Managing Your Stress

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Life is nothing but a test. So, as long as we are breathing, we cannot escape from stressful situations. Stress is actually a normal part of life. At times, it serves a useful purpose. Stress can motivate you to study/learn, get that promotion at work, or run that last mile of a marathon, or finish that last piece of an important project. But if you don't get a handle on your stress and it becomes long-term, it can seriously interfere with your studies, job, family life, and health.

Anything that puts high demands on you or forces you to adjust can be stressful. Stress can get to us mentally and emotionally. Remaining calm in tough situations can be a big challenge. Figuring out how to stay calm will, for obvious reasons, make your life less stressful.

Everyone has different stress triggers. Work stress tops the list, according to surveys. Forty percent of U.S. workers admit to experiencing office stress, and one-quarter say work is the biggest source of stress in their lives.

Causes of work stress include:

Being unhappy in your job
Having a heavy workload or too much responsibility
Working long hours
Having poor management, unclear expectations of your work, or no say in the decision-making process
Working under dangerous conditions
Being insecure about your chance for advancement or risk of termination
Having to give speeches in front of colleagues
Facing discrimination or harassment at work, especially if your company isn't supportive

Life stresses can also have a big impact. Examples of life stresses are:

The death of a loved one
Divorce
Loss of a job
Increase in financial obligations
Getting married
Moving to a new home
Chronic illness or injury
Pregnancy
Traveling
Emotional problems (depression, anxiety, anger, grief, guilt, low self-esteem)
Taking care of an elderly or sick family member
Traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, theft, rape, or violence against you or a loved one

If you are a student, stresses will have a big impact in your daily life. Some causes of stresses include:

Fear of the unknown
New school environment/Unfamiliarity with the school system
Poor school administration/lack support by school management
Insecure about the future
Peer pressure
Conflict between the ideal and real practice
Lack of good study habits
Fear of making mistakes
Negative interaction with instructors
Being late to classes
Lack of study resources
Excessive extracurricular activities
Preparing for and taking exams
Intense academic pressures to succeed
Having to give speeches in front of the class
Economic and financial pressures
Study long hours
Due dates/deadlines
Heavy studyload
Negative interactions with teacher, other students, etc
Generation Me and the narcissistic epidemic
The rapid evolution of technology, information overload, and environmental mismatch

Sometimes the stress comes from inside, rather than outside. You can stress yourself out just by worrying about things. All of these factors can lead to stress:

Fear and uncertainty. When you regularly hear about the threat of terrorist attacks, global warming, and toxic chemicals on the news, it can cause you to be stressed, especially because you feel like you have no control over those events. Fears can also hit closer to home, such as being worried that you won't finish a project at work or won't have enough money to pay your bills this month.

Attitudes and perceptions. How you view the world or a particular situation can determine whether it causes stress. For example, if your expensive new shoes were gone from the masjid and you take the attitude, "Alhamdulillah, I give my shoes as sadaqah to the person who took my shoes and may Allah compensate me with better," you'll be far less stressed than if you think, "My shoes are gone and I'll never get it back! How am I going to walk home? I am not coming back to this masjid -- there are thieves!" Similarly, people who feel like they're doing a good job at work will be less stressed out by a big upcoming project than those who worry that they are incompetent.

Unrealistic expectations. No one is perfect. If you expect to do everything right all the time, you're destined to feel stressed when things don't go as expected.

Change. Any major life change can be stressful -- even a happy event like a wedding. More unpleasant events, such as a divorce, major financial setback, or death in the family can be significant sources of stress.

Your stress level will differ based on your personality and how you respond to situations. Some people let everything roll off their back. To them, work stresses and life stresses are just minor bumps in the road. Others literally worry themselves sick.

When you are in a stressful situation, your body launches a physical response. Your nervous system springs into action, releasing hormones that prepare you to either fight or take off. It's called the "fight or flight" response, and it's why, when you're in a stressful situation, you may notice that your heartbeat speeds up, your breathing gets faster, your muscles tense, and you start to sweat. This kind of stress is short-term and temporary (acute stress), and your body usually recovers quickly from it.

