Ayurvedic Lifestyle Changes for Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety is a complex emotion, and one that has a tendency to overwhelm most areas of our life. That’s why it’s so important to develop coping strategies that allow you to overcome your anxiety and live a more comfortable life.

Anxiety is the enemy of both happiness and ambition, and the stress you experience from anxiety can have both short and long term repercussions.

The Ayurveda Take On Anxiety

Ayurveda believes that the cause of anxiety is over stimulation. That our society essentially allows for far too much overwhelming of our senses.

From the time we wake up to when we go to sleep, there are lights, sounds, colors, smells – there is considerable stimulation of all of the senses, overwhelming the mind and soul and creating a feeling of constant anxiousness.

Ayurveda, in general, applies holistic solutions treating any type of mental health issue. There are herbal remedies, spiritual techniques, and more, all of which reduce the load that the world’s sensations place on your body.

For those that have not yet adopted complete Ayurveda techniques, there are some very easy home lifestyle changes you can integrate that will start to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed that your body experiences.

4 Simple Tips to Control Sensations

1. Create a Quiet Room

You may not be able to escape the sensations of the world all throughout the day, but you can give yourself a break. A quiet relaxation room is a great start.

If you have a room or a large closet available, keep it open and completely empty. At most, place a couch in there and a low light. There should be no phones, technology, clutter, or anything else.

The room should be in muted colors and have a lock on the door. There should be no pictures on the walls, no music, and ideally it should be soundproofed. Spend 30 minutes to an hour in this room every day, and you’ll find yourself more relaxed.

2. Exercise

Exercise also has a powerful effect on anxiety. Yoga is the most recommended, as yoga allows you to learn healthy breathing techniques that are also useful anxiety reduction strategies.

It also slows the world down and has a spiritual component that is good for the soul. Other exercise that initiate a breathing component can be useful as well.

Jogging, for example, gives you more strength for better breathing and tends to feel like it controls the world around you, reducing the amount of negative thoughts or experiences. Yoga is most valuable, but any form of exercise is important.

3. Acknowledging and Shifting Thoughts

Ayurveda offers several strategies for shifting negative thoughts – all of which take practice. One easier way to introduce this idea is to start a journal. Journaling allows you to control where your thoughts are.

When you have negative thoughts, write them all down in the journal. Then, start to write down the positive thoughts that make more sense given your situation.

Focus on the thoughts you want to have, knowing that you’ve acknowledged and started addressing the thoughts you didn’t.

4. Ayurveda Techniques for Anxiety

Ayurveda itself is an effective but complex tool for a variety of issues, involving a number of lifestyle choices, dietary changes, and more.

Many of the principles of Ayurveda can be applied right now, in the comfort of your own home. Start with the above three, and learn more about how Ayurveda can help you with anxiety.

You’ll eventually learn to control all of your anxiety symptoms as well as your environment and prevent anxiety from continuing to affect your life.

About the Author: Ryan Rivera believes in a holistic approach to dealing with all mental health issues, and contributes to anxiety awareness.