Stress
Hi! I’m Navjit Kaur, a freshman at UC Berkeley who intends to major in Molecular and Cell Biology. This is my second semester in BPSHI and I’m currently an intern for the follow-up committee. A topic that I wanted to bring awareness to is the importance of reducing stress in our day-to-day lives. In the Punjabi/Sikh community, the side effects and consequences of stress are often overlooked. Especially jobs such as truck drivers, nurses, and gas station clerks require endurance in stressful situations and can be tolling.
Some methods to reduce stress in our daily lives can include:
Exercising each day such as walking for 30 minutes. Exercise has been proven to boost the release of endorphins such as dopamine that help decrease anxiety and increase happiness.
Eating healthy nutritious meals filled with the proper portion of protein, whole grains, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. Nutrition plays an important role in regulating the body’s stress levels.
Listening to Gurbani or meditating on Naam can help bring a sense of calm, peace, and relaxation. Meditation can help slow down racing thoughts and center one’s focus.
Monitoring caffeine intake. The caffeine in chaa/chai and coffee boosts cortisol in the human body and may lead to increased levels of stress. Hence, it’s important to be mindful of the cups of chaa or coffee consumed daily.
Overall, the stress levels in our Punjabi/Sikh community can be affected by several factors such as tolling jobs, family matters, financial pressure, education, societal norms, etc. Just taking a few moments out of your day to focus on reducing your stress levels can be so helpful!
