Anxiety is a constant state of mind, where the mind is put under stress, with variables that could happen in the present or would happen in a future state. It’s a state where the mind is churned with various permutations and combinations of what could happen or what is about to happen, with no logic. it’s a state where the person does not live in the present and either lives in the past, where past incidents drive the person to think and act as though the past incidents would be repeated, or it could be living in the future, which is full of uncertainties and these future uncertainties drive home the fear of what if ….leading to an anxious state of mind. The volume and intensity of anxiety increase exponentially as days pass by leading to a state of the mind being under continuous stress leading to severe depression and a melancholic state of Body Mind & Breath.
In this state, the primary stress hormones, adrenaline & cortisol are released in a surge, and adrenaline increases the heart rate, and elevates your blood pressure, Cortisol increases the sugar in the bloodstream and alters the immune system which suppresses the digestive system, the growth process which is directly affecting the cellular metabolism of the body.
Symptoms of being in that state are
Anxiety
Depression
Digestive system
Headaches
Muscle tension pain
Sleep problem
Weight gain
Memory & concentration impairment
So the cycle of anxiety > stress > depression needs to be broken. If left untreated it would lead, to deterioration or progression of melancholia, anxiety, grief, frustration and most importantly support remission. This is a slippery road and it’s a spiral. Once you get into a state without help you could slip into a state of manic depression ( needing psychiatry )
Hence it’s very important to sniff the telltale signs of anxiety at the very beginning and take re-course to help in various forms
a)Yoga
b) Pranayam ( breath work )
c) Disciplined life Have a disciplined routine and productive clear goals for the day.
d) Food habits
e) Regular sleeping habits ( going to sleep and waking up in a regular pattern )
f) Regular exercise
All the above activities release dopamine which is a neurotransmitter which helps the nervous system and stimulates a feel-good factor and pleasure which is an integral part of improving the immune system.
Stress directly affects cellular metabolism which affects the chemical composition of the body leading to autoimmune disorders
Modern science cannot reverse autoimmune disorders, it’s only yog and pranayama which can alter the chakras in our body bringing the cellular metabolism back to its original composite state.
In a state of stress, the mind and the breath remain out of sync and this can be rectified only through pranayam. You control and moderate the breath which in turn moderates the mind and ensures that it remains in a state of calmness.
One of the biggest contributors to stress is counterfactual thinking, which plays tricks on the mind.
Living in the present is the key, that pranayama teaches you.
Pranayam and yog address the mind’s mind , hence it’s a slow process but a sure process of stabilising the mind
Counselling and psychiatry address the mind directly, hence it’s a faster process. But the chances of the mind getting back to its previous state once the counselling is over is high, hence counselling continues for a long time even after the state of distress disappears.
Hence it’s recommended that a depressed mind gets attacked on 2 fronts …counselling and yog ( pranayama )
The mind which has been addressed by counselling can again revert to its diseased state at any psychological triggers, whereas the mind’s mind addressed through yog is long-lasting and is a great influencer on the mind
Focusing on the present prevents the mind from wandering into the past or future and yog orients one to stay in the present and practice in the present
Accepting the present would allow you to accept the agitation, worry , angst, discomfort that one is placed under and accept and live with the conditions and slowly change the situation that compounds the stress within us
