Ayurveda

Coping With Chronic Fatigue

Coping With Chronic Fatigue
A lack of vital energy is a problem that often defies conventional allopathic medicine. In most cases, if you go to a doctor complaining of nagging fatigue and flagging enthusiasm for life, you will have a series of blood tests to rule out the diseases that sometimes cause these symptoms. Chances are high that the tests will come back normal and your physician will not be able to diagnose your problem. You’ll still feel tired and you’ll probably be frustrated as well.

Ayurveda offers a natural approach to healing fatigue that goes beyond the limitations of modern medicine. From the Ayurvedic perspective, fatigue represents a lack of integration between body, mind, and spirit. Due to accumulated toxins in the mind-body system, the life force is unable to flow freely, commonly resulting in fatigue, chronic pain, weak digestion, depression, and other disorders.

Fortunately, vital energy is the core of our being, and one solution to these imbalances is dissolving the accumulated toxins and allowing the life force to flow from its source.

Restoring Your Energy and Balance

In order to free the circulation of vital energy, you have to identify the patterns of behavior that are disharmonious with your own individual nature. Lifestyle choices that are well suited for one person may not be right for another. Understanding your unique mind-body type, or dosha, is the first step. From there you can make choices that help reestablish balance.

For example, someone with a Kapha imbalance may need to add or intensify their exercise routine, while a fatigued Vata—the dosha with the propensity for overdoing things to the point of exhaustion—may need to spend more time relaxing and substitute gentler exercise for the endurance sports that tend to attract Vatas.

While it’s important to get a standard medical evaluation to rule out common physical causes of fatigue, such as thyroid or hormonal imbalances, disease is rarely the underlying cause. There are typically other important issues impeding a person’s vitality. It’s important to understand what was happening in your life when your energy began to wane.

Here are some questions that can help:

  • Am I happy and enthusiastic about my job?
  • Do I like and respect the people I work with?
  • Do they like and respect me?
  • How is my appetite?
  • What am I eating?
  • Am I exercising regularly?
  • How is my elimination?
  • How well am I sleeping at night?
  • Are my most intimate relationships nourishing?
  • Can I openly communicate my feelings and needs to my family and friends?
Based on your understanding of your mind-body type and your responses to these questions, you can take steps to eliminate the toxins that are preventing you from experiencing the flow of vital energy and joy in your life. As you release physical and emotional toxins, you will gradually but steadily recapture the vitality you’ve been missing.

If you are coping with fatigue, emotional turmoil, or physical illness, The Chopra Center’s Perfect Health program can help you heal. At Perfect Health, you will spend six days in our beautiful, compassionate setting immersed in nourishing treatments and guided in a personalized healing plan that offers both immediate and long-term benefits.

*Editor’s Note: The information in this article is intended for your educational use only; does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Chopra Center's Mind-Body Medical Group; and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and before undertaking any diet, supplement, fitness, or other health program.