Six Tips to Fight Stress with Ayurveda

by Neeta Gosalia Herbal Hair And Skin Specialist

“Brain cells create ideas. Stress kills brain cells. Stress is not a good idea,” says a modern philosopher.

Whether our stress is caused from work, routine, or relationships, most of us, in our lives, face the uncomfortable symptoms of stress. These symptoms may manifest in several ways including worry, fatigue, increased anger, problems with relationships, inability to focus properly, stress headaches, trouble sleeping, and a variety of stress-related health issues.

But don’t stress out — Ayurveda has many powerful time-tested tips to counteract stress! Here are a few of our favourites:

Restore inner balance

Do you feel that you are rushing from one activity to the next during the day? Have you ever experienced that feeling that there is never enough time in the day? The stress of a packed, tight schedule over the long term may negatively affect our health and our ability to handle all the diversity in our environment. Do you feel you are in a stressful relationship with “time?” This may decrease emotional resilience and leave us feeling hostile (Pitta under pressure), sad (Kapha under pressure), trapped (fear–Vata under pressure); or we may resent our “busy” lives, all the good we have, and those close to us. It can affect all aspects of our lives.

Time-related stress happens because we lose connection with our innermost needs; we chase external goals and we lose connection with the silent, stable source within. The result: our body, mind and heart develop conflicting interests — the mind insists on going on while the body feels tired and the heart feels heavy. To reset our clock, therefore, we need to re-establish our inner connection. The practice of Transcendental Meditation® allows us to effortlessly experience our silent core at the source of thought, and this increases our capacity for intuitive thought — a highly accurate inner compass, or inner ear. As our body, mind and heart become it restores more and we slow down internally; our resistance to stress, our resilience, goes up; and we seem to make better decisions.

Rest during down time

Even when you feel that you have no time, give yourself some quiet time. The logic is simple: all life evolves, grows and is sustained through cycles of rest and activity. Rest is the basis of dynamic activity. So our recreation, rest, or down time becomes medicinal.

Creatively carve out time during your workday by efficiently achieving your workload while conserving your time — eliminate unnecessary steps, avoid procrastination, prioritize, delegate, and try to avoid distractions. Each of these will free up time and energy for more productive work. During your downtime, which may be a few minutes, take a walk outside or around your office, gaze out your office window at the clouds or trees blowing in the breeze, or close your eyes and give your body a little rest.

Work your body to rest your mind

Exercising to increase relaxation is effective and Ayurveda. A simple ten-minute morning walk can put us in touch with ourselves and the surrounding environment. An early morning walk also helps reset our circadian rhythm and helps our sleep patterns.

Dr. Nancy Lonsdorf, integrative physician and recognized Ayurveda expert, says, “I’ve been recommending a morning walk to my patients and doing it myself as regularly as I can, because it makes you feel so fresh and enlivened. It uplifts your mood for the entire day and gets your circulation going!”

Ayurveda supports the self-care principle of not over-exercising. The concept of balaardh (bala means strength and ardh means half) encourages us to use up to half our total individual energy and conserve the rest. If we are stressed out in our day-to-day lives and we stress our bodies out when we work out, we may fuel the fire instead of cultivating balance. Favour low-impact, enjoyable forms of exercise, and remember to take rest days. Even while abiding by this principle, over time we can build up our endurance levels; it just may take longer and mean more attentiveness to our body’s energy output.

Eat to live stress free

Food can truly be our medicine. Fruits and veggies nourish our bodies and can relieve stress. Rich in antioxidants, fresh fruits and veggies beat back free radical damage, cutting our susceptibility to stress, fatigue, and disease. Eat according to your Ayurvedic constitution. Not sure what your current constitution is?

Stress can generate free radicals, and a host of other hormonal changes which may wreak havoc on our mind, emotions, brain, nervous system, heart and overall immunity. Foods with high antioxidant content naturally combat free radical damage. Our high-antioxidant formula Amrit Kalash uniquely combines rare herbs and fruits which, when taken daily, helps beat back the free radical damage caused by stress, improves immunity and restores the balance between mind, body and spirit.

Curb stress with Ayurvedic herbs

Balance Pitta: Promote self-confidence, positive thinking and feelings of fulfilment by balancing the subdosha of Pitta that governs emotional health, Sadhaka Pitta. Our herbal formula Stress Free Emotions, with arjuna, ashwagandha, mica, pearl and holy basil, is a potent combination to support the coordination of our mind and emotions and build a natural resistance to emotional stress.

Balance Vata: Prana Vata is the subdosha of Vata that governs the brain, the head, and the mind. Our potent blend of whole herbal extracts, powders, and minerals in Stress Free Mind balances Prana Vata; supports natural resistance to daily mental stress; nourishes the immune system, which is often taxed by everyday mental stress; and promotes peace, stability, and calmness under pressure. Worry Free is another of our powerful formulas with Ashwagandha and Jatamansi; it helps to balance Vata and increase our resistance to stress. This formula is specifically blended to help relieve occasional anxiety and worry brought on by external or internal stress. It helps calm our mind for deeper sleep, calms and relaxes us and is a good antidote to everyday tension.

Sleep Soundly

An uncomfortable night of bad sleep can set off a series of unhappy events — lowered appetite, imbalanced digestion, irritation, and fatigue. Performance suffers along with relationships, creativity and general well-being. Ayurveda has much to offer for a sound night’s sleep: eat a light, well-cooked dinner at least three hours before bed; engage in relaxing activities such as taking an evening walk, listening to calming music and slowly preparing our body for sleep about an hour before we lie down; go to bed around the same time each night; and load a diffuser with a relaxing essential oil such as Slumber Time Aroma Oil, or one of our other dosha-balancing therapeutic aromas, to help aid sound sleep. How to choose? Sniff and let your nose decide. The one that smells the best is the one your body is looking for to help bring balance.

Herbs like Indian valerian and Jatamansi are natural herbal sleep aids with a calming influence and have been used in ayurveda for centuries. Ashwagandha helps resistance to stress and helps balance the mind and emotions. These and other rest-friendly herbs come together in our Blissful Sleep formula, prepared in the traditional Ayurvedic way, using only the best-quality ingredients.

There is no magic bullet for managing stress. Each day we make choices, and every time we choose an activity that leads to less stress, or more resilience to stress, we move toward the upward cycle of emotional balance. So choose, starting today, and watch as your life improves.

Here is to good health and happiness.