But if your stress system stays activated over a long period of time (chronic stress), it can lead to more serious health problems. The constant rush of stress hormones can put a lot of wear and tear on your body, causing it to age more quickly and making it more prone to illness.

If you've been stressed out for a short period of time, you may start to notice some of these physical signs:

Headache
Fatigue
Difficulty sleeping
Difficulty concentrating
Upset stomach
Irritability

When stress becomes long-term and is not properly addressed, it can lead to a number of more serious health conditions, including:

Depression
High blood pressure
Abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia)
Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
Heart disease
Heart attack
Heartburn, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome
Upset stomach -- cramps, constipation, and diarrhea
Weight gain or loss
Fertility problems
Flare-ups of asthma or arthritis
Skin problems such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis

Stress is a killer, we know this. It's been linked to heart problems, cancer, depression, and even PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder). Managing your stress can make a real difference to your health. So how do we manage it? Here some great tips that can make the toughest situations far more manageable. For example:

Take a Deep Breath: Aromatherapy isn't just for spas. No matter where you are, taking a deep whiff of lavender or rosemary can put you into a more relaxed state. Inhaling those aromas can lower your levels of the stress hormone cortisol. But just the act of breathing deeply is also a stress buster. Deep breathing sends oxygen surging through your bloodstream, helping to calm your entire body.

Don't get angry: A man said to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam, ‘Give me advice.’ The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam said, ‘Do not get angry.’ The man asked repeatedly and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam answered each time, ‘Do not get angry.’” [Related by Bukhari & Muslim]

Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam knew that if a person controlled his anger he would be able to control everything else. That is why the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam mentioned in another hadith: "The powerful man is not the one who can wrestle, but the powerful man is the one who can control himself at the time of anger." Controlling anger can be an indicator of the strength of one’s personality.

Detach yourself: If you can physically move away from the situation or the place that will be the best, but you can also mentally detach yourself from what's going on.

Take a Walk: Exercise is a great way to ease stress. It helps your body produce endorphins -- the neurotransmitters in your brain that make you feel good. It also forces you to focus, helping you forget what's making you anxious. Exercising in warm, sunny weather can boost your mood. And if you walk briskly for at least 30 minutes, you'll meet daily exercise recommendations, and ramp up stress-busting benefits.

Listen to Qur'an recitation/read the Qur'an: Turn up the recitation of your favorite Qari. Read the Qur'an. No matter how out of tune you are, reading the Qur'an with proper tajweed and some melody can make you feel happier. Reading the Qur'an (holding the mushaf at eye level) also can be good for your breathing and posture, as well as your heart and immune system. Remember that Allah says, Qur'an is healing. Allah knows best.

Pet Your Cat: Your pet not only gives you unconditional love, but it is also good for your health. When you pet your cat even for just a few minutes, your body releases feel-good hormones like serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin. At the same time, it decreases the amount of the damaging stress hormones that are released. That can mean lower blood pressure, less anxiety, and even a boost in immunity.

Drink Some Orange Juice: The tart beverage that already may be a regular part of your morning routine could help you in surprising ways. Researchers say vitamin C may help people manage their stress more effectively, in part by lowering levels of stress hormones like cortisol. As an added bonus, vitamin C-rich foods such as orange juice, grapefruit juice, strawberries, or sweet red peppers can help boost your immune system.

Reach out: No matter how much of a self-dependent person you are, at the end of the day you should always have a group of friends and family you can go back to with your problems. You will be surprised how therapeutic just talking it out feels.

Cry if you want to: Irrespective of your gender, if you want to cry, just let it out. Crying helps to release that bottled-up feeling and clears the mind as well.

Clean the Clutter: Being surrounded by too much stuff can be overwhelming and contribute to stress. It brings on anxiety when you can't find your favorite book, your child's homework, or the utility bill. So de-clutter to de-stress. Tackle a drawer, a shelf, or a tabletop at a time. An uncluttered space can feel satisfying and restorative. As an added plus, spring cleaning is good exercise, burning more than 250 calories an hour.

Remember, you can't control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you handle situations in a way to avoid stress.

May Allah not leave us for a blinking of an eye and grant us good health so we may worship Him well. Ameen.

And Allah knows best and He alone grant success.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

Wassalaam

Reference on medicals: webmd.com