Alleviating Psychological Stress
Dialogues
“Indeed, the believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely.” (Surah Al-Anfal, 2)
Psychological tension is a state of severe and persistent psychological distress, whose negative consequences exceed those of ordinary psychological pressure, or the usual and expected psychological and physical stress encountered in daily life. A person may be able to cope healthily with the psychological pressures they face during the day, and their feeling of exhaustion may cease after getting adequate sleep. However, psychological tension is a severe and quasi-persistent psychological and physical state, or at least this is how it feels to those who suffer from it.
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Among the measures I believe can help alleviate psychological tension, or perhaps change an individual’s way of thinking about it in a manner that stops it from persisting as an obstacle to daily life, are the following:
- Psychological tension diminishes when you stop listening to it: I believe that those who make an effort to occupy their minds by reflecting on God’s blessings and kindness toward them, who force their minds to generate positive thoughts, who refresh their hearts with hope and optimism, and who repeat encouraging phrases and words, while striving as much as possible to stop overthinking about what deeply worries them—especially what they fear might happen to them in the future—are those who do not listen to the negative self-talk directed by their anxious minds and hearts.
- Relaxation exercises: Those who feel psychological tension practice deep breathing, muscle relaxation, and take warm showers or sit in a bathtub filled with warm water. Afterward, they experience a sense of physical comfort and psychological ease due to the release of severe muscular tension. Those who consistently practice these therapeutic and restorative exercises will reduce their excessive physical and psychological burdens and restore the balance of their bodies and minds to normal levels.
- Seeking forgiveness and glorifying God: I am almost certain that those who regularly engage in seeking forgiveness (Istighfar) and glorifying God (Tasbih) will experience a reduction in the negative effects of psychological tension. According to my personal experience, whenever I remember God, the Exalted and Mighty, seek His forgiveness, glorify Him, and thank Him for His blessings, favors, and subtle kindnesses toward me, any psychological tension I feel at that moment subsides.
A Kuwaiti writer
