Anexiety and Depression: How Does Islam Deal with them?

We all to a certain degree have some anxiety and depression in our lives. A lot of times they are not severe enough to make us want to consult a psychiatrist. We have defensive mechanisms to combat that. The more mature and strong our personalities are the more likely we would be able to deal with them effectively. Islam has a lot of defense mechanisms:

1- Faith in God makes you feel that a lot of things are destined to happen anyway, so you just do what you think is right. Life is like a movie and we are actors. We act for the first time with our complete control of the scenario as actors to find out this movie had exactly the same scenario that known by God thousands of years ago. We are still the actors and have the will to change life and God still sees the future. How he does that it is beyond our science and knowledge but one of the essentials of our religious believes.

2- Faith in the hereafter and the eternal life make these few years in earth like nothing. If you compare anything to the infinity it equals zero. It makes you more willing to accept losses of loved ones, friends and money. I fact any loss you can imagine is predetermined. It is difficult not to feel sad after a loss but knowing there is another and better life makes things less important than it seems. We will be gathered in Paradise, hopefully with our loved ones, if we all are righteous and have faith in God.

3- Anxiety is the inner feeling of fear from what may happen, known or unknown. Believing in God and that is every thing is determined make you feel in ease and put your faith in God. The worst thing could happen is that we will die. We will be in much better place than the one we have now.

4- Islam teaches you how to deal with people with respect, decency, appreciation and fairness. That makes you less prone to conflicts and struggles with people. It makes you live in peace with them.

5- Praying and reading the Quran per Se give you state of inner peace and serenity.

6- Islam teaches you also how to forgive people so you save your spirit free and not agile. As well you save your body systems the effects of anger. There is a saying to the prophet (PBUH): the best of the people are most to accept their apology or find the apology to them.

7- Praying is the time you take off 5 times a day to recharge your spirit and wash away the things that led to your anger, anxiety and depression.

8- Praying is a relaxation to both the mind and body. It is like doing the yoga but you connect with a great being who created you and control the world and all the people that you may have grievances against them.

9- Muslims as the prophet described are like one body if one organ is sick the other organs feel sick and suffering. Thus Muslims are looking after one another to be sure no one is down, sad, depressed, angry or anxious. They are ought to help to absorb his pain and help him to cope with problems.

10- Islam addresses all injustices either real or perceptive so people leave in peace and do not feel they are oppressed, discriminated against or neglected.

11- The good Muslims and Imams have important roles like the priests and sisters in Christianity. They check in the people to be sure they are doing well in their daily life.

12- Good government is like a good doctor who is interested in the will being of his patient even beyond his health. The government can affect our well being by securing our health care and retirement. Two of the great issues of people 's anxiety.

13- Many destructive thoughts are from Satan: he wants you to suffer and make everything in your mind bigger than it is. He prepares you to get angry against people for little things and make you suspicious of people. Islam warns you always to be alert to the destructive thoughts that Satan put in our brain.

14- Islam asks you to avoid suspecting bad things in people for two things it may not be true and it also makes people evil- oriented and ready to get against one another.

15- Repentance and forgiveness are two great cleansers of your heart. The first clean your heart from sins and bad thoughts when you ask God to accept your repentance. Forgiveness similarly cleans your heart from the grouches you may have against other people. Because God is Just forgiveness comes after you were able to forgive and not when you are weak and helpless. It is not forgiveness in second case it is cowardliness. God is just and compassionate.