The Power of Gratitude in Reaching Inner Peace السلام النفسي and Treating Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
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What is Stress? and Why do we get stressed?
Imagine you went to the backyard to get Fresh air and you saw a wild animal (Bear). At this point, your brain will switch to survival mode (Fight or flight). It will send signals to release Adrenaline and Cortisone to support stronger muscles to fight or run and keep you awake and focused on the problem. At this moment you Can’t think straight, only use your basic instinct and second nature. The mind knows that you are in danger and preparing for survival. This is stress. However, we get stressed all the time without the bear. Therefore, we need to tell our brains that we are safe and we are not in danger.
First Priority for Our Brain is to survive and prepare for worst-case
•Food, craving to hunt, store in fat
•Stress: Adrenaline, less sleep, worry
•Sleep: Less deep sleep to be prepared for dangerous
We need to train our minds that we are not in dangerous.
Our Brains always look at the half-empty
The Growth Mindset
A growth mindset means that you thrive on challenges and don’t see failure as a way to describe yourself but as a springboard for growth and developing your abilities. Your intelligence and talents are all susceptible to growth.
How to Train Your Mind?
1. Through Gratitude
The state of Gratitude (Madarij)
1. Level 1: Shaker (Patient in hardship and thankful in ease)
2. Level 2: Shakoor (Even in times of hardship they are grateful) It is all good
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ ٱلْقُلُوبُ
“Those who believe, and whose hearts find tranquility in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find tranquility. (Raad — 28)
Always Looking positive
Ibn al-Qayyim reported: Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said to me once, “What can my enemies do to me? My paradise and my garden are in my heart wherever I go and they are never separated from me. If I am imprisoned, then it is seclusion for worship. If I am killed, then it is martyrdom. If they expel me from my land, then it is tourism.”
Source: al-Wābil al-Ṣayyib 1/48
عن ابن القيم قَالَ وَقَالَ لِي شَيْخَ الْإِسْلَامِ ابْنَ تَيْمِيَّةَ رحمه الله مَرَّةً مَا يَصْنَعُ أَعْدَائِي بِي أَنَا جَنَّتِي وَبُسْتَانِي فِي صَدْرِي أَيْنَ رُحْت فَهِيَ مَعِي لَا تُفَارِقُنِي أَنَا حَبْسِي خَلْوَةٌ وَقَتْلِي شَهَادَةٌ وَإِخْرَاجِي مِنْ بَلَدِي سِيَاحَةٌ
1/48 الوابل الصيب من الكلم الطيب
Showing Gratitude
وكان يقول في محبسه في القلعة:
لو بذلت لهم ملء هذه القلعة ذهبا ما عدل عندي شكر هذه النعمة، أو قال: ما جزيتهم على ما تسببوا لي فيه من الخير ونحو هذا.
He said when he was a prisoner in the castle: “If I gave them gold to fill this castle, will not be enough to thank them on the good they gave to me. ???
What Can we do?
We need to calm down our mind and give it the signal that we are safe and there is no need to stress. We do this by remembering all the blessings you currently have and thank Allah for all of them (Health, you are alive an have a chance, you have work, Allah is always taking care of you …)
- Thank Allah for the current blessings (Health, money, home …)
- Thank Allah for the things you had for a while, then lost them (Remember how Allah blessed you all those years)
- After each prayer, you say “Alhamdulillah” 33 times. Focus while you are saying them on all the blessings that Allah gave you
- Start each duaa with a gratitude
