Do you think of many things simultaneously? Has that been a cause of concern for you? Has it disturbed your productivity and mental peace?
A chaotic mind leads to a chaotic core! For good mental health, it’s imperative to bring balance to your mind. In this modern era, we often get stressed with our busy schedules, deadlines, work pressures, payments and loans which lead to chaos both in your mind and body. More the anxiety, stress and unhealthy lifestyle, more unbalanced the mind is, triggering several complications.
The foremost and the most fundamental way of balancing stress and bringing peace to mind is to slow down and return to balance. Following the recommended below mentioned ways will help you do so –
Meditation
Meditation is one of the best means to cultivate passive awareness and have a far healthier response to stressful situations. A daily meditation practice can truly refresh your mind, helping to rewire your response to challenging circumstances that life brings ahead every day and also bestows more clarity and awareness. Pranayama is a form of meditation which comprises of yogic breathing exercises that effectively clears accumulated tension, relieves stress and gives you a peaceful mind. This also helps eliminating toxins (AMA) and stagnation from the body.
Yoga
Yoga is a magic of Ayurveda that does wonders to both your mind and body. It helps move prana (the vital breath) in the body, removes tension, clears stagnation and encourages flexibility, both in the mind and body. Vata and Pitta pacifying yoga routines like Balasana, Uttanasana, Shavasana, Adhomukhasvanasana, Setu Bandha Sarvangasana to name a few, are often ideal when it comes to excess stress and anxiety.
Sleep
Nothing but the important antidote to excess stress – Sleep. Having a restful sleep plays an important role in the repair and rejuvenation of tissues (both brain and body) and also helps in removing toxins from the body. Early to sleep and early to rise with a proper 8 hours of rest in between is recommended by Ayurveda. And majorly when your mind and body is overloaded with stress, the more rest you take, more refreshed you would be.
Herbs
Ayurvedic Herbs such as Ashwagandha, Brahmi and Peppermint (Pudina) are known for its ability to support the body in coping with stress while calming the mind. They not only encourage quality energy throughout the day but also gives you a sound sleep at night.
Diet
With an overload of stress, the last thing you would want is a weak diet and yes, irregular food habits as well. Unhealthy diets such as junk, fried and fast foods all would worsen the condition. According to Ayurveda, it’s considered that unhealthy diet is one of the potential causes of mental imbalance. If the food is not properly digested, it leads to the production of Toxins (Ama) which in turn can cause stress, anxiety and irritability. Ayurveda recommends a regular food routine consisting of green leafy vegetables, whole grains, oranges, pomegranates, amla, olives, berries, nuts and seeds for a good brain health.
Panchakarma
Known as the Purification or purgation therapy in Ayurveda, Panchakarma have shown to be very beneficial to mental and emotional functioning. Some of the therapies followed in Panchakarma that is good for mental health are Abhyanaga, Nasya, Shirodhara and Basti. These detoxification procedures not only remove toxins from the body but also improve mood and mental clarity. For a better mental health and peace of mind, its recommended to undergo body purification procedures twice a year.
Self-Care
Keeping aside a time for self-care each day is the best you can gift to your mind. Choosing to prioritize things like adequate rest, refreshing or nourishing practices like taking a long bath, massaging your feet before bed, sitting in the calm nature, reading an uplifting or inspiring book, watching a good movie or just lying in the couch for a while, all these can help us stay centered as we navigate the challenges of the world around us. These simple practices help relax the nervous system, releases tension and quietens the mind.
