We went through the half of the year and are now set to face yet another half. Some of us barely survived the path set by that six months of uncertainties and up until now, people are still grasping the reality imposed by the present moment.
After all that happened and are still happening in this world, I guess it’s safe to say that the year 2020 seems like playing with us and, you guessed it right, doesn’t have a plan to quit its games anytime soon. Horrendous things happened after another, and for humans like us, bearing this pile is challenging the limits of our sanity.
We are all affected by this on different levels. Concerns regarding mental health issues are something that we shouldn’t brush off.
The anxiety brought by seeing the constant increase of COVID-19 cases on the news and even the stress brought by its side effects and adjustments is becoming more serious over time. Not to mention that almost every one of us is locked up inside our houses like prisoners just to protect ourselves from an enemy we don’t know where.
The thought of being anxious is making us feel even more anxious, so thinking about how it makes you feel anxious just worsens the situation.
No matter how dark a situation is, we should always search for that tiny piece of diamond sparkling at the end of the tunnel. Looking at the flip side of the coin, maybe the situation isn’t as bad as how we perceived it. Maybe this is a break set by the universe—a perfect time for some to take advantage of the isolation and care for their headspace which needs their utmost attention at these trying times.
You don’t need to pop a bottle of over the counter tablets, just scroll down and let the Ayurvedic Medicine be your virtual therapist!
Ayurveda, which is considered as the oldest form of healing practice from India, suggests that feeling anxious and depressed rooted in the imbalances in your Vata. It’s one of the three doshas that is in charge of all the thinking and movement in your body.
Ayurveda believes that putting this space and air element, and all of the three doshas in equilibrium will make your headspace better. Here’s how:
1. Breathing Exercises or Meditation
Pranayama is a combination of the Sanskrit words Prana (energy) and Yama (control), it is a practice of controlling your breath. You could try some popular practices as Anulom Vilom Pranayama or the alternate nostril breathing and the Ujjayi Pranayama which is also known as the ‘ocean breath.’ There should be a proper flow of oxygen in our body for our vital organs to function properly. Aside from this, a Pranayama practice helps in having a better quality sleep at night and can help you feel calm and grounded. It goes the same with meditation, the only difference is that there are guided meditations where someone is speaking on the background.
2. Yoga
One of the sole practices in Ayurveda, and even in every part of the world, is Yoga. It’s widely popular nowadays as compared before and you can already have a session while staying at home through free yoga videos you can browse online.
According to the Ayurvedic Medicine Doctor and a yoga teacher, Mark Halpern, there are different yoga poses and asanas for each predominant dosha type. For Vata: calming, quieting, yet warming; Pitta: calming, quieting, and cooling; Kapha: stimulating and warming. Some of the poses you could try in balancing your Vata are Uttasana (standing forward fold), Balasana (child’s pose) and Bhujangasana (cobra pose).
3. Mindful practices
Incorporating mindful practices in your daily life can help you feel peaceful inside. Some of the mindful habits you can do are reading, writing poems or stories, journaling, and doing various types of arts like painting, drawing, crocheting, building polymer clay figures, and even pottery if you have the means.
Also, talking to people you care about and value is a therapeutic activity on a daily basis. You could do it in person or through the use of technology.
4. Healthy Diet
Feeding your body with the right food aligned with your predominant dosha greatly affects how you think and act. Try eating slowly and mindfully, treating it as another meditative form of exercise.
5. Do Nothing
I know, I know. Is ‘doing nothing’ even considered as ‘doing something’? And why is this even included on ways how to make your headspace better? Calm down, people, there’s a reason why.
As silly as it sounds, ‘doing nothing’ is a healthy activity you could ‘do.’ Believe it or not, doing nothing is one of the hardest tasks you could do for yourself. You’ve already been facing a lot, but facing yourself shouldn’t be an exception. Try doing nothing even just for an hour or two and focus entirely on yourself and say hi.
Put a few drops of essential oil like lavender on your diffuser for additional aromatherapy to help you be still.
In these times of multiple uncertainties where everything in the world seems unsafe, make sure to take good care of your headspace and make it a safer place to be in.
https://holisticayurveda.ca/care-for-your-headspace-amidst-uncertainty/