Although your wellness is affected by depression and anxiety, you can be reluctant to go on antidepressants or other pharmaceuticals, for a variety of reasons. However, if you’re looking for a more holistic approach to your condition, Ayurveda may provide the complementary wellness you need to free yourself from depression and anxiety.
The ayurvedic perspective on depression and anxiety is defined in relation to the doshas or sheaths – different layers of your consciousness surrounding the self. As John Douillard, a famous professor of Ayurvedic medicine, explains, your “self” resides in your heart, or the blissful sheath known as anandamaya kosha, while your mind is the seat for the manomaya kosha. Sad or hurtful incidents encourage your mind to construct a protective barrier around your self, which can, in some cases, cause you to lose access to the essential self, and this leads to depression and anxiety. This restricts your flow of energy, or prana shakti, and so you gradually lose your interest in life.
Unlike antidepressants, Ayurvedic medicines aim at strengthening the nerves instead of suppressing them. Practitioners consider both your physical and mental states, and use herbs, minerals and external therapy to correct the imbalances created amid your doshas. After a while, this causes you to move towards your natural prakriti, or a state in which your doshas are balanced, and so the mansikrog (anxiety and depression) vanishes.
If depression and anxiety is taking its toll on your emotional well-being, there are Ayurvedic remedies that can help. When your mind is restless, try a cup of cardamom tea, or Jatamanshi can canalise your mind towards calm and positive thoughts. Ashwagandha or Withania Somnifera have been known to help with problems like manic depression, anxiety disorders, and mood phobias, while Brahmi or Bacopa monnieri is a nervine tonic that is high in anti-anxiety agents. This means that it works to calm and soothe your mind while enhancing your mental ability. For depression, Guggulu or Commiphora Wightii is effective as it contains a special mind calming chemical called guggulsterones, but you can also light up your spirits with rose petals in lukewarm water or a combination of 1/8th teaspoon of nutmeg powder and amla juice. Finally, for Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD), try turmeric.