Muslim EXPERT RESPONDS to claims on Mental Health

00:27:31
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_YBmRdCmM4

Resumen

TLDRDr. Rania Awad discusses the importance of mental health therapy and its relevance in Islam. She explains that mental health issues are often multifaceted, arising from biological, genetic, environmental, and spiritual factors. Dr. Awad cites examples from the life of Prophet Muhammad to illustrate how faith can help individuals cope with grief and hardship. She emphasizes the need for therapy, stating that it involves trained professionals who assist people in dealing with their challenges. Dr. Awad encourages the integration of spirituality in healing while advising families to foster supportive environments for children experiencing mental health difficulties.

Para llevar

  • ๐Ÿง  Therapy is important for mental health and is not just simple talking.
  • ๐Ÿ•Œ Faith can provide comfort and help mitigate stress and anxiety.
  • ๐ŸŒฑ Mental health issues can be multifactorial; they aren't solely due to a lack of faith.
  • ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘งโ€๐Ÿ‘ฆ Parents should model good mental health practices to support their children's wellbeing.
  • ๐Ÿ“– The life of the Prophet Muhammad exemplifies how to deal with grief and tribulation.
  • ๐Ÿ” Seeking professional help is encouraged and essential for healing.
  • โœจ Speak positively about Allah's mercy and attributes to enhance mental resilience.
  • ๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ Difficulties are part of life; how we respond to them defines our mental wellbeing.
  • ๐Ÿค Supportive environments are crucial for individuals struggling with mental health.
  • ๐Ÿ’ฌ Conversations about mental health should be normalized within families.

Cronologรญa

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The discussion begins with an exploration of the purpose of therapy, emphasizing that it is more than just talking; it involves trained professionals assisting individuals in understanding and addressing their mental health concerns. Dr. Rania Awad highlights the importance of the Prophet Muhammad's teachings on mental health, suggesting that his life experiences, especially during times of sorrow, provide a framework for modern understanding of emotional struggles, emphasizing dependence on Allah through difficulties.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    It is noted that mental health issues are multifactorial, stemming from biological, environmental, or spiritual sources. Dr. Awad clarifies that mental illnesses should not be simply attributed to a lack of faith. She provides examples of individuals with a strong faith who still experience mental health challenges due to biological or genetic predispositions, underscoring the necessity of comprehensive assessments to identify the root causes of mental distress.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    Dr. Awad explains the role of faith in managing stress and anxiety, emphasizing the importance of accepting the trials of life as a part of human experience. She encourages reframing negative emotions to find meaning and growth in difficult situations, advocating for the therapeutic practices that align with Islamic teachings. The concept of seeking treatment as a form of healing, according to the guidance of the Prophet, is also discussed, highlighting how therapy can be a beneficial resource.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    The conversation stresses that spiritual aspects play a significant role in healing, and affirming one's faith can provide comfort during hardships. Practical advice on how to seek help and the necessity for individuals to cooperate in their healing process is explored. The impact of sharing emotional burdens and getting support from healthcare professionals is emphasized as helpful in dealing with stress and anxiety.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:27:31

    Finally, actionable tips for parents are presented to foster mental health practices in children, highlighting the importance of modeling self-care and understanding mental wellness. It concludes with the acknowledgment that to nurture healthy children, parents must also prioritize their own mental well-being, aligning with Islamic values that promote the preservation of health, intellect, and self-care.

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Mapa mental

Vรญdeo de preguntas y respuestas

  • How can therapy help individuals?

    Therapy provides trained professionals who help individuals address difficulties like stress or anxiety using proven techniques.

  • Can mental health issues arise from a lack of faith?

    Mental health issues are multifactorial and can arise from biological, genetic, environmental, and spiritual factors, but many people of strong faith still experience mental illness.

  • What role does faith play in overcoming stress and anxiety?

    Having faith can provide comfort, perspective, and remind individuals that difficulties are part of life, helping them cope better.

  • What should someone do if a loved one is struggling with mental health issues?

    Encourage them gently to seek help and, if they resist, consider getting support for yourself to manage the stress of their situation.

  • How can parents support their children's mental health?

    Parents should model good mental health practices for their children, as children often mirror their caregivers' behaviors and attitudes.

