Depression cure in Islam

 RULE # 1: APPLY EASIEST STRATEGIES FIRST

What may be easier for you might be very difficult for somebody else to achieve. The number of stages that I will mention below comprise of activities and small steps for you to take in order to  overcome depression anxiety in Islam.  Only you know best which steps are easier for you. I advise you to start with those. For eg, waking up early in the morning might be easier for you than breaking the cycle of sin (cycle implies that you are repeatedly committing one particular sin- for eg, listening to music or having haram relationships etc).

If you start by doing something that’s very difficult, chances are you will give up sooner. Besides, if you are unable to achieve that particular goal after multiple attempts, you will lower your self-esteem further. As a result, you will end up more depressed/ anxious.

RULE # 2: DON’T GIVE UP EVEN IF YOU FAIL MULTIPLE TIMES

So you missed fajr again? I’m not going to tell you it’s fine. But what I can tell you is that, don’t let shaiytaan get into your head and convince you to miss other prayers as well. That’s one of his clever strategies. Feeling bad after sinning/ missing a prayer is good. It shows your inner conscience is still alive.

But feeling so bad that you end up in a cycle of self-loathe and sinning more (convincing yourself that you can never be forgiven by Allah or that you don’t deserve to be happy now that you have sinned etc)  is not Islam-that’s all Shaiytan. For the Muslims trying to be better, Shaiytaan keeps a close track record of their activities. The moment they slip or make a mistake, Shaiytaan sneaks into their heads with his evil whispers.

Allah S.W.T says: “And never give up hope of Allah’s soothing mercy: truly no one despairs of Allah’s soothing mercy, except those who have no faith.” [Surah Yusuf 12: Ayah 87]

So dear fellow Muslims, don’t let past mistakes define you. Don’t let repeated mistakes define you. The only thing that should define you, is your niyyah (intention).

RULE # 3: PRACTICE THE ESCAPE-PHENOMENON

This is a highly advanced skill to learn. But if you can learn it, it will serve you well. By Escape Phenomenon I’m not implying that you should escape your surroundings everytime you feel burdened. There’s a fine balance that needs to be maintained. You need to learn emotional resilience as well, another cool skill that will help you stay strong in tough emotional situations. BUT….

…When the negativity around you ( whether in your social circle, house, workplace etc) gets too much for you to handle, politely get up and walk away. Nobody understands exactly what’s going on your head, but you do. If the noise around you is getting louder and making you anxious, or the sarcasm/ negative comments/ rude behaviour/ other people committing sins etc is making you depressed .. walk away.

Walk away and do what you ask? Go lie down. Rest. Sleep. Listen to Surah Baqarah. Make wuddu. Pray. Cry and make dua. Eat. Talk to yourself. Write in your diary. Workout. You get it.

Do anything that will slowly sponge out the negative energy that’s boiling inside of you.

Now I know you are craving to find out the amazing benefits of practicing the escape-phenomenon ( Btw I do it all the time, so if someone tells you it’s weird, tell them  Aimen said- weird-is-the-new-cool- huhu-).

The amazing benefits of practicing the escape phenomenon are:

 You will save yourself from creating an emotional outburst ( yelling, shouting, crying, cursing etc )

 You will save others from getting hurt or disturbed by your emotional outburst

 You will raise your self-esteem a little everyday

 You will become a more optimistic and positive Muslim (this won’t happen overnight ofcourse)