Modern psychology seeks to conquer fear and anxiety in all its forms. However, some amount of fear is natural and healthy. In Ayurveda, unhealthy anxiety must be transformed into healthy anxiety that is natural and appropriate for health. We suggest you perfect your fear, instead of trying to eliminate it.

Healthy fear includes all anxiety that accords with natural risks. For example, a healthy fear is one that avoids unhealthy foods. However, in unhealthy anxiety one begins to fear everything, or becomes preoccupied with slight imperfections. No food is perfect. Those who tend to obsess about food will find themselves preoccupied with these imperfections. Unhealthy fear also includes any despair over one's ability to heal.

Anxiety Due to Deficiency (Vata Type)

Deficiency is the root cause of unhealthy anxiety as a chronic pattern. In Vata individuals, chronic anxiety results from dehydration and hypoglycemia (deficient rasa dhatu), pale or anemic blood (deficient rakta dhatu), or toxins (ama) from constipation or indigestion. Blood plasma deficiency creates anxiety much the same way that a hungry person feels anxious about food. Anxiety due to deficiency blood plasma will show signs of dryness, including dry skin and a thin tongue.

Anemia creates a similar survival anxiety as dryness. Anxiety due to anemia will show a pale tongue with redness in the tip as the heart tries to overcompensate for the blood deficiency.

Toxicity irritates the nervous system, making a person feel anxious and uncomfortable.

Other Causes of Anxiety

In Kapha individuals, anxiety results from a deficiency in the adrenals - they simply lack the energy to deal with life's everyday problems. Then the Kapha individual withdraws as they become depressed and overwhelmed over these challenges. Kapha individuals may become anxious if their blood is congested and difficult to circulate, frequently associated with feeling tired and overwhelmed.

In Pitta individuals, anxiety is the result of heat in the liver and will be associated with feeling self-conscious, perfectionist, and critical.

Emotional factors could lead to high anxiety as well, including history of trauma, or PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and

Effects of Anxiety on the Body

Unhealthy anxiety, fear and uncertainty tends to shut down circulation by constricting blood vessels. This constriction of blood vessels is adaptive - it shunts blood flow from non-essential organs so that adequate blood is available to deal with a present threat. Anxiety activates the sympathetic "flight or fight" nervous system, and deactivates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). Circulation to digest organs is particularly affected.

Aromatic herbs such as peppermint and cloves open up blood vessels, restoring a sense of natural ease. For this reason, aromatics herbs are nervines that relieve anxiety. The root cause must be addressed as well.

Answer some questions about how foods make you feel. Then you'll receive a full food report customized for you.
COMPUTE MY DIET FOR ANXIETY, FEAR, UNCERTAINTY
OR, GET A GENERAL DIET FOR BALANCING ANXIETY, FEAR, UNCERTAINTY

Augment your diet with these specially chosen ingredients below which may be useful for 'Anxiety, fear, uncertainty'. Individual results vary depending the cause of your imbalance and by constitution. Please research the ingredients below to find which are most helpful for you, and check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine. Please check with your medical doctor before making any changes to your health & wellness routine, and for the proper use of these products.

These supplements are contraindicated / may aggravate 'Anxiety, fear, uncertainty'.

MIND STRESS SLEEP TIPS

DISCLAIMER: The pathogenesis of each person's condition is unique, and so the diet must be fit to the individual and the unique root causes of the condition in your body. The information on this page is for educational purposes only and should not be used to treat a medical condition. It is not a substitute for medical care. Please check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine.

Everything you eat has an effect on your body, which Ayurveda categorizes in a simple and easy way, using biocharacteristics (gunas). Biocharacteristics are qualities (like cold and hot) that describe the effect a food or herb has on your body. Cooling foods like cucumber, decrease metabolism. Heating foods like chili pepper, stimulate your body and increase metabolism. For 'Anxiety, fear, uncertainty', you should select foods with the following biocharacteristics. Individual results will vary, based on your body type and the root cause of your imbalance.

Mind, Stress & Sleep:

Nerve Relaxant Grounding

NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING

Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth. Reduces agitation, irritation, stress and racing thoughts.

SEE ALL 'NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING' FOODS / HERBS

,

Anxiolytic

ANXIOLYTIC

Herbs that help people suffering from anxiety or panic. They promote a state of calm and often improve sleep. Most anxiolytic herbs are also nervines.

SEE ALL 'ANXIOLYTIC' FOODS / HERBS

,

Boosts Gaba

BOOSTS-GABA

GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, reduces nerve excitability. It is the body's primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. Thus, it promotes relaxation, calm, and sleep.

SEE ALL 'BOOSTS-GABA' FOODS / HERBS

,

Brain Tonic

BRAIN-TONIC

An herb that strengthens the brain and thereby enhances memory or other cognitive functions and improves mental stamina or stability.

SEE ALL 'BRAIN-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

,

Nervine

NERVINE

Balances the nervous system. They can help with stress, memory, early alzheimer's, and even chronic pain. Often they are aromatic in nature.