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  • 00:00:00
    people wonder sometimes what is the
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    point of therapy is it just talking and
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    somebody else listening who's not even
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    part of your family or related to you
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    what good or use is that no one path
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    Network sat down with one of the world's
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    leading Muslim Professionals in the
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    field of psychology her name is Dr Rania
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    Awad she's a clinical associate
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    professor of Psychiatry at Stanford
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    University and he's also the director of
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    Stanford's new Muslim mental health and
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    Islamic psychology lab she has also
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    studied Islamic Studies in Damascus
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    Syria and is certified to teach Quran
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    Islamic law and other branches of
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    Islamic Sciences may Allah protect her
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    and yes she is perhaps the best person
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    to ask difficult questions about Muslim
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    mental health and we had a lot to cover
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    mental health is seen as a very modern
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    field to your knowledge that the prophet
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    Muhammad
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    ever touch on Mental Health the prophet
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    sallallahu alaihi wasallam taught us
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    quite a bit about mental health first
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    and foremost from his own example so as
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    Muslims we look at the example of the
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    prophet sallallahu and to follow in his
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    footsteps and one of the main things
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    that we learned about the prophet
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    sallallahu alaihi wasallam is that he
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    was very in tune with emotions including
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    his very own and we look at the
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    prophet's life
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    you see that he had a difficult period
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    in his life that the historians call
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    amenhosen or the year of sorrow or
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    sadness and in that year many things
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    happened he lost his very close
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    companion his wife
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    his protector his uncle as well and in
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    that year there was also an economic
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    boycott against the early Muslims and
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    they were heavily persecuted and so many
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    more things happened within that year
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    that was very very difficult for the
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    prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam and
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    as you look at that timing in history
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    you find that while he was sorrowful and
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    while he had experienced grief there was
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    always a deep dependence on Allah to see
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    him through and through that example we
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    learn what happens when we go through
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    turbulations difficulties when we're
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    Afflicted with grief and sorrow
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    ourselves and we follow in his example
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    because that is what Allah sent us he
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    sent us a person who is able to in the
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    most perfect example of how it is that
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    you heal we see it through the prophet
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    salallahu he experienced grief just as
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    we experience it and sorrow just as we
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    experience it there's a beautiful
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    narration in which we learn from the
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    prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam in
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    which he says
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    good for he actually sends him
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    difficulties or tribulation and that
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    might seem counterintuitive it may seem
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    something like why would that be the
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    case but actually what we learn is we
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    have to reframe the way we think about
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    it if Allah sent us something that's
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    very difficult he's also taken an oath
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    upon himself
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    that he will not burden us more than we
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    can bear and so if he sent something to
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    you that's very difficult he's going to
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    see you through it just like you wake
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    woke up this morning and you took your
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    first breath of the day you may not have
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    even thought about how Allah gave you
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    that breath to be awake today and that
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    when we go to sleep at night there's no
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    guarantee that we get up the next
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    morning and this is why part of the of
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    God that we give that we say the morning
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    of God is
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    one of the very first things that we say
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    in remembrance of Allah is to thank him
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    and to say
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    alhamdulillah right we thank Allah we
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    give praise and glory to him
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    alhamdulillah
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    praise to Allah the one who gave us life
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    after he gave us death and what we mean
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    by that is sleep is like a small death
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    and when we wake up in the morning and
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    take that first breath that's something
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    Allah gives us yet sometimes we're not
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    fully connected and yet when you connect
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    to the greatness of Allah when you
  • 00:03:40
    become more God conscious you then
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    understand that earlier Hadith we quoted
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    about the prophet sallallahu alaihi
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    wasallam that when Allah is in control
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    when you know that's the case and you
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    know that Every Breath You Take Allah
