Overwhelm and mental burnout: How ayurveda and yoga can restore your energy and calm your mind

Juggling multiple roles every day – parent, professional, partner – can leave you feeling like you’re always “going”. Constant multitasking and striving to be everything to everyone wears you out mentally, physically and emotionally. If this sounds like you, I want you to know you’re not alone. Many of us have been there – including myself.

According to ayurveda, overwhelm and mental burnout often stem from an imbalance in the vata dosha.

The good news is that ayurveda offers tools to restore balance, calm your mind and replenish your energy.

Ayurveda and yoga can help you overcome overwhelm and bring balance back into your life.

Vata, overwhelm and mental burnout

In ayurveda, the body and mind are governed by three doshas: vata, pitta and kapha. Each dosha influences different aspects of health. Vata, the energy of movement and creativity, governs the nervous system and mental energy. When vata is in balance, it fuels creativity and clarity. But when overstimulated, it can lead to:

• Scatter-brain: A constantly active, unfocused mind leads to mental fatigue.

• Anxiety: Overthinking and worry.

• Insomnia: Difficulty falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night.

Vata imbalance depletes your ojas, the subtle vital substance that fuels your physical and mental health. When your ojas are depleted, you feel exhausted, disconnected and just not like yourself.

Ayurveda can help restore balance

Thankfully, ayurveda offers some simple tools to balance vata, reduce anxiety and restore clarity. Try:

Grounding routine and rhythm (dinacharya)

A consistent daily routine that follows your natural rhythm helps ground overstimulated vata energy.

• Wake up and go to sleep at the same time: Getting up (around 6 am) and going to bed at the same time (by 10 pm) supports a balanced sleep cycle.

• Morning habits: Start your day with a glass of warm water, some yoga stretches and a nourishing breakfast to stoke your digestive fire (agni) and stabilise your energy.

• Take 5: Take short breaks throughout the day – a 5-minute walk or a few deep breathe will reset your mind.

Nourishing, grounding foods

What you eat plays a significant role in balancing vata. As vata is light, quick, changeable and governs the mind, Ayurveda recommends warm, heavy and grounding foods to balance it.

• Warm meals: Soups, stews and rice dishes help calm the nervous system and mental energy.

• Heavy fruits and vegetables: Foods like beetroots, carrots, sweet potatoes, avocados and bananas are very nourishing and grounding.

• Spices: Use warming spices like ginger and turmeric to support digestion and soothe the nervous system.

Practise yoga for calm

Yoga is a powerful way to balance vata and calm your mind.

• Grounding poses: Child’s pose, legs up the wall pose and downward dog will help you feel rooted and grounded.

• Soothing poses: Poses like savasana and reclining bound angle pose promote relaxation and sooth your system.

• Pranayama: Breathwork, such as alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) calms the mind and reduces anxiety.

Embrace stillness

According to a 2012 study, we take in about 74 gigabytes of information a day! A day! And that was in 2012. Can you imagine what it is now?! Constant notifications, demands on our time and overstimulation aggravate and promote vata imbalances.

• Limit screen time: Avoid screens for at least 30 mins before bed to improve your sleep.

• Practise meditation: Sit quietly and focus on your inhales and exhales or listen to guided meditation for 5 or 10 minutes.

• Exercise your green or blue mind: If you can, go outside for a few minutes each day to look at nature (green mind) or water (blue mind). Appreciate the view quietly.

Restore your energy and calm your mind

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and burnt out, take a deep breath and remember that ayurveda can help. It offers tools to restore balance, calm your mind and replenish your energy so you can overcome overwhelm and bring balance back into your life.

Start small and build from there – a grounding routine, nourishing foods or yoga. As you balance and nurture your vata energy, you’ll feel a profound shift in your overall wellbeing.

The important thing is to be consistent. If it all feels too much, too out of reach, I’m here to help. Book your 1 to 1 consultation package today. Energy and calm are waiting – take the first step today.