SEE ALL 'NERVINE' FOODS / HERBS

,

Sedative

SEDATIVE

Sedative herbs create a sense of calm in the mind and body by specifically calming or quieting the nervous system. Excellent for anxiety, stress and chronic pain.

SEE ALL 'SEDATIVE' FOODS / HERBS

,

Serotonergic

SEROTONERGIC

The feel-good hormone. Also includes serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI).

SEE ALL 'SEROTONERGIC' FOODS / HERBS

Heart & Circulation:

Calms Heart

CALMS-HEART

An herb that literally calms the heart. These herbs are helpful in the treatment of anxiety, sadness, depression, or other emotional imbalances in the heart. Related to the Chinese Herbal Category 'calms spirit.'

SEE ALL 'CALMS-HEART' FOODS / HERBS

,

Vasodilator

VASODILATOR

A vasodilator is an herb that widens the blood vessels by the relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, thereby increasing circulation systemically or to a local area.

SEE ALL 'VASODILATOR' FOODS / HERBS

Strength, Muscle Health:

Muscle Relaxant

MUSCLE-RELAXANT

Herbs that relax muscles. Helpful for chronic pain or tension as well as healing from physical trauma.

SEE ALL 'MUSCLE-RELAXANT' FOODS / HERBS

,

Relieves Tension

RELIEVES-TENSION

An herb that releases tightness, constriction, and rigidity in a muscle.

SEE ALL 'RELIEVES-TENSION' FOODS / HERBS

,

Ojas

OJAS

Ojas is the essence of healthy tissue, immunity, stable energy and happiness. Substances that improve ojas are recommended after long-term illness, debility, emotional and physical trauma, and even sadness.

SEE ALL 'OJAS' FOODS / HERBS

Other:

Anti Aging

ANTI-AGING

Geriatric conditions typically involve low agni / metabolism, poor circulation, weakness & debility, muscle weakening, poor digestion, a drop in sex hormones, and connective tissue degradation in bones & skin.

SEE ALL 'ANTI-AGING' FOODS / HERBS

Subtaste:

Aromatic

AROMATIC

Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues.

SEE ALL 'AROMATIC' FOODS / HERBS

Moves Energy:

Downward

DOWNWARD

Downward-moving (Adho Gati Marga) substances move food downward in the GI tract, settle the nervous system, and relax muscles.

SEE ALL 'DOWNWARD' FOODS / HERBS

Joyful Belly is a recognized college of biocharacteristics medicine.

HOW TO ADDRESS ISSUES IN STAGE OF DISEASE #2

ANXIETY, FEAR, UNCERTAINTY IS IN STAGE OF DISEASE #2 - AFFECTING BLOOD & EMOTIONS

Affecting Blood: Initially, imbalances are localized, often in the digestive tract. As an imbalance grows, it starts to affect your body systemically, via the blood. If you have symptoms in this category it means that your imbalances are starting to spread, have entered the bloodstream, and are now systemic. Pay particular attention to the biocharacteristics, tastes, and doshas out of balance systemically, so you know how to strengthen your body as a whole, and reduce physical stress on your organs. At this stage of imbalance you will begin to experience generalized discomfort, imbalanced emotions, and may develop sensitivities to temperature. It may take several weeks of strict adherence to a specific remedial diet to clear blood level imbalances. Blood cleansing herbs may reduce symptoms. A several day cleanse may shorten the recovery time. (See all disease stages on JB)

GET MY FREE AYURVEDA BODY MAP According to Ayurveda, one or more of the following doshas and biocharacteristics may aggravate 'Anxiety, fear, uncertainty'. If you have an excess of one of these doshas or biocharacteristics below, Ayurveda recommends reducing foods and lifestyle habits that aggravate them. Click on the biocharacteristic to learn what foods and lifestyle habits should be reduced.

Are you prone to a problem with 'Anxiety, fear, uncertainty'? Find your imbalances and create a diet for your Mind Stress Sleep by taking the free mind stress sleep quiz:

TAKE THE MIND STRESS SLEEP QUIZ

The following symptoms & habits may be related to 'Anxiety, fear, uncertainty'. See your quiz results for a computerized assessment of your body type. Please click on the symptoms below to learn more about them. On average the biocharacteristics of people reporting Anxiety, fear, uncertainty were less aggravated than 82% of other symptoms. From the 47,291 people who reported Anxiety, fear, uncertainty average deviation in biocharacteristic levels were the following:

Risk Factors of Anxiety, fear, uncertainty

Complications of Those Reporting Anxiety, fear, uncertainty

WHAT'S NEXT?

5 WAYS TO HEAL YOUR BODY
WITH AYURVEDA - FREE REPORT!

New to Ayurveda? Not sure how Ayurveda can help you? This free report shows you 5 simple ways you can heal your body with Ayurveda. It shows you simple, practical ways manage your health.

CLAIM FREE OFFER