Sweta Vikram, AD - United States
Abstract of the presentation
Ayurvedic Tips for Anxiety
Co-authors: n/a
Branch: Ayurveda
According to WHO, approximately 4% of the global population has an anxiety disorder. Anxiety can significantly disrupt a person’s day-to-day life. It may cause racing thoughts, constant worry, or a sense of dread that interferes with focus and decision-making. Physical symptoms like fatigue, headaches, digestive issues, and sleep disturbances are common, making even simple tasks feel overwhelming. Social interactions may be avoided, and productivity at work or school can decline. People with anxiety often feel on edge, leading to irritability or emotional exhaustion. Over time, chronic anxiety can impact relationships, self-esteem, and overall well-being. Without support or tools to manage it, anxiety can make daily functioning feel like a constant uphill battle.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, anxiety results from an imbalance in Vata Dosha, one of the three main doshas. Typical causes driving imbalance include overstimulation, lack of routine, cold foods, and trauma. Ayurveda reminds us that Vata can be thrown off balance by diet, lifestyle, routine, seasons, and environment. With anxiety (which Ayurveda views as an overload of upward-moving energy), one tends to feel ungrounded and unfocused. Simply put, pacification of Vata will help in lowering anxiety.
Anxiety is a complex problem and therefore there are no simple solutions. That said, Ayurvedic diet, lifestyle, therapy, and herbs can help. That is what this talk aims to do--offer people holistic solutions rooted in Ayurveda to navigate anxiety.
Please note that some of the texts also include machine-generated translations.
