Opines Dr. K. M. Saifullah, Chief Medical Director of Naturoveda
According to a study by The Center of Healing (TCOH), Delhi, 74% of Indians are suffering from stress while 88% are troubled with anxiety. Psychological disorders like stress and anxiety are on the rise in this fast-moving world. The reasons that trigger such conditions are conflicts in any relationships, personal loss, heavy workload, genetic tendencies of psychological issues, side-effects of certain medications, physical or emotional abuse, drug addiction etc. To avoid serious complications like depression, personality disorders, loneliness, exhaustion, various health issues, even suicidal tendencies, one must follow a proper prevention plan and avail treatment of such conditions.
On this World Mental Health Day, Dr. Khalid Md Saifullah who is also popularly known as Dr. K. M. Saifullah, the Chief Medical Director of Naturoveda shares 7 simple steps to win over stress and anxiety in a natural and safe way.
Combat Stress and Anxiety by Following These Simple Steps:
- Consume a nutritious diet: Eating a healthy and balanced diet may help in keeping the negative effects at a bay. Intake right amount of carbohydrates, proteins, & fats along with vitamins, minerals and amino acids to boost your mental health. Besides, the combination of vitamin B6, B9 & B12 enriched foods promote overall wellness, improve sleep and elevate the mood. Citrus fruits, leafy green vegetables, legumes, milk, eggs, fish and nuts are excellent sources of stress and anxiety.
- Be physically active: One may burst stress by maintaining physical fitness. It has been proven that indulging in regular exercises may decrease “cortisol”, a stress hormone. While working out, our body releases endorphins that improves our mood and reduces anxiety. It will be effective if you start doing 45 minutes of exercises on a regular basis. To get best result, one may indulge in it 5 days a week.
- Indulge in deep-breathing exercises: Deep-breathing techniques have great benefits for our mind. They provide a soothing effect on the mind and at the same time relax all the muscles of the body. Inhale slowly through your nose and try to exhale the air through your mouth. Whenever you feel exhausted you may practice slow deep breathing at regular intervals. 3 minutes of deep breathing at regular interval is required as per your convenience.
- Think Positive: Positive thinking is highly beneficial for stress management. If you tend to be pessimistic, try to adopt positive self-talks. Start focusing on the things that make you happy and confident. Understand the factors that aggravate your negativity and learn the skills to change it into positive thinking. Make sure that you are accompanied with positive and supportive people. Try to learn from your mistakes and evaluate yourself rationally. Be open to your friends and family. Practice gratitude and appreciate good things in your life.
- Follow Routine: Make sure that you are following a proper routine. A routine makes you self-organized and more productive. Maintaining a regime will help you in balancing your lifestyle and gives your life a purpose. Stay strict to yourself and train your mind in such way that you can follow the regime even at the worst situation. Soon, you will start realizing that you are able to do the works more efficiently and can save the time.
- Inculcate hobbies: For today’s stressful lifestyles, it is necessary to have fun and improve the quality of life. Adopting a hobby will be the best way to keep yourself engaged with the leisure time. Gardening, reading good books, writing a journal, photography are some good examples of productive hobbies. You may explore different things and understand which one you enjoy the most.
- Maintain a sleep routine: To fight against stress and anxiety, you need to maintain minimum 7 hours of sleep. A proper sleep environment is needed so that the body gets adapted to fall asleep quickly. Maintain a fixed bedtime every night so that you can wake up at the same time every day. Try not to carry any kind of gadgets (laptops, mobiles etc.) to your bedroom before going to sleep as the blue light emitted from the gadget’s display screen reduces “melatonin”, the hormone which is responsible for sleep.
To get a safe and long-lasting solution you must treat the condition at the earlier. Natural treatment systems like Ayurveda, Unani and Yoga have emerged as a silver lining in the treatment of chronic stress and anxiety. According to Ayurveda, keeping the Tridoshas (Vata, Pitta & Kapha) in harmony is the key to ensuring complete health. Similarly, Unani says that keeping the 4 humors (Sauda, Safra, Balgham & Dam) in balance provides disease-free life. Nabz Shanasi (Nadi Parikshan) has the ability to identify the fluctuations of Sauda, Safra, Balgham & Dam and Vata, Pitta, Kapha to reveal the root cause of diseases. Unfortunately, the true art of Nabz Shanasi (Nadi Parikshan) is gradually becoming extinct. It takes time to master this intricate method of pulse examination.
It is pertinent to mention here that Dr. K. M. Saifullah has remarkable command over Nabz Shanasi (Nadi Parikshan). He is a Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery and has acquiescence with renowned Ayurvedic and Unani physicians.