5 minute read

Last updated on August 21, 2024 by Dr. Subashri Thanigaivel

Stress is not the same for all.

Yes, stress is not the same for everyone. 

 I am scared of elevators more than my work deadlines. 

Why?

Because I have dominant Vata in my Prakriti, applying pressure at work only stimulates my productivity but, elevators are a big no for me. 

Although I am good with the pressures, I do burst emotional tantrums occasionally. This is because of my aggravated Vata energy. I react very sensitively to petty things.

When the Vata energy is balanced, the pressure cooker moments are like cakes to me. I just enjoy them. Otherwise, I become the monster with creepy thoughts. 

So, when I understood how dosha & Prakriti are interconnected to emotions, behavioral reactions, and psychological responses, it helped me figure out ways to handle stressful situations without self-sabotaging or destroying the relationships around me. 

In this blog post, I will walk you through how stress is connected with Prakriti, how to relieve them quickly, manage them in the long-term and prevent the chances of falling into depression or suicidal thoughts. 

Connection Between Prakriti & Stress

Prakriti is psychosomatic. 

It means you are made of body and mind. Your Prakriti is different from everybody else in this world. In ordinary terms, it’s a DNA blueprint. Although you would carry your ancestor’s genes, still your Prakriti necessarily need not be the same as them. 

Prakriti is a collection of 5 energy elements-water, earth, ether, air, and fire. These are grouped as 

1. Vata – ether + air 
2. Pitta – fire 
3. Kapha – water + earth 

As you grow, age, the Prakriti state of equilibrium turns to Vikriti (deformation)–caused by dosha imbalance. 

When you are in the Prakriti state, you have less chance to become stressed in any situation. For example, a dominant Kapha Prakriti person will be gentle, loving, and compassionate, but when their Kapha aggravates from their normal level they become stressed, and their behavior changes. 

Dosha Connections to Stress 

Each element -Vata, Pitta, and Kapha- has its own attributes.

Air, one of the Vata elements, is lightweight, forceful, moves freely, unpredictable with the flow direction, and cannot be contained or controlled. 

So, if you meet a person with dominant Vata Prakriti, they will be similar to air attributes: free-bird enjoying every single moment in life. You can notice them actively seeking out for new-experiences, nudging people to do things most attractively. They also carry a thin lightweight body that can’t sit idle. 

It sounds like a happy-go-lucky person right? 

But if that same Vata goes above and beyond the optimal level of that individual, you will meet a creepy batman with a silenced voice but only opens the mouth to find faults with everybody. Being with them will be like a stormy hurricane weather-day. 

The underlying theory you need to understand is every element’s energy is expressed by its attributes, also called Gunas (characteristics). So when the person is in the optimal Prakriti state, they express the positive characters, and when stressed the negatives come out. 

When the energy changes, behaviors change. 

If you want to change the behavior, your energy needs to be changed. 

RELATED: FIND MY DOSHA IMBALANCE

Vata Dosha Imbalance Stress Symptoms

Are you a dominating Vata Prakriti?

If yes, you are one lucky charm in everybody’s life. Be proud of yourself to have this energy in your life because you are full of life and can drive anything, anybody towards success. 

When your Vata imbalances in the Prakriti, you forget your care-free side and become very sensitive. The Id state is activated inside you. You will experience unstable emotional outburst, 

Every day is controlled by your emotions. 

While the elevated Vata makes you hypersensitive, the lower Vata pushes you to exert destructive behaviors like lack of flexibility, inability to be open-minded.

Behavioral symptoms of stress – Vata Dosha

1. Restlessness
2. No-eye contact 
3. Sudden emotional outburst 
4. Finding faults with others 
5. Destroying relationships 
6. Refusing to be flexible 
7. Insecurities 
8. Not eating for a long time 

Physical Symptoms of stress – Vata Dosha

1. Anxiety attacks 
2. Palpitations during mornings 
3. Farting 
4. Bad breath
5. Excessive dry, chapped skin
6. Frequent prolonged headaches
7. Sudden joint pain, neck pain, and back pain
8. Insomnia

Psychological Symptoms of stress – Vata Dosha

1. Doubting everything 
2. Having preconceived mindset 
3. Erratic thoughts 
4. Fantasizing and daydreaming 

Imbalance in Vata triggers the improper venous return in the body and causes nervous system problems. 

