Managing Stress
We all experience occasional stress. Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. Stress is how we react when we are under pressure or feel threatened. It is our body’s way of handling demands that may cause a physical, emotional, or psychological reaction.
Common Signs of Stress:
Feeling irritated and angry
Lacking motivation
Feeling overwhelmed
Feeling nervous or anxious
Having trouble sleeping
Sadness or Depression
Having trouble concentrating
Worsening of chronic health problems or mental health conditions
Changes in appetite
Experiencing headaches, body pains, and stomach or digestive issues
Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other substances
Coping Strategies
Students face many stressors throughout the year. Being equipped with tools to help manage the effects is essential for success. Here are some coping strategies:
Manage Your Time
Sometimes to deal with your stress you must deal with the cause of the stress. You may be overwhelmed with your workload and the best way to manage your stress is to manage your time. See our article on: Managing Your Time.
Practice Deep Breathing
You can practice deep breathing between classes, at lunch, or before and after school.
Sit or lie down somewhere comfortable and close your eyes. Make sure your muscles are relaxed.
Breathe deeply through your nose until your abdomen rises on a count of 4 seconds.
Hold this breath for 7 seconds, then exhale slowly through your nose for 8 seconds.
Repeat this for 3 to 5 minutes.
Take a Meditation Break
Even a 5-minute meditation break can help reduce stress and clear your mind. You can also use this time to practice deep breathing to further reduce stress. To do this make sure you’re in a quiet place. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and focus on the present moment. If you find your mind wandering, acknowledge these thoughts, but then let them go, and bring the attention back to the present moment.
You can also implement Islamic tools and acts of worship to help ground you such as:
Salat: Connecting with God through the 5 daily prayers or sunnah prayers
Pondering the Qur’an: Reciting or listening to the Holy Quran contributes to the release of endorphins. Therefore, it enhances the stress threshold, removes negative emotions, and creates a sense of relaxation while allowing you to get closer to Allah.
Dhikr (Remembrance of Allah): To perform Dhikr you should recite the following 33 times: SubhanAllah (glory be to Allah), Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah), and Allahu Akbar (Allah is the greatest). Doing this will bring you peace and tranquility and will also help you focus on the positive. Remember the Qur’an states: “So remember Me; I will remember you (2:152)” and “If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor] (14:7)”
Participate in Regular Physical Activity
Participating in daily activity through exercise or sports can help reduce the effects of stress. This type of exercise does not have to be strenuous but rather something you enjoy and keeps you moving.
Recognize and Accept All Your Emotions
You should take a moment to recognize your emotions, label and validate them, and engage in behaviors to ease them.
Surround Yourself with Supportive People
Social support is crucial when managing stress. Finding people you trust can help you mitigate the adverse effects of stress. You should set aside time each week to meet with a friend. If possible, use this time to do an activity that would help decrease stress such as exercise.
Learn to Communicate Your Struggles
It may help to share your difficult emotions with people you love and can trust. It is important that you have someone who will listen to you in an attentive and nonjudgmental way. This could be a faculty member, family friend, family member, community support person, or mental health professional.
Practice Daily Self-Care
Some tips include:
Live healthily. Eat healthy foods, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and avoid drugs and alcohol.
Practice good hygiene. Good hygiene is important for social, medical, and psychological reasons in that it not only reduces the risk of illness but also improves the way others view you and how you view yourself.
Spend time with friends. This will build your sense of belonging and allow you to discuss your emotions with someone.
Do something you enjoy every day. This might be dancing, watching a favorite TV show, working in the garden, painting, or reading.
Find ways to relax. This can include prayer, meditation, yoga, getting a massage, taking a bath, or walking.
Minimize your media consumption
A 2018 University of Pennsylvania study found that reducing social media use to 30 minutes a day resulted in a significant reduction in levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness, sleep problems, and FOMO. Being constantly on social media can lead you to compare yourself to others and put yourself down unnecessarily.