Combating Depression: The Ayurvedic way

Life gets us all down at times. We all have times when we aren’t feeling our best. Seldom it's difficult to see the silver lining in a situation and irregular mood swings might make it hard to cope with the hard realities of life. It’s okay to feel anxious or upset at times. It isn’t a big deal if those moments are temporary.

However, if you find yourself feeling a strong sense of sadness or general disappointment with life and the feeling seems to last for really long periods, then it might be symbolic of a much larger, underlying issue. When those feelings prevail for long periods to the point it begins to interfere with your day-to-day activities, it means that you might be depressed. A mood disorder that can significantly disturb your daily life and make it hard for you to carry out simple chores or function normally, depression is a major mental health issue that more than 250 people in the world suffer from, irrespective of age.

Whether it is the pressures and demands from work, a toxic relationship, or a turbulent domestic atmosphere, a sad mindstate can be caused by a variety of factors.

The following are a few symptoms that indicate a person might be going through depression:


  • Feelings of anger, irritability, restlessness
  • Feeling hopeless, worthless, or empty.
  • Losing interest in your favorite activities.
  • Getting tired easily
  • An inability to concentrate
  • Experiencing difficulty in completing tasks owing to a general sense of apathy
  • Absent-mindedness
  • Insomnia
  • Restless sleep patterns

Causes/Risk Factors


  • Hereditary factors such as a family history of depression or similar mood disorders may put you at risk of developing a depressive illness.
  • Environmental factors such as Early childhood trauma and your living circumstances can affect the way you react to certain stressful events.
  • Medical conditions like Chronic illnesses, insomnia, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, are all risk factors.
  • low self-esteem 
  • A personal history of mental illness
  • Stressful events such as economic problems or the loss of a loved one.
  • An imbalance of hormones and neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin.


Location: Alappuzha, Kerala, India

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