How Dosha Imbalances Show Up as Burnout, Brain Fog, or Lack of Focus
You might be wondering what in the world is a dosha? Doshas are energies which influence physical, mental and emotional traits. Each dosha (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) has a unique combination of based on 5 elements (Air, Ether, Fire, Water, and Earth). We have a combination of all three energies, however, one or two doshas can be dominant. Let’s dive a bit deeper to see which elements go with each dosha and some of the related traits.
Vata (Air & Ether)
- Traits: Creative, energetic, adaptable, but prone to anxiety or feeling ‘spaced out’.
- Imbalance: Dry skin, bloating, insomnia, overwhelm.
- Calming: Warm, grounding foods and routines.
Pitta (Fire & Water)
- Traits: Go-getter/Overacheiver, focused, determined, but can get irritable or bossy.
- Imbalance: Acid reflux, inflammation, hot tempers.
- Cooling: Fresh, soothing foods and staying cool emotionally.
Kapha (Earth & Water)
- Traits: Calm, steady, nurturing, but can be lazy or resistant to change.
- Imbalance: Weight gain, congestion, sluggishness.
- Energizing: Light, spicy foods and staying active.
Check Yo’ Self Boo
You ever wonder why you just tired tired, like running on fumes, can’t take anymore input and gone pass out tired; or you just itching for a fight with somebody, like you ready to let some have it or what I used to do…give them a Jamaican education because you ain’t finna cross me, not today not ever, ‘cuz today ain’t the day and I ain’t the one; or you just stay in da bed and veg out, only get up to go to the loo, grab a quick meal or answer the door ‘cuz delivery has arrived. It’s ‘cuz your energy is outta wack baby…pay mind to the following signs:
Vata: The Overworked Dreamer
- Signs: Anxiety, forgetfulness, feeling scatterbrained, inability to finish tasks.
Office Drama: Your work project plate is overflowing, switching from one task to the next and the quality of all the tasks is like a 3rd grader, and you drift off into LA LA Land during the week stand up meeting.
How We Got Here: Skipping meals, schedule is all over the place, too much input/overstimulated …
Pitta: The Burnout Machine
- Signs: Irritability, impatience, over-competitiveness, and symptoms like acid reflux or headaches.
- Office Drama: Getting snappy like a turtle, obsessed with perfection, or being all on top of your team members’ work like you’re their parent …
- How We Got Here: Deadlines from the top brass, working through your legally mandated breaks, or ‘if I don’t do it it won’t get done right’ mindset …
Kapha: The Stuck-in-a-Rut Worker
- Signs: Fatigue, lack of motivation, brain fog, and destination procrastination.
- Office Drama: Avoiding challenging tasks, checked out of meetings, or little or no motivation with the easy workload.
- How We Got Here: Too long sitting down at your stand up desk, ‘treating yourself’ to your favourite foods, or sticking to a hum drum routine.
Conclusion
Any of the above sound familiar? I’ve been there, 10x over. Me being Ms. Overachiever leaned on two imbalances in the workplace, which started this journey towards inner harmony. Like we say in Jamaica, “No Problem”, dosha imbalances are a common criminal to workplace woes so stay tuned for ways to reset your dosha and workday. One Love <3