Stress has become a fairly common element of the modern life. While little amount of stress is productive, excessive stress can seriously damage our health – physically, mentally, and emotionally. Almost everyone in today’s world is living a chaotic life, be it the household life, the school life, the workplace, or the society.

Ayurveda, the ancient system of natural healing, offers a totally distinctive and holistic approach to stress management. It recommends several natural effective ways of stress management for our day-to-day life. Ayurveda focuses on using the intrinsic power of herbal medicines to treat various physical and mental diseases.

According to Ayurvedic philosophy, the systems of human body are governed by three fundamental energies: Vata, Pitta & Kapha.

When the balance of these 3 energies a.k.a  ‘3 doshas’ is disturbed, our body and mind start suffering with various diseases. Therefore, the Ayurvedic experts advocate the use of various natural remedies to bring back the balance of these three energies of Ayurveda. These natural substances are totally harmless and support our body in managing an easy, stress-free life.

Ayurvedic herbs for stress relief

A range of powerful combinations of herbs and plants have been mentioned in Ayurvedic scriptures. These combinations/ herbs help in the treatment of stress, anxiety and depression etc.

The BRAHMI herb is considered very helpful in the treatment of stress. It takes care of the mental disturbance, headaches, anxiety and depression. Brahmi has shown amazing effects on serious disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. It is highly recommended for people suffering with stress, post-natal depression, anxiety etc.

ASHWAGANDHA is yet another important stress bursting herb which is heavily used in Ayurvedic medicines.

According to an eminent ayurvedic consultant, Ashwagandha is an all-purpose brain tonic, which improves our thinking ability, memory power and concentration. It basically helps in maintaining the chemical balance in our brain, which in turn helps us deal with chronic stress. One study published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine suggests that Ashwagandha has shown extremely positive results in the treatment of anxiety, insomnia and depression.

Alternative Therapy for Stress Relief

Restore your inner balance with yoga and meditation

Most of us are juggling from one task to another during the day, and there is a constant lack of time to finish those tasks. The pressure that we feel due to a tight schedule may negatively affect our mental and physical health. Over a period of time our body, mind and heart start losing the sync.

Therefore, it is essential to re-establish the inner connection in order to regain our mental and physical balance.  The practice of yoga and meditation allows us to naturally experience our inner self, which in turn increases our capacity to handle challenges of life more easily and calmly.

Yoga, meditation and other relaxation therapies allow our body, mind and heart to be more integrated. Thus our natural balance is restored and the level of stress and anxiety goes down.

Food for a stress-free life – Eat Right

As we know, prolonged stress generates free radicals and toxic chemicals. This disturbs the balance of vata, pitta and kapha in our body and creates several disorders. These disorders could be related to health, brain, heart and digestive system. According to Ayurvedic philosophy, food that we eat can also work as our medicine. The right kind of foods can help us find our inner peace and reduce stress.

In case of stress and anxiety, all plain or sweet fruits are usually considered the right choice due to their vata and pitta pacifying qualities. These two energies stimulate and control various mental and physical functions. Hence, it is important to pacify them in order to maintain proper functioning of the body.

Berries, bananas, sweet orange and amla help in pacifying pitta. They reduce the stress level by providing Vitamin C and Vitamin B6. All kinds of berries like blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are good sources of antioxidants and vitamin C. Consuming these fruits on regular basis may help reduce the risk of depression, tiredness and anxiety etc.

Abhyangam (The ancient oil massage therapy) for stress relief

Abhyangam is the ancient warm oil massage therapy which recharges and rejuvenates the whole body and mind. It is a very effective ancient treatment of muscles and connective tissues, which also help calm down the nervous system. Abhyanga with Ayurvedic nutrient-rich warm oils promotes good sleep. It also helps to improve skin while taking care of your emotional health. In this treatment, warm Ayurvedic oil is poured and gently applied on the body. Oil starts penetrating, slowly, through the cells and removes the harmful toxins or ‘Ama’ from the body. This makes our body and mind feel totally relaxed and stress- free.  This warm oil massage on regular basis can help pacify tri-doshas and promote good health.