10 tips to prioritise your mental health in 2023

In Ayurveda, there is great emphasis on the mind body connection, and how physiology and psychology are a continuous bidirectional axis that impact and influence each other. In recent years, there has been extensive research into the mind body connection, and understanding the gut brain barrier has come to the forefront.

In order to truly understand how we can prioritise mental health for 2023, we must take ourselves back in time to the meaning of sattva.

What is sattva?

It was believed that everything in nature and within us is a combination of three different energy states, which include sattva, rajas, and tamas.

Broadly, we are in tamas when we feel lethargic, dull, quarrelsome, insensitive, or scared. We are said to be in rajas when we feel angry, jealous, short tempered, greedy, cruel, impatient, critical, unpredictable, intolerant, or hurtful. We are said to be in sattva when we are balanced, stable, equanimous, cool, and calm.

In Ayurveda and yoga, every choice that we make, which can lead us towards sattva, are said to be of great support to our mental health.

Steps to prioritise equanimity and balance in 2023

All aspects and tools of yoga and Ayurveda are steps towards balance and supportive to our mental health. The beauty of self-love and care to support mental health are that they need not take extensive time. Wherever we start, we are doing something of great support!

1. Make lunch your biggest meal close to noon. The fire is strongest at noon and anything that we eat during that time will be broken down correctly and nourish our body. Avoid starving through the morning, but have a light breakfast to stoke the fire and prepare your body for the bigger meal to come up at noon. Balance the meal with whole grains, proteins, a leafy green, and one more vegetable cooked with fresh spices and healthy fats. Anytime someone comes to me with anxiety or mental health symptoms, their diet is either imbalanced or their timing of meals is incorrect. This triggers them to spiral into a cascade of blood sugar imbalance, which then imbalances hormones and tips mental health off even keel.

2. Give yourself a break and avoid doing too much. I totally understand that you have a lot to do during each day. Prevent a scattered mind by creating a daily schedule for yourself so that your mind feels a little lighter from trying to remember your to-do list. It is best that you include scheduling time for meals, a short guided meditation, some breathing, your work, and even your time for yourself. It sounds too simple, but it is a very powerful way to relax the mind. All of us tend to think that we have too much to do to relax. However, scheduling a 10-15 minute guided meditation each day is just not impossible. There are so many to choose from!

3. Accept situations and people for whatever they are. One of the most valuable lessons I learnt at the end of 2022 when I went through a phase of burnout and deep dejection was that it is just not in my hands to change those around me. However, we do not need to respond to someone else’s anger or imbalance if we choose to be in equilibrium. We can make it clear in a gentle way that we have decided to stay calm.

4. The power of walking is immense when it comes to good mental health. Walking is a balanced movement that allows us to have great blood circulation and lymphatic decongestion, contributing positively to optimal detoxification and balanced hormones. Unlike running, which can be problematic for many people struggling with anxiety, as it is vata aggravating, walking and trekking is greatly beneficial. Whether it is walking to work, getting off at a bus stop before to walk, or waking up earlier in the morning to walk, this one is simply phenomenal and so worth the effort!

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5. Practice regularising mealtimes and sleep times for a stable circadian rhythm, one that is harmony with the diurnal rhythms of nature. Our body and mind receive cues from light and darkness, and from how we time meals and sleep to maintain homeostasis. It might not seem a big deal as so many tend to have differing timings on different days, but common does not mean normal. Even if you do not have the mental space to begin with bigger interventions such as taking time out to walk, experiment with stabilising mealtimes and bedtime, and your mental health will thank you immensely for it.

6. This might seem controversial or upsetting, but the reason why onions and garlic were not recommended daily were that they took the mind away from stability and equanimity. You might think it is impractical or even impossible to cook or eat without them, but take a moment to think about what you might try. It might be worth an experiment to perhaps not include them at dinner, so sleep is more restful. Or, perhaps, you may want to try to simply avoid eating raw onions as a salad. Or, if you are balanced and calm most of the time, when you do notice yourself getting angrier, avoid them for one or two meals. See for yourself.

7. Practice belly breathing when you are in bed. Lying on your back, try to notice the gentle rise of your abdomen as you inhale and the fluid relaxation of the abdomen when you exhale. Notice the coolness of the air in your nostrils as you inhale and the warmth of the air in your nostrils when you exhale. Next, try to synchronise the breath and observe the inhale in your nostrils, along with rise of your abdomen, and the exhale with the fall of the abdomen. This is a great practice to do even during the day, lying on the ground. It slows down the nervous system and supports equilibrium and calm.

8. Spend 10 minutes in nature after dinner. Having a calm stroll after dinner without focus on how much or how fast you are walking helps you to gently move away from the chaos of the day and relax deeply. Focus on walking slowly, notice the ground under your feet, slow down your breathing, pause for a moment to observe nature and soak in the feeling that we are part of nature. There is a deep hidden harmony between nature and us. As is nature, so we can be, and this is the essence of Ayurveda.

9. Choose the right form of yoga. I must mention this in the context of mental health, as yoga was never meant to be about sweating, grunting, and comparison, even to ourselves on another day! A practice that is focused on asking you to sweat, push, and achieve is not a practice of yoga. However, there is great power in a practice that is calming, gentle, unified with the breath, and about acceptance of self. Finding such a teacher or a class is something to really prioritise, so that the energy created in the space is one of nurture, safety, and gentleness.

10. Essential oils are showing a lot of benefit to mental health. They are a wonderful adjunct, complementing other simple interventions that support great mental health. While you can read about specific essential oils to support mental health, I truly believe in intuitive choice and allowing your intuition to guide you in this.

As a guide, those who are vata predominant or more prone to anxiety will do well with vetiver or frankincense. Those who are pitta dominant or more prone to anger will benefit from rose, sandalwood, or patchouli. Those who are more kapha dominant and prone to depression will do well with eucalyptus or ginger.

There are so many tools that ancient wisdom has left for us to keep ourselves vibrant and healthy with our mind. No matter where we begin, we can see ourselves move slowly towards sattva.