Anxiety - #165
Hello! I’m 18 years old, and I think I might be dealing with anxiety. It all started about three months ago, and since then, the symptoms keep changing. I feel like it all began after I got food poisoning. My family and I were on vacation in Goa, and towards the end of the trip, I suddenly felt really sick. I couldn’t eat much, felt nauseous, but the worst part was that I couldn’t actually throw up. There was this strange discomfort under my ribs, like I wanted to lift something inside. My family didn’t take it seriously and didn’t give me any medicines—they just laughed it off. In that awful state, I had to endure a 15-hour car ride back home with six people in the car. When I started feeling somewhat better (though I think my panic attacks had already started by then), I made an appointment with an eye specialist at a private clinic. I’ve always been super anxious about visiting doctors, always fearing they’d find something serious like cancer. The eye specialist mentioned that I might have high intraocular pressure due to a growth in my head and suggested an MRI. That’s when my fear for my health really started spiraling. During the MRI, I was trembling like crazy, and even though everything turned out fine, that sense of relief only lasted a week before my anxiety took over again. Initially, I lost a lot of weight, constantly afraid that my heart would just stop beating since it was racing at 100 beats per minute. I then took Passionflower for about two weeks, which calmed me down a bit, and I stopped fearing the sensations I had before. But after a while, I became terrified that I was developing schizophrenia. I scoured the internet, trying to find an explanation for what was happening to me. At first, I was convinced it was a brain tumor and that the MRI had missed it somehow. Then I became convinced it was schizophrenia because I felt so different—so trapped in my physical sensations. Those sensations turned into dizziness; it felt like I was about to collapse, though the world around me wasn’t spinning. It was just a feeling. Then, that dizziness turned into something else. Now, I can’t seem to control my thoughts, which keep imagining the worst possible scenarios. It’s like my mind is trying to convince me I have every illness imaginable. For example, I was in the shower, and suddenly, my thoughts made me believe I was losing my mind and drowning. Or when my mom talks to me, I start imagining myself making horrible faces at her in my mind, and I have to hold myself back from actually doing it. I feel like I’m on the verge of passing out any moment, as if it’s just about to happen… Honestly, panic attacks have been with me for a while, chasing me for years, but they used to be infrequent and not as intense. I thought they were just because of fatigue. My breathing would get out of rhythm, and I’d feel this strange fear, but I wasn’t afraid of the fear itself, so it would pass quickly. I still don’t understand how I’ve become this trapped in my own mind. I feel like I’m wasting the best years of my life, struggling every day with something I can’t even fully understand. It’s not like I’ve had so much stress that it should hit me THIS hard. And I just can’t seem to tell my mind to “stop” and make it listen. To be honest, even now, I’m not entirely sure that this isn’t schizophrenia or something else serious. Though, I did get a complete blood test done just a day ago, and everything came back normal.
Doctors’ responses
Hello Priya, have you ever had a similar episode before? Do you feel the symptoms aggravate around the time of ovulation or menstrual cycle? Also please mention if you are on any medication currently. What are your thyroid levels? And at any point did you get evaluated from a neurologist or any other expert? Your symptoms suggest an imbalance of Vata dosha and Agni according to Ayurveda, affecting both your mind and digestion, possibly triggered by the food poisoning episode. Here’s an Ayurvedic approach to help:
Diet: Vata-Pacifying Diet: Focus on warm, cooked, and grounding foods like rice, vegetables, and ghee. Avoid raw, cold, and processed foods. Eat at regular times to improve digestion. Remedies: Ashwagandha: Take 1/2 teaspoons with warm milk at night to reduce anxiety for a week initially. Cap Brahmi: 500 mg twice daily for mental clarity and calming. Triphala: 1 teaspoon in warm water at bedtime to aid digestion. Lifestyle: Abhyanga: Daily warm sesame oil massage to calm the nervous system. You can use Mahanarayan oil or Bala oil for this. Pranayama: Breathing exercises like Alternate Nostril Breathing for stress relief to be practised twice daily for 10 mins. Yoga: Gentle poses for physical and mental relaxation. Do not practice vigorous exercises. Mind-Body Practices: Meditation: 5-10 minutes of mindfulness daily to reduce overactive thoughts. Gentle guided meditation is ideal but if this aggravates the anxiety then please avoid. Practice journaling everyday to organise your thoughts and when anxious do some activity like listening to music or art therapy to calm down. These practices will help balance Vata and improve both anxiety and digestion. Combine this with regular medical advice as needed.
Your anxiety and fluctuating symptoms appear to be linked to an aggravated Vata dosha, which governs the nervous system and mental functions. To restore balance, Ayurvedic herbs and lifestyle changes can be highly beneficial. Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) is known for calming the mind and improving mental clarity, while Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), a powerful adaptogen, helps reduce stress, anxiety, and fatigue. Vacha (Acorus calamus) and Shankhapushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis) can ground the mind and calm overactive thoughts. These herbs can be taken as powders or capsules. Incorporating a daily Abhyanga (self-massage) with warm sesame oil will help ground Vata, calm the nervous system, and promote relaxation. Dietary changes are also important—avoid stimulants like caffeine and cold foods, and instead, eat warm, nourishing meals with ghee and spices like cumin, coriander, and fennel to support digestion and calm the nervous system. Deep breathing exercises like Nadi Shodhana and Pranayama, combined with meditation, will help center your mind and reduce anxiety. Establishing a consistent sleep routine by going to bed early and creating a restful environment will further support mental clarity and reduce hyperactivity. If symptoms persist, consult an Ayurvedic physician for personalized guidance, which may include therapies like Shirodhara for deeper relaxation and mental calm.
Okay, you’re dealing with a lot right now… anxiety has a sneaky way of creeping into our lives, and it seems like it’s been having a bit of a party in your head. Let’s unpack this a bit, put more light on it.
Firstly, the aftermath of food poisoning can leave the body quite stressed, and that might have triggered your anxiety. The link between gut health and mental health’s pretty strong according to Ayurveda. When your digestive system feels off, your mind can follow suit. You mentioned discomfort under your ribs—that’s where your stomach and liver hang out; they’re critical in Ayurveda for digestion (agni). If your agni’s weak, imbalance can affect the doshas, especially Vata dosha, leading to anxiety symptoms.
About the panic, these racing thoughts sound like vata imbalance too - vata governs air and ether; when it’s out of whack, it can lead to fear and irregular thoughts. One immediate thing to help is grounding yourself. You could try Abhyanga - self-massage with warm sesame oil, early morning, if possible—helps soothe vata dosha.
Consider your diet too - reduce raw foods and cold drinks; such elements can aggravate anxiety. Focus on warm, cooked meals, like khichdi or rice with ghee. Herbal teas like chamomile or tulsi can be calming.
Pranayama (breathing exercises), specifically Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) could help balance your nervous system. Try practicing for 5-10 minutes in the morning. Meditation, even short, can work wonders, though it seems like a cliche, really can quiet the mind a bit.
For the racing heart and fear - Ashwagandha is quite helpful. It’s an adaptogen and helps calm the system. But find out if it’s suitable for you before you start, maybe with a local Ayurvedic doctor.
And about the fear, it’s okay if these changes don’t feel immediate. Healing takes time, don’t rush it. Your mind isn’t your enemy (though it seems like one now). It’s dramatically trying to get your attension. Listening to what it’s trying say without jumping into conclusions can be grounding.
But if your anxiety ever makes you feel unsafe, please don’t hesitate to reach out to a mental health professional too. Mental health and Ayurvedic practices can work together, you know, hand-in-hand. Take small steps. You’re not alone in this, even when it feels like it.
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