Please don’t disturb me……… Leave me alone……. I need some private space …… Are the 3 solid statements behind the killer problem ‘Depression’…. I’m not threatening you. Depression when left unnoticed will turn out as a major health issue leading to the extreme situation of all illnesses. It might even cause death. Sudden break in a relationship, losing your job, chronic health disorders, death of a dear one, work pressure and certain other traumatic conditions may be the reasons lying behind depression.
Ayurveda is one among the oldest healing methodologies, when studies reveal that it is more than 5,000 years old with proven remedies for a perfect and harmonized living with nature, how can it be without a remedy for the ‘dangerous depression?’ Of course, Ayurveda has the best cure for depression as it deals with mind and body together with the touch of senses, feelings and emotions. When depression being a disarray of the mind, what else than Ayurvedic essential oils can treat this from the scratch??? Think and come let’s discuss about depression in detail.
What is depression? Depression is a universal problem and it cannot be restricted to people of a particular country or a continent. According to the Medical Dictionary, Depression is defined as ‘a mood disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty with thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts or an attempt to commit suicide’. In Ayurvedic terms, depression and other disorders related to the mind are known as ‘Mansik Rog’. When you are depressed, your days seem blue and ‘down in the dumps’ and the earth will look as if it has stopped rotating.
Ayurvedic way of healing depression: According to Ayurveda, essential oils are said to lighten tejas i.e. augment mental brilliance and clarity. Unlike the modern antidepressants that suppress the depressed minds, Ayurveda kindles the mind and body by revitalizing the senses while giving a new life and a powerful wave of vitality. It aims at strengthening the nerves and supports the depressed person to strike the right balance of Ayurvedic doshas for complete fitness.
It is a well-known fact that Aromatherapy is a branch of Ayurveda, which uses aromatics as a vital tool for the treatment and prevention of numerous health disorders with the help of Ayurvedic essential oils. The natural and enriching fragrance of Ayurvedic essential oils rejuvenates the mind and senses through the limbic system. The most celebrated essential oils to treat depression are:
- Rosemary essential oil: This oil is a mental stimulant that counters depression, nervous exhaustion, frequent mood swings, stress disorders and helps uplift your spirit. Inhaling the evergreen aroma of this oil from a tissue will give you clarity, relaxation and keep your thoughts focused towards a positive energy.
- Lavender essential oil: Here comes my ‘darling’ essential oil. Lavender is an excellent stimulant that can invigorate your entire system with its antidepressant and stimulating properties. The magical fragrance of this oil when added to your bath tub or used as a massage oil with any of your favorite carrier oils can work the wonder by granting a calming as well as soothing effect on your body. It relaxes your muscles, strengthens your broken feelings, treats anxiety, alleviates stress and induces good sleep, helping you to recover slowly and steadily from depression. The rich and floral aroma of Lavender augments the alpha brain wave frequency in the backside of the brain, which is related to calmness.
- Ylang Ylang essential oil: The name itself has a sense of sweetness blended with healing values. Known popularly as the ‘flower of flowers’, Ylang Ylang oil is trusted to treat depression as it instills a calming effect on the nervous system and guarding you in case of stress, depression, anxiety, fear, high blood pressure, sleeping disorders and hypertension with its antidepressant, sedative, hypotensive, nervine and antiseptic properties. Dr. Miriam Kinai’s book on ‘How to use Ylang Ylang Essential Oil (Aromatherapy)’ will be of great use to you in improving your entire health and vitality.
- Frankincense essential oil: This is an extremely useful oil for its highly valuable therapeutic properties. The exceptional aroma of Frankincense essential oil grants you the promising ray of hope that you long for while you are depressed. Sadness, anxiety, loneliness, confusion, disappointment and other problems related to depression can be perfectly kissed with the benefits of this oil.
- Jasmine essential oil: Ah! Jasmine! What a mesmerizing fragrance it has? This natural floral mist is a mood enhancer used in alleviating pains, treating anxiety and soothing depression. The attention-grabbing aroma of this flower boosts the beta waves in the front part of the head, which is generally associated with a receptive state of mind and vigilance.
Depression is easy to pronounce but exceedingly intricate to experience. If checked in the initial stages and treated in a systematic manner with the proper advice of your Ayurvedic practitioner can help you swim against the tide easily.
To experience the beauty of life, all you need to do is to just clear the spider’s web that has rusted your thoughts and feelings……..….If you can’t then who can??????
Thought for the day: “Life is not merely to be alive, but to be well“
Suggested reading:
- The Fragrant Mind: Aromatherapy For Personality, Mind, Mood and Emotion by Valerie Ann Wormwood
- Aromatherapy For Dealing With Depression by Dr Miriam Kinai
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