Reiki for Anxiety and Depression

Mental and emotional pain is the most common and least discussed problem in the modern world. The corona pandemic has further exacerbated this problem with the new norm of social distancing impacting our lives at multiple levels. It is affecting our finances, our relationships, our travel plans and this has set the perfect storm for anxiety and depression.

Normal anxiety is part of the body’s natural defense system to safeguard us in situations of exigency (fight or flight response). The trigger could be anything like job loss, loss of a loved one, heartbreak, trauma, accident or anything else. People with anxiety may have varied symptoms including but not limited to dizziness, muscle tension, restlessness, difficulty falling sleep or staying asleep, racing heartbeat, a pittish feeling in the stomach, chest pain, dry mouth, loss of energy or stamina, cold or clammy hands, etc. Anxiety becomes a problem when the individual response is way more exaggerated in proportion to the threat or it occurs even when there is not a trigger. That happens because the mind simply becomes habituated of worrying over trivial things and responds the way it should have responded to a bigger threat. Unresolved anxiety and chronic stress result in depression and also increase the risk of other ailments.

At the energetic level, anxiety and depression arise from a lack of overall balance in our energy system, affecting several chakras. The best way to banish this habit of overthinking and the consequent anxiety is to balance the first chakra i.e. the Root chakra. The Root chakra connects us to the earth and grounds us in the reality of the present moment. This chakra is related to our survival and basic needs of life as well as to our sense of worth. With the dramatic escalation of our involvement in the digital world, one tends to question his sense of self-worth and the ability to trust the Universe. With the lack of trust and insecurities about our finances, relationships and self-worth, comes the habit of overactivity of the Third Eye chakra i.e. overthinking. Overthinking clouds our ability to discern, and think clearly. One tends to become more judgemental, paranoid and agitated with such energetic blockages in the Third Eye chakra. This further compounds one’s anxiety levels and the vicious cycle between overthinking and stress continues.

The third chakra, Solar Plexus chakra also plays a key role in anxiety and depression because it is the foundation of your ego and self-identity. An imbalance in Solar Plexus chakra results in self-doubt issues and inability to set boundaries in social interactions. With the loss of confidence and mastery over your own emotions, anxiety is bound to follow.

Let us understand this from the elements point of view. The human body just like the entire universe is made up of five elements including, Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether, going from the gross to the subtle. Excess of or deficiency of any of these elements can result in spate of problems including various diseases, brain fog as well as anxiety and depression. These five elements rule the first five chakras.

Here are my tips to restore all the elements and balance the corresponding chakras:

1. Earth element (Root chakra): Walking barefoot on earth and eat foods that grow deep in the soil like potatoes, carrots, corn, millets chickpeas, beets, yams etc.
2. Water element (Sacral chakra): Stay hydrated and eat a balanced diet.
3. Fire element (Solar Plexus chakra): Take sunlight everyday to overcome depression. You can connect with the fire element by sitting in front of the bonfire also.
4. Air element (Heart chakra): Breathwork (as described in my previous article) is the gateway to unblock the Heart chakra and allow the flow of celestial energy through this chakra.
5. Ether/Akasha element (Throat chakra): Meditation helps us connect to the ether element and helps improve focus and bring clarity of vision.

Besides the above tips, a regular Reiki practice goes a long way to beat anxiety and depression for keeps. Reiki helps to align our energy vortexes to an optimally functional state and helps to keep us grounded, even in potentially stressful situations. Thus we do not lose the charge of our state of mind and stay in equanimity, despite all odds. Not only that, but Reiki also helps us take control of our external situations including finances, relationships and health issues. Reiki helps to clear all our doubts and insecurities about ourselves and our lives, letting our True Self shine through. Our True Self is the most essential, and unfiltered part of our being and expresses naturally when we clear up the chaff of unnecessary thoughts and emotions. When all our chakras function at their maximum potential with the continued practice of Reiki and meditation, we become the creators of our own reality.

Life is what we make of it. We all have to pay our bills, and we all have to learn to navigate through some difficult relationships in our lives. The onus lies on us whether we choose to give into becoming the victim or the master by taking charge of our lives with better control of our own emotions and thoughts.

Let us make that choice today, because tomorrow never comes.

Love and light

Article by Dr. Jayashree Ramana

Free eBook download: We’ve created an eBook with our best articles on this topic, and offer it for free to all our newsletter subscribers.

Dr. Jayashree Ramana is a scientist and nutritionist. She uses Reiki healing as a part of her holistic healing program.
She is Usui Reiki Grand Master and practices Usui Reiki, Karuna Reiki, Crystal healing, Lama fera, Magnified healing, Emotional Freedom Technique(EFT), acupressure, etc. She is a fitness enthusiast and helps people achieve optimal levels of wellness by amalgamating physical measures including nutrition and exercise along with various alternative therapies. Her vision is to empower people and help them tap into their individual power while simultaneously creating a life of abundance and joy.
She is working as Senior Information Scientist at International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. She was formerly a university professor and scientist in the field of Biotechnology for a decade. Her own personal transformation with reiki sparked her passion for metaphysical sciences and this led her to found ‘The Healing Soul’.
Get in touch with Dr. Jayashree Ramana through her website www.thehealingsoul.in or you may reach her at [email protected]. Her youtube channel is www.youtube.com/c/DrJayashreeRamana.