Psychological Hygiene: The Missing Link Between Mental Health, Lifestyle Disorders, and a Conscious Nation

Prof Yamini Bhusan Tripathi, PhD Biochemistry

Former Dean, Faculty of Ayurveda, IMS, BHU, Varanasi-221005, India

 

We clean our bodies every day. We bathe, wash our clothes, and maintain physical hygiene because we know that dirt leads to disease. But how often do we clean our minds? This is covered under Psychological Hygiene. Chedana Udaya Mission—initiated by Dr Priyadarshani Shukla is an initiative aimed at awakening a conscious nation.

Just as physical hygiene prevents infections, psychological hygiene prevents what Ayurveda calls Pragyaparadh—crimes against wisdom. This silent inner disorder is now recognized as one of the root causes behind chronic stress, lifestyle disorders, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Pragyaparadh can be defined as a state when the Mind starts acting against the soul (Conflict between pure soul and analytical mind). One knows that a “deed is wrong, but still, one does it. In other words, “doing wrong things knowingly”.

Ayurveda explains disease pathogenesis through three major causes:

1. Excessive or improper use of sense organs (Ati-yoga)
2. Seasonal and environmental influences (Parinama)
3. Pragyaparadh—the conflict between mind, intellect, and inner conscience

About 66% of all diseases are due to Pragyaparadh. It is also covered under “Psychosomatic disorders”. Most of the lifestyle diseases are covered under this classification. It occurs when we repeatedly act against our own better judgment, such as (1) overeating despite knowing the consequences, (2) ignoring sleep, (3) staying angry, or (4) holding on to jealousy and greed etc. Over time, this mental conflict manifests as physical illness. Saint Kabir captured this truth in a powerful way, which indicates that problem is rarely outside. The real transformation begins when we look within: “बुरा जो देखन मैं चला, बुरा न मिलिया कोय, जो दिल खोजा आपना, मुझसे बुरा न कोय।”

Psychological Hygiene: Now we shall discuss about cleaning the Mind like the Body, known as “Psychological hygiene”. Regular mental cleansing can be done by identifying stressors, negative habits, destructive thought patterns, emotional toxins etc, to remove them consciously. When ignored, these mental impurities lead to chronic stress, neuroinflammation, hormonal imbalance, and eventually lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, and heart disorders. It affects cognition (Medha), memory (Smriti), intellect (Dhi), and mental stability (Dhriti).Major biochemical factor, behind this, is an imbalance between sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).

Ancient Indian systems never separated mind and body. This is why Ashtanga Yoga and Ashtanga Ayurveda together form a complete psycho-somatic health model. Swasthavritta and Panchakarma, respectively, target the prevention and detoxification, offered by Ayurveda, but are often misunderstood by the common masses. (A) Swasthavritta is the Science of Daily Living and focuses on daily and seasonal routines to maintain health (wellness). It rests on three foundational pillars: (1) Ahar (diet), (2) Nidra (sleep) and (3) Brahmacharya (self-discipline and ethical conduct). Their balance, stabilises hormones, nervous system function, and mental clarity, which is now being supported by contemporary medical science, also, as “prevention is better than cure”. (B). Panchakarma is a structured way of body detoxification. It removes accumulated physical toxins and activates all physicochemical activities.

Similarly, the Psychology of Ethical Living targets psychological hygiene, which removes emotional and cognitive toxins such as anger, fear, guilt, and obsession. The Yama and Niyama of Astang Yoga target this aspect. They are not only moral lectures, but a practical tool for mental cleanliness. Yama includes Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, Aparigraha, which regulate outward behaviour and social harmony. Niyama includes Shaucha, Santosha, Tapas, Swadhyaya, Ishvara-Pranidhana and  focus on inner discipline and self-reflection. Together, they reduce stress, guilt, and inner conflict—the core drivers of Pragyaparadh.

There are six Pillars of a Conscious Mind to deliver mental and societal well-being:

1. Self-Awareness – Recognizing harmful thought patterns
2. Emotional Regulation – Preventing stress spirals
3. Routine and Balance – Aligning life with natural rhythms
4. Cognitive Cleanliness – Not believing every thought blindly
5. Social Conduct – Compassion and service to others
6. Spiritual Anchoring – Connecting life to a higher purpose

The Bhagavad Gita explains emotional breakdown with striking clarity. Desire leads to anger, anger to confusion, confusion to loss of judgment, and finally to self-destruction. Modern psychology addresses this same chain through anger management and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The Gita reminds us that the mind can be our best friend or worst enemy. CBT builds on this idea by teaching people to identify and correct distorted thinking. Thus, Ancient Wisdom is being supported by Modern Psychology.

Similarly, Ramcharitmanas states “परहित सरिस धरम नहि भाई, परपीड़ा सम नहि अधमाई।” There is no greater duty than serving others, and no greater sin than causing harm. Modern positive psychology confirms that compassion and service increase oxytocin—improving emotional well-being and social bonding.

When we talk of emotional hygiene, we can adopt two complementary approaches to action. (1) Bottom-Up and (2) Top-Down Healing. Bottom-Up Healing uses medical support like use of Medhya Rasayanas like Brahmi and Ashwagandha, to stabilise brain function and stress physiology. Use of Rasayanas has been thoroughly described in Charak Samhita under a separate chapter. It is also one of the 8 branches of Astang Ayurveda. It can be a diet supplement or behavioural changes.  The top-down healing approach uses Psychological Hygiene and CBT to restructure thought patterns and emotional responses. Together, they regulate the HPA axis (the Pituitary gland), the master controller of all endocrine glands, including stress hormones, and balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

Psychological hygiene does not require drastic changes. Even small steps matter such as (1) Use smartphones mindfully—for learning and connection, not endless scrolling, (2) Spend five minutes a day helping someone. Service cleans inner negativity (3) Begin each morning with five minutes of reflection: “How can I be better today?” etc. every healthy citizen makes a healthy nation. Thus steps to build a strong and conscious nation are targeted at every citizen to have (1) A clean body keeps us healthy. (2) A clean mind makes us happy, and (3) A clean heart connects us with society. Mental health is the neuro-physiological foundation of a prosperous nation. When individuals become conscious, societies heal naturally.

“Let us treat our minds the way Ayurveda teaches us to treat our bodies—through daily discipline, regular cleansing, balance, and awareness”.