Is there a connection between stress management and spirituality?

Stress is a feeling of an emotional or physical tension
Today, so many people in this world suffer from high levels of stress. It is said, ‘Stress is our body's reaction to a particular challenge or demand. It can come from any event or thought that makes us feel frustrated, angry or nervous.’

Is there a connection between stress-management and Spirituality?
Both stress-management and spirituality work in the direction of resolving stress. However, spirituality is far beyond stress-management.
Spirituality provides a permanent solution to all the problems. So, first and foremost, let’s take a brief view of how exactly does spirituality help...

Spirituality is based on right understanding
Gnani, the Enlightened One, says, “In this world, we are suffering from so much of stress and tensions, pain and unhappiness. It is all due to ignorance, ignorance of viewpoints of each other, and mainly it is the ignorance of Self i.e. not knowing really ‘who am I?’ – this is the biggest cause of any problem.”

Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan, an enlightened being got Self-Realization in 1958. Since so many past lives, he wanted to know, ‘who am I, who governs this Universe, where is God, what is God doing, what is the right address of God, how the bondage of karma, how to come out of the bondage of karma and how to get ultimate salvation.’ He was searching for it; and in 1958, he got realization automatically. He experienced the ‘Universal truth’ which is called spiritual science.

Once we know all this reality, then the worldly puzzles cannot confuse us. We can come out of all the puzzles. We can remain in eternal bliss and can experience eternal happiness.

Now coming to your question,...
‘Can one identify their stress, manage it, and connect with their own spirituality?’

Certainly, one can. How? Let’s ask Param Pujya Dadashri.
The fundamental reason behind stress is worries and tension
Pujya Dadashri explains, “To think about a situation or a problem as being everything, is called a worry. If the wife is sick, and she is everything in his life, more important than all his wealth, then worry takes hold. She means more to him than everything else. So worry sets in. If on the other hand, money was everything for him and his wife became sick, he would experience tension but not worries. And for the one for whom the Soul is everything, what does he have to worry about?

Tension is similar, but not quite the same as worry. The pull in tension is many sided where as in worry you are totally involved in one issue thinking that to be everything. An example of tension is: ‘what will happen if this job does not work out? Here my wife is sick, what will happen to her? The children are not going to school properly, what will happen to them?’

Tension is all these kinds of pulls. I have not had tension for the last twenty-seven years, since my spontaneous Self-Realization.
However, there is a lot of difference between being careful and worrying. Carefulness is awareness and to worry is to have anxieties that eat you up from within.”

Worries means adverse meditation, which will bring adverse results
Many may argue, “Oh, it is just a natural concern.” That’s where Pujya Dadashri says, “That natural concern itself is adverse meditation.” Within, we are causing suffering to our own self. Moreover, worries bind obstructive karma. Such karmas prevent the fulfilment of your desires in future life. Work gets spoiled with worries; whereas freedom from worries improves all work. This is the law of nature!

Is this matter in your control? If it is in your control, then go ahead and worry
Pujya Dadashri advises, “God tells you not to worry. Worries cause more obstructions. The Vitarag Lord has asked, ‘Are you the one running this world? You are the owner because you are doing the worrying.’ When you really look at it, you do not even have the independent strength to evacuate your bowels. You have to call a doctor when you are severely constipated. Until then, you feel that everything is under your control, but that strength is not yours. Should you not know whom the strength belongs to? Who runs all this? Is someone else running it or are you running it?”

Who is the doer? The circumstances are the ‘doer’
Param Pujya Dadashri explains the spiritual science, “All these scientific circumstantial evidences come together and an event takes place. So the control is not in our hands. We must simply observe the circumstances and see what they are. Once the circumstances come together, the work gets accomplished. It is wrong to expect rain in the month of March. On June 15th (when the monsoon rains are due in India), the circumstances come together.

If the circumstances of time are right and yet the circumstance of clouds is not there, then how can it rain? When the clouds are present, the timing is right, there is lightening and when all the other evidences come together, it will rain. All the circumstances must come together. Man is dependent on the circumstances, but he believes that he is doing something. The portion of whatever he ‘does’ is also dependent upon circumstances. If one of these circumstances were to fall short, then he will not be able to do that particular work.”

Knowing ‘Who am I’ is the final solution
“One should know who he really is. All work done for our ‘real’ Self will carry forward with us into our next life. All work done under our worldly name will remain here when we leave this world. Don’t you think it is crucial to enquire about what happens to you after you leave this world? Who you really are? Do you not have to know at least something? Should you not ask, ‘Who am I?’ This question I can solve for you here. I have all the answers. Then you will never have any worries.” - This is the ultimate solution that Pujya Dadashri suggests to connect with our own spirituality and manage stress.

For infinite time we have been wandering in infinite life forms. It is only occasionally that you meet an Awakened One, a Gnani Purush, who sets you free. So, go meet Him as soon as you can!

Please click here to know more:
https://www.dadabhagwan.org/path-to-happiness/self-help/how-to-stop-worr...