- Why do we feel anxiety?
- Eight spiritual practices to prevent anxiety
- Dealing with an anxious episode
“O My servants! No fear shall be on you this day, nor shall you grieve. You who have believed in our signs and submitted.” – Qur’an 43:68
Many typical mental health approaches to anxiety you will find among therapists, or mental health websites, are all about dealing with symptoms of anxiety, then dealing with the issues causing you anxiety until you feel better. Sounds good right? The only problem is that when a new stressful situation appears in your life, you have to start the whole process all over again.
A long-term solution must consider the true nature of your soul, and your relationship with the source of all peace – Allah. Let’s take a look at a holistic, mind, body, soul approach to combatting anxious thoughts and feelings.
1. Why do we feel anxiety
“Indeed, mankind was created anxious. Fretful when evil touches him, and when good touches him, grudging.” — Qur’an 70: 19-21
Allah tells us humans were created anxious (Q70:19), so if you struggle with anxiety, feel easily overwhelmed, or you don’t like not being in control, you are certainly not alone. It’s part of being human, and there are two reasons for that – physical and spiritual.
Physical causes of anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling we feel when the chemicals in our bodies have shifted, putting us on high alert, so that we can be ready to deal with a potential threat – so that we’re ready to fight or run from a predator. This state is often referred to as ‘fight, flight or freeze’.
Anxiety before an exam or job interview is normal, and might even help you perform.
But experiencing anxiety when over ordinary daily life, like during social interactions, can feel distressing, confusing, embarrassing and exhausting. It is as though your mind is constantly telling your body: Hi, am under stress and I do not like this situation. and your body replies: Ok, let’s get ready to run away!
You probably have a lot of stressful things going on: responsibilities, work, relationships, existential dread, uncertainty about the future, worries about being judged, money worries, painful memories, guilt… the list goes on. It is important not to judge yourself harshly for feeling the way you feel – this can make your feelings worse. That’s why it’s often very helpful to talk to someone you trust about what you’re going through and how you’re feeling, to help you find new perspectives on your situation.
Spiritual causes of anxiety
If anxiety is affecting your daily life, it can be an indication of an underlying spiritual imbalance, which could be amplifying your mental and physical stress response.
“Their Lord’s displeasure is the opposite of peace and tranquillity.” — Qur’an 70:28
In the Qur’an, Allah mentions people in a state of anxiety, and those in a state of tranquillity. Who are the people who exist in Jannah – the garden of heaven – a place entirely free from anxiety?
Allah describes these people in Surah Al-Ma’arij (Qur’an 70: 22-34), and identifies eight specific characteristics they share. Only you can decide which of these feels slightly off balance in your daily life.
2. Eight spiritual practices to prevent anxiety
Let’s take a look at the spiritual characteristics of people who exist in a state of peace with Allah, free from all anxiety. And let’s figure out the significance and impact of adopting each one into our lives.
These people are:
1. Consistent in their prayer
Consistent acts of mindfulness and reflection built into our day – whether through salah or du’a, can literally be a God-send for an anxious soul.
Prayer can take us out of our worldly bubble for a few minutes, calm us down, and remind us to release all our worries into the hands of Allah, the All-Merciful.
Of course we still need to take action to resolve our difficulties, but praying reminds us that while we can control our own efforts, the outcome is not in our hands.
2. Give a share of their wealth to the needy, or deprived
Generosity and gratitude can help us remember that we’re all in this life together. We’re all connected. We all face challenges of different kinds.
When we give, we can feel empowered – realising that we have the power to make positive choices that impact people for the good.
Giving also encourages us to take a moment to see beyond our own problems when we give, which can disrupt a negative spiral.
Charity is an act of purification for your wealth, and for your soul – the same way you shower to feel clean – it washes away bad deeds. And it increases your good deeds – remember, all your deeds come back to you. We realise that what we have and cling on to for safety, does not ultimately belong to us – it is God who provides us with different measures of provision.
Ultimately giving is all about letting something you care about go, and trusting that when you let go, it is actually for the best.
3. Accept the truth of judgment day
Yes, it is true this can be a big source of anxiety for people – worrying about sin, judgement and being punished – leading to all sorts of mental health troubles. So why is it in this list?
Because acceptance puts our everyday worries and concerns into clear perspective.
In the grand scheme of things does it matter that you made a fool of yourself once at a party? Or that you fluffed an exam? Or if you’ll get that promotion in three days time?
Yes, life matters, and we can still appreciate the beauty of even the most fleeting moments, but seeing things for what they are is important. Glitter on the ocean looks shiny, but you wouldn’t waste time trying to catch it in a fishing net.