RELATED: How to balance the Vata Dosha – Stress Management ?

Pitta Dosha Imbalance Stress Symptoms

If you got Pitta dominant Prakriti in your wellness assessment quiz, then you are the go-getter. 

The ideal Pitta is a trustworthy, reliable, self-confident person. When your fire element is at the optimal level, you have a healthy competitive nature that allows you to execute your dreams with 100% solid confidence. 

You are full of fiery aura that puts you as the center of attention in any room you walk into. Your natural athletic build will make you look attractive. 

The solid fire gains compliments from your friends and family for your strong, unwavering confidence, warm character, and brave decision-making. 

But when your Pitta takes the south road, you will turn into a freaking monster. Your anger is unbearable like a scorching sun. Also, if your Pitta loses its optimal level, you will be self-centered, rudely opinionated, and pull down others. 

A lowered amount of Pitta will cause you to self-sabotage your achievements of confidence, motivation, and determination to do anything at all. When you find yourself a coward for petty issues, then you are stressed because of the imbalance of Pitta dosha. 

The symptoms of stress, as a result of imbalanced Pitta, are, 

Behavioral Symptoms of stress – Pitta Dosha

1. Micromanagement 
2. Overly critical 
3. Suicidal thoughts 
4. Sudden anger without reasons 
5. Highly egoistic 
6. The intense self-centric approach in everything 

Physical Symptoms of stress – Pitta Dosha

1. Inflamed skin with redness 
2. Fungal or bacterial infections on the skin 
3. Acidity and burning sensations 
4. Frequent burps 
5. Stomach pains 

Psychological Symptoms  of stress – Pitta Dosha

1. Self -justifications 
2. Focussing only on self-gains
3. No compassion for others 
4. Always looking for external validation 

RELATED: How to balance the Pitta Dosha – Stress Management?

Kapha Dosha Imbalance Stress Symptoms

Are you a Kapha person?

Then I am sure, a lot of people would have said that you are a cuddly teddy bear. Your most optimistic attitude towards life is impressive. Everybody loves to spend time with you because you pamper them with love. Your gentle touch, compassionate nature, the loving heart feels like flute music in the early mornings. 

The ideal qualities of Kapha energy make you a wise person who gives stable solutions. Be it any situation, you never fall prey to tension, hyper reaction nor stress. You are a cool cucumber and damp soil. 

All those grass will be green only till your water and earth elements are in tune. When your Kapha is imbalanced, it affects your serenity. 

The low Kapha induces bullying behavior in you. If you find yourself engaging in behaviors of teasing someone and then justifying it with the label “sense of humor”, then please watch your Kapha energy. 

An elevated Kapha energy triggers laziness in you. During these days, please don’t work from home. You become lethargic, careless, and kind of a fixed rock who has no interest in doing anything.  

Behavioral symptoms of stress – Kapha Dosha

1. Laziness 
2. Lack of passion 
3. Bullying behavior 
4. Harassing and validating the bullying behavior 
5. No focus or self-driving force to move things in life 
6. Insecurities about self-talents 

Physical symptoms of stress – Kapha Dosha

1. Panting or breathing troubles 
2. Mucus and nasal congestion 
3. Oily skin with sweating and greasiness
4. Sleeping for long hours 

Psychological symptoms of stress – Kapha Dosha

1. No clarity in thoughts 
2. Not in connection with intuition 
3. Highly dreamy thinking 
4. Emotionally manipulative

RELATED: How to balance the Kapha Dosha – Stress Management?

Conclusion 

If you know about yourself well, all that remains is success and happiness accompanied by tranquility and peace. Self-confidence begins from self-analyzing. To be a successful fish in the pond, you should know to realize that you are fish. When you realize you are fish, you will seek aquatic places because that is where your throne awaits. If you are a monkey, then go for trees.

Always remember that to change something, it has to come from inside. Your stress is nothing but your own intense perception of it. 

To change your perception, your inside energy needs to be changed, so that it influences your outside behavior and builds a happy reality. 

In the next blog post, we will see how to manage your stress for your specific dosha.