It may seem obvious, but we all deal with stress differently.
According to Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, this is partly because our physical constitutions are shaped by the natural elements. These are our doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, which loosely correspond to air, fire, and earth.
In the Ayurvedic model, we can help restore ourselves by rebalancing our doshas when we feel off.
While almost no one falls exclusively into just one, we do tend to have a primary dosha, and it’s especially visible in how we process stress. Consider these examples:
- Lidia has always trended toward worry, but since her son told her he’d been bullied, she’s become overwhelmed with anxiety and sleeps only about four hours a night. Her intense worry is classic for an airy Vata.
- Jeff is a successful business owner, but after a recent spate of workplace conflicts, he’s become irritable, moody, and distracted. He wakes most nights between 3 and 4 a.m., restless and ruminating. Such “heated” qualities are typical Pitta.
- Janelle is dealing with ailing parents, a distant partner, and work that feels depleting. She drags herself out of bed, gains unwanted weight, and can’t find the motivation to get to the gym. These behaviors are often linked to an earthy Kapha constitution.
Through an Ayurvedic lens, each of these emotional challenges could be predicted, and possibly prevented, by understanding and caring for that unique mind-body type. The key to balance is to maintain daily habits that support your dosha.
VATA (AIR) IMBALANCE:
The Mind Runs Rampant
Air types like Lidia can be creative, enthusiastic, spontaneous, and fun, but they’re prone to fear, anxiety, and insomnia under stress. They can easily become ungrounded by overwork, irregular sleep, skipped meals, or an erratic or too-busy schedule.
Act: To rebalance, create a predictable daily rhythm: Take breaks at work, eat three meals a day, and sleep at regular hours.
Eat: Diet can bring overly airy types down to earth. Choose foods that are grounding, such as warm, hearty soups and stews. Aim to avoid too much sugar and other refined carbs, which can hamper blood-sugar regulation and affect mood.
Support: Passionflower is a gently calming herb that can soothe dysregulated Vata types. It may be used as needed or, if anxiety is persistent, taken daily for up to several weeks. Dose: one or two capsules (200–300 milligrams each) up to three or four times per day for anxiety.
PITTA (FIRE) IMBALANCE:
The Passions Take Over
A fire type like Jeff can be confident, passionate, determined, and successful. But under pressure, Pitta types can get overheated, angry, impatient, ruminative, and judgmental. They’re also likely to push too hard for too long and to overdo it on caffeine and other stimulants.
Act: To counter the Pitta tendency toward overdrive, get some distance from your current pursuits. Take time to unplug from work. Do something purely for fun, ideally something not too competitive.
Eat: Foods can cool the extra fire of unbalanced Pitta energy. The diet should be light — relatively low in protein but with a high water content. Think summer foods such as big salads, fresh fruits, and pumpkin or sunflower seeds for snacks. Hot, spicy, or fried foods add fuel to the fire, so try to avoid them.
Support: The amino acid L-theanine can calm the brain and soothe agitation. Dose: 100–200 mg twice daily. (If you find it sedating, take it just once at bedtime.)
KAPHA (EARTH) IMBALANCE:
Motivation Disappears
Earth types like Janelle are usually steady, grounded, reliable, and easygoing. Everybody loves having a supportive Kapha on their team. But when earth types are imbalanced, they can fall into lethargy, with a heavy, flat mood and loss of motivation.
Act: Earth types require stimulation, diversity, and a little excitement. When heaviness descends, try something new and a little challenging. Take an exercise or dance class, watch a thriller, or listen to some fast, loud music — anything that gets the heart rate up.
Eat: Kaphas need activation, so seek foods with spice, tartness, or unusual flavors. Aim for a food plan low in fat and carbs and high in protein. Think spring with bitter greens, lean meat and fish, and plenty of nonstarchy vegetables.
Support: Rhodiola is a gently energizing herb that can counter sluggishness and lack of motivation. Dose: 500 mg daily of an extract standardized to 3 percent rosavins.
Natural Mental Health
For more nonpharmaceutical solutions for common mental health challenges, visit our Natural Mental Health Department.
This article originally appeared as “An Ayurvedic View of Mental Health” in the September/October 2026 issue of Experience Life.
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