Re: Any viable methods of dealing with stress...
I have also heard that snuffing water through the nose (as in wudhu) makes the water reach a point in your forehead which is responsible for controlling extreme emotions. Can;t verify it though.
Re: Any viable methods of dealing with stress...
I reckon I've heard looking at fish or the fish tank is helpful, but I'm not sure about its accuracy.
strees is main cause of heart disease please don't take it more.My friends are using prescription but they have lots of side effects.Perform wadhu and recite surah -rehmaan:)
Re: Any viable methods of dealing with stress...
Doing your wuzoo has nothing to do with stress relief. Why go straight to a hadith for an answer when you have the Quran? Sadiyah, if you are religious at all, what really helps is submitting to the will of God. As soon as you realize that EVERYTHING is done by God, you will stop stressing out. God repeatedly mentions in the Quran that the true believer will not fear nor grief. Let's break that down, you fear things that MAY happen, the 'what if' scenarios, thus you fear what may happen in the FUTURE. You grieve over what already has happened, and thus grief deals with the PAST. God says that everything that has happened for a reason, God is the best schemer and planner, so you should just resign yourself to the fact that God did what He did in His wisdom for a reason. Same for the future, while you should certainly try to plan for your future, ultimately, it is up to God what will happen.
SO if you know that God is in absolute control of EVERYTHING (not even an atom's weight and movement goes unrecorded in a profound record), then you will not stress out quite as much. If you complain or feel like what has happened or is happening to you is unfair, then you are suggesting that God, who is doing everything, is unjust, and that is blasphemy for God is THE MOST JUST.
Anyway, sorry if I went off on a tangent. As maddy says, read the Qur'an, meditate, reflect on God and His creations, try to count your blessings. Think positive, try to stay off drugs, unfortunately once you get on an SSRI, it is VERY hard to wean off.
nice its all about imaan :) you are talking about
Re: Any viable methods of dealing with stress...
Excellent suggestion Maddie, and if I may add, memorize Surah Al Mulk, if that is too long then Surah al Fajr, and recite the last Quls regularly, depression and negative thoughts are a rejection of Allahs Bounties all around us and we fail to see them.
Re: Any viable methods of dealing with stress…
…i have heard… too many people are using this phrase, and that is dangerous. People should learn to provide references, not ‘i have heard’. I’m not trying to be a jerk, and I apologize if I sound like one, but imagine if you were to give someone some information based on ‘i have heard’ and they end up causing themselves harm, who do you think is responsible?
I am also baffled by ignorant suggestions by people to read or memorize specific surahs in the Qur’an. Each and every surah has significance. One is not more improtant than the other. THe four ‘quls’ culture only exists in pakistan/india, it’s nonsense. While they are important parts of the Qur’an, they don’t have any special powers, neither does Y.S, nor AL Rahmaan, none of them have super duper special powers. THey are all words of wisdom, a guiding light, and a beacon of mercy, given to us by the Almighty, for us to make some surahs more important over others is arrogant and bordering on blasphemy.
Re: Any viable methods of dealing with stress...
Prayer is first and foremost....prayer is a form of meditation.
Workout...jog a few miles....that def makes u feel good.
do something just for yourself.
Re: Any viable methods of dealing with stress...
There are a lot of safe drugs out there, which can be really helpful in a short period of time. You may not need to take them for long. Speak to your GP.
My cousin who's a GP here in TO says most of her desi patients are on anti-depressants. It's surprising, but its become so common nowadays.
Re: Any viable methods of dealing with stress...
What you are stressed about basically defines what you can do about it. (Ira mentioned it before) If you are stressed about studies, exams etc. then swimming, work or any other activity will not help.
Also, there are two ways of dealing with stress, one way is to try to find ways to reduces its symptoms while the other removes stress all together. For example, if someone is stressed about work, watching a movie usually relaxes them but its a short term fix. The long term fix will probably include finding another job or talking to management etc.
Re: Any viable methods of dealing with stress...
I am NOT surprised by the namaaz-anti-depressent-prescription by resident maulanas and mullanees.
Why are guppies so impractical?
Re: Any viable methods of dealing with stress...
Don't knock down namaz. Its simple logic - anything that gets you to sit down - preferably alone- and just meditate - has great psychological implications. Works with yoga and other non-Islamic meditations too. I can't comment about devil meditation, because logic tells me that wont yield comforting results.
Onto the question about medications: Depends whether your depression is clinical or not. If its clinical, there are some distinct signs that you look for. A common one is that you'll cry or get upset for no reason. Like literally, you're just hanging out and then you get sad and you start crying. And nothing is happening to you to make you sad. Thoughts of suicide, etc are also characteristic. In that case, you need to see a psychiatrist and get medication. Not a psychologist. They'll put you on anti-depressants - which have lots of side effects. The medicines affect different people differently. For some, it does nothing.
If its psychological depression - like you're going thru a dip in your life - and your sadness has reason behind it (like in your case, something seems to be worrying you). In that case, putting yourself on medication wont remedy much of anything.
However, there are some diet deficiencies that can lead to light depression. Ex. lacking vitamin B complex, bad diet habits, weight gain (high BMI), etc. I had this problem for a while, and its amazing what excercise and some daily vitamin B complex did to me! Oh and sleep too. Sleep does wonders.
One thing you might want to think about is cutting down on the work. I noticed you said you work and study and don't have time for much else.
Do you REALLY like what you're studying? And be honest with yourself. Its hard to when you're spending money on your tuition and you realize that you're wasting it. So you convince yourself you're in the right field, because hell, you just spent so much money on it.
Are you getting enough sleep and rest? This doesn't mean just being in bed at night with eyes closed. Are you getting that unwinding time that everyone needs?
Re: Any viable methods of dealing with stress...
Thank you all again.
I'm aware over stressing it what drains me out and makes me feel sad/depressed. No, I do not cry for no reason or just out of the blue. It's only when I start thinking about things and how I know I may not have much control over is when I tend to get stressed and feel sad.
I enjoy what I'm studying. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else in school.
I have a terrible diet. I hardly get time to eat between work and classes. By the time I get home I eat if I feel like it or delay it till I have free time. Also, I don't get a lot of sleep and I'm sure this is probably something normal for those in school.
I'm trying to keep myself busy and positive by not thinking about things too much. If I could somehow find a way to stop stressing over things, I'd be much better off.
Re: Any viable methods of dealing with stress...
Sadiyah, one thing i find helpful if i can do it, is leave things to Allah and have faith in Him. Things that are out of your control are just that. You cannot do anything about them. So why worry? Say 2 rakaat and then ask Allah for guidance and say that you leave all things to the Almighty since you dont have control over them. And then watch the miracles happen :) This is usually a huge relief for me.