They suggest that Heartfulness Meditation should be considered for inclusion in the standard curriculum of nursing colleges.
Heartfulness meditation is a simplified form of Raja Yoga where a practitioner meditates on the heart. This technique involves regulation of mind by ignoring unwanted thoughts during meditation.
According to the study, students often feel that stress levels, both positive and negative, goes beyond their capacity while struggling to manage relationships with various people in the workplace such as patients, fellow students, coworkers, teachers, and other health professionals. Personal factors such as gender, age, new surroundings, difficulty in integration into a new system of life and financial concerns, among others are also a source of stress.