Grounding yourself in the truth that we all come from and return to Allah can lighten your everyday concerns and make your priorities feel different. Decisions become a lot less stressful when your priorities are sorted.
4. Fear their Lord’s displeasure
As above, it is definitely true that we can become anxious out of fear of upsetting Allah and find this awareness painful or burdensome. So what is the link between this characteristic and finding inner-peace?
Fear of making a moral error is a reminder to always check in on your core values. Your core values can anchor you in every time and place – hold on to them.
Think about what you value: kindness, honesty, humility, fairness… can you think of any others?
Your anxiety can ease when you remind yourself that your core values mean you can never be lost in any situation. These values are the road signs you need to follow, whatever your destination, and no matter the outcome.
5. Stay chaste (avoid sexual promiscuity or indecency)
If you’re seeking tranquillity, chasing after desire and the fleeting pleasure of the world may only bring temporary relief to a troubled soul; or cause unrest in a content one.
It is important to think about how love, safety, connection, consistency, commitment, reliability, clear agreement of rights, responsibilities and expectations, not to mention spiritual alignment etc. enhance and uplift a relationship and relieve anxiety.
Rather than chasing the insatiable whims of the ego, making space for God’s rights in any relationship (romantic or otherwise), invites the blessing of peace on your soul. It’s like the difference between sailing through crashing waves in a stormy sea, compared to clear calm waters and a beautiful breeze.
6. Keep their promises
When you make a promise you know what to do next – follow through. There’s no second-guessing, no doubts, no what-ifs.
Pay close attention to what you say you will do. And then, just take the next step – do it! Acting on your intentions smooths your pathway to a clear, fulfilled conscience.
When the people around you, no matter who they are, know that they can trust you completely it can ease any anxiety they may have about their interactions with you too!
Remember, before the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was called to prophethood, he was known and highly respected in his community as Al-Amin – the trustworthy one.
7. Are truthful and steadfast in their testimony
This characteristic is powerful. Trusting that if you are truthful no matter what, Allah will be your supporter is one of the most empowering feelings a human being can experience.
When you make a commitment to the truth – that’s it. The truth speaks for itself, no matter what anyone thinks. It really and truly does not matter what people think of you, because God knows your truth and loves when you speak it.
But achieving this level of serenity requires a lot of practice, patience and reflection. So don’t beat yourself up if this is something you struggle with right now. Finding your voice takes time.
- Read about how to open up about your mental health
- Read about dealing with cultural or religious pressure
8. Guard the sacredness of their prayers
Prayer has already been mentioned in this list, so let’s pause to reflect: why does it occur in this list twice?
Think about it this way: The list takes us on a journey that starts with prayer and ends with prayer – first it is referred to as a ‘consistent act’, and then as a ‘sacred’ space to ‘guard’ in your heart and life.
If you’re finding prayer doesn’t do it for you, and you could take or leave it – that is a very common experience. It may be a sign that your heart is not yet fully engaged in what you are doing – for any number of reasons, and it’s probably more normal than you think.
At times, we’ve all probably prayed and our minds have wandered, or the day has run away with us and we’ve forgotten Allah completely. Or perhaps prayer and remembrance of Allah has never been a habit for us at all.
It’s important to remember that turning prayer into a sacred act takes effort, understanding and building connection and trust with God. And when we get there, we are required to be vigilant about not letting that sacredness slip away.
If we are not careful and ‘on guard’, our prayer could become a mechanical formality that we perform out of habit or guilt, instead of a transformative, life-enriching experience. And this vigilance against hypocrisy is how we maintain our peace and avoid slowly but surely slipping back into anxiety.
- Take the spiritual health check
- Read more about prayer and mental health
- Read about the Qur’an and mental health
“Those shall be in gardens, honoured…” — Qur’an 70:35
3. Dealing with an anxious episode
If you’re in the middle of an anxious episode there are lots of different things that can give you relief – and it’s important to try different things until you find what works for you. These include:
- slow deep breaths (in for the count of four, hold for four and release for eight)
- dhikr and meditation
- Speak to someone you trust about how you’re feeling
- Move your body – go for a walk, dance, or do some gentle exercise/yoga
- Listen to Qur’an recitations
- Write your thoughts down
- Pray
- Find a distraction that takes you away from your immediate stress giving you time to calm down – like a funny movie, a crossword puzzle or a book/podcast
- Take a relaxing shower or bath
- Spray a nice scent
- Create a strategy for what you are going to do next – write a list of things you need/want to do and then break up each point into small bite-sized tasked so that you feel less overwhelmed