Re: Does praying really help?
It helps even when you havent done it in awhile (as is usually the case wid me).
I find that when performing the act of wu'du, if you think of it as a cleansing in a way, it can help. For example, imagine sins are being washed away as you are washing your arms, etc. When you splash your eyes with water, imagine that things you have seen that you shouldnt have, are being erased...etc. When you rinse your mouth, imagine words you have said that you shouldnt have, are being withdrawn from your "account". I find this helps in wanting to actually perform the act of wu'du. There is literature regarding this as well.
Then when you get into the act of actual namaaz, I find that when you are in complete sijda, if you stay down after the 3 phrases you say, and you make actual supplication and simply talk to Allah, then the floodgates can really open and you can pour your heart out. This is the time I sometimes find myself in tears. It is SUCH a stress-reliever. It's not like I always have crying spells or anything, but it really helps often times.
I like to think about the fact that I am bowing down the highest part of my body, to the lowest part of the earth I can touch, and I can only hope that Allah sees that as my submission to His Will. Just contemplating that for me brings me a certain calm and relief. That I find to be a very humbling experience, and very relaxing. When you ask Allah to bring relief from the pain, stress, etc, theres a lot of calm that often follows. Alhumdulillah. Allah is indeed the Most Gracious, the All Hearing and the Most Beneficient.
Sorry if I didnt make sense, but this is the only way I thought of to answer the question I thought was asked. smile