Depression has become a serious concern, and nowadays, many people encounter the condition. Once in a while, every individual comes into a mental state where sadness surrounds the individual life. An unpleasant situation may occur due to the loss of a person, problems in marital life, loss in business, etc. Some people can get over it, while some remain stuck to their past and develop the tendency to be fearful of the future.
Everyone experiences sadness for a while, which is common for everyone at some point of time. But, a prolonged and unresolved condition turned into depression. This gradually impacts the overall health condition of a person both psychologically and physically.
There are various remedies available that are still not efficient in curing it. All thanks to Ayurveda– a holistic approach that helps in improving overall health and acquiring peace when connected with nature.
Ayurveda offers a natural remedy for psychological concerns like stress, anxiety, and depression. Some medications relieve a person from sleep deprivation and stomach-related concerns, improve moods and stimulate life.
Diet and Lifestyle Changes for Depression
According to Ayurveda, diet and lifestyle plays a key role in mental wellness. If an individual doesn’t follow a well-balanced diet, then he/she is at risk of procuring varied mental health problems. So, the type of issue signals the dosha that needs to be balanced. Human health is determined by these three factors –
- Vata
- Pitta
- Kapha
Vata dosha
If we talk about Vata, depression may occur due to Vata dosha if your diet or daily routine has excessive vata. This psychological disorder might be caused by Shock, trauma, or loss. Symptoms that show Vata-type depression are –
- Weeping easily.
- Sleep disorder.
- Unexpected mood swings.
- Paracusias.
- Lower libido.
- Anxiety and Fear.
- Agitation.
- Reduced appetite and weight loss.
- Headache and Joint Pain.
- Extra talkative.
Try to stay away from a Vata-rich diet and do alterations to your lifestyle. Avoiding crude food, and intense and impactful savour is advisable. Rather you should prefer taking cooked food varieties with salty, sweet, and sour flavours and sticking to regular food is best option to consider.
Pitta dosha
The pitta dosha generally occurs evoking pitta and is a type of mental imbalance that usually appear from regret-like feeling and develops from instances like a job layoff or pain of separation. It generally covers-
- Immense criticism both towards others and self.
- Frustration.
- Blaming others or self.
- Sense of failure.
- Irritation, and aggression.
- Lack of self-esteem.
- Guilt.
- Suicidal tendencies.
- Suppressing the emotions.
You can get over this by reducing the pitta depression in life. To mitigate this, you need to perform relaxation habits, like meditation, exercises, and yoga activities can help. Also, avoid hot, spicy and light food choices. Rather prefer to have dry and cooling food items like beans, potatoes, vegetables and oats.
Kapha Dosha
Kapha-type depression indicates an imbalance of Kapha in one’s diet or lifestyle. Several symptoms of the conditions involve-
- Feeling low, or dull.
- Overeating when experiencing difficult feelings.
- General aloofness.
- Speaking very less.
- Too much sleeping.
- Stick to bed all day.
- Weight increase.
- The negative outlook on life.
To avoid such circumstances, work to calm the Kapha in life. This you can do by avoiding sweet, salty, and sour flavours while giving preference to bitter, pungent, and harsh is favourable. Avoid heavy food consumption. Take 3 meals a day regularly but ensure to take small meals.
Ayurved medicines to treat imbalances in Dosha
Ayurvedic herbs and medicines generally aim to treat the doshas and thus reduce anxiety and aid in managing concerns like depression. Some common herbs and medicines are –
- Ashwagandha: Ashwagandha has a proven effect on the treatment to resolve stress and aid in controlling mood swings. Also known as Indian Ginseng.
- Brahmi: It helps in the treatment of depression as it calms the mind and treats stress.
- Guduchi: Guduchi or Giloy is also a herb used to treat depression.
- Bhringaraj: Bhringraj is known as rejuvenating herb that manages stress and anxiety.
Conclusion-
Hope now you have gained an insight regarding how you can heal any psychological concern following ayurveda principles. It is highly advisable to seek assistance from a physician before facing mental ailments and then align ayurveda medications and diet patterns as per their recommendations.