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    gave it to you that also means every
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    tribulation and difficulty that you face
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    Allah also gave that to you too and when
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    he's given that to you he's also
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    promised he won't burden you with more
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    than you can bear so he'll also give you
  • 00:04:03
    the ease and ability to get through it
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    and that's the beautiful thing about the
  • 00:04:07
    believer we cognitively reframe and
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    shift the way we're thinking so when
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    difficulties come our way we don't call
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    them difficulties we actually see them
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    with a silver lining of blessing that
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    comes with them too this is the way of
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    our Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
  • 00:04:20
    this is how he got through Ahmed hose in
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    the year of sadness and how we should
  • 00:04:24
    get through our difficulties and
  • 00:04:25
    tribulations as well
  • 00:04:27
    is it true that mental health issues can
  • 00:04:29
    arise from a lack of faith and
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    spirituality mental health issues are
  • 00:04:33
    multifactorial they can come from any
  • 00:04:36
    One Direction it's important to
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    understand that sometimes mental
  • 00:04:39
    illnesses are biologically driven
  • 00:04:41
    meaning that they are something
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    potentially hormonally or there may be a
  • 00:04:46
    neurotransmitter deficiency that is
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    actually affecting the reasons why you
  • 00:04:50
    have a mental illness it could be also
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    genetic that you have a long family
  • 00:04:53
    history of people in the family that say
  • 00:04:56
    have anxiety
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    or depression or it could also be
  • 00:05:00
    Environmental something that's happening
  • 00:05:02
    from the environment around you let's
  • 00:05:04
    say for example you've lived your entire
  • 00:05:05
    life without any mental health problems
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    but then just about Allah you've
  • 00:05:10
    experienced the trauma it could be a
  • 00:05:11
    personal trauma it could be that you
  • 00:05:13
    live in a country in which a war
  • 00:05:14
    happened you saw some very difficult
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    things to experience and so it's not
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    biological or genetic but it's something
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    that happened to you environmentally
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    socially or it could be religious or
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    spiritual faith-based you have a crisis
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    of Faith or a potentially a weakening of
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    Faith any one of these aspects could
  • 00:05:33
    happen and any of the any overlap can
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    also take place
  • 00:05:37
    when people say
  • 00:05:39
    you're depressed because you have a
  • 00:05:41
    weakness of Faith this is inaccurate I
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    personally have known many people of
  • 00:05:46
    strong faith some of whom have been my
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    own teachers in the Islamic Sciences who
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    have an incredible amount of religious
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    knowledge and incredible aibada or
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    worship schedule an incredible amount of
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    faith yet subhanallah their tribulation
  • 00:06:00
    in life is in their genetic history is
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    that they have experienced a biological
  • 00:06:06
    depression the inability to get up and
  • 00:06:08
    function every day out of bed to get up
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    and to go about your daily work isn't
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    because of laziness or a lack of faith
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    in their case it is something
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    biologically hormonally that they are
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    dealing with and it has actual
  • 00:06:21
    treatments so to judge them and to say
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    if you were to pray more you would not
  • 00:06:27
    have this depression is inaccurate there
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    are some of the people that have
  • 00:06:30
    probably pray the most in my life that I
  • 00:06:32
    have met or if you have more faith or
  • 00:06:34
    Iman this wouldn't come to you this too
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    is inaccurate could spirituality your
  • 00:06:39
    religion be part of the story absolutely
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    is it the only explanation absolutely
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    not and I think it's really important
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    that we do not judge each other and have
  • 00:06:50
    such amount of Shame and guilt that we
  • 00:06:52
    pile on when people deal with mental
  • 00:06:55
    health conditions know that it's
  • 00:06:56
    multifactorial and know that to get to
  • 00:06:59
    the bottom of it does require assessment
  • 00:07:01
    to figure out why this is happening to
  • 00:07:03
    you or your loved one Stress and Anxiety
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    increasing how can Faith play a role in
  • 00:07:08
    helping people that are suffering from
  • 00:07:09
    it here it's very important to think
  • 00:07:11
    back to what is the purpose of Stress
  • 00:07:13
    and Anxiety if Allah created all
  • 00:07:16
    emotions he created emotions and didn't
  • 00:07:18
    label them the way we humans do
  • 00:07:20
    sometimes we label emotions as good and
  • 00:07:23
    bad we say things like Stress and
  • 00:07:25
    Anxiety or depression these are bad and
  • 00:07:27
    we'll say things like happiness and joy
  • 00:07:29
    these are good and will actually put a
  • 00:07:31
    lot of guilt we'll feel lots of guilt
  • 00:07:34
    and even shame related to certain
  • 00:07:36
    emotions versus others what's important
  • 00:07:38
    to remember is that Allah created all
  • 00:07:41
    emotions so if you look at the verses in
  • 00:07:43
    the Quran Allah specifically reminds us
  • 00:07:47
    and he says
  • 00:07:55
    that he reminds us that we as humans
  • 00:07:58
    will surely be tested
  • 00:08:00
    with something of fear and loss of
  • 00:08:04
    wealth and lives and crops this is very
  • 00:08:07
    important because it's part and parcel
  • 00:08:08
    of the world in which we live this Dunya
  • 00:08:11
    this Abode of tribulation
  • 00:08:14
    which is very different than the Jannah
  • 00:08:17
    in which we will not have any
  • 00:08:18
    tribulations and when we think about how
  • 00:08:21
    Allah said that these difficulties are
  • 00:08:23
    meant to come our way at some point in
  • 00:08:25
    our life we will face some amount of
  • 00:08:27
    difficulty and everyone is different
  • 00:08:28
    some people will have their tests and
  • 00:08:32
    trials will come in loss of wealth
  • 00:08:34
    others it'll be loss of health and for
  • 00:08:37
    others it might be loss of loved ones in
  • 00:08:39
    their lives and for some It's a
  • 00:08:41
    combination of all or different ones
  • 00:08:43
    that are tribulations to them it's not
  • 00:08:45
    so much about which tribulation comes
  • 00:08:47
    our way because the like the Ayah says
  • 00:08:48
    they're meant to come it's about what we
  • 00:08:51
    do with this difficulty what do we do
  • 00:08:53
    with the stress what do we do with these
  • 00:08:54
    anxieties well here is where the Hadith
  • 00:08:57
    of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi
  • 00:08:58
    wasallam where he reminds us
  • 00:09:02
    seek out treatments o Servants of Allah
  • 00:09:05
    and that means that there are in fact
  • 00:09:07
    treatments that help for the kind of
  • 00:09:09
    difficulties we see we face so when
  • 00:09:11
    someone has stress there are ways to
  • 00:09:13
    modulate that stress entire Sciences
  • 00:09:15
    related around this and some of these
  • 00:09:18
    techniques or tips are learned in
  • 00:09:21
    therapy people wonder sometimes what is
  • 00:09:23
    the point of therapy is it just talking
  • 00:09:25
    and somebody else listening who's not
  • 00:09:27
    even part of your family or related to
  • 00:09:28
    you what good or use is that no when you
  • 00:09:31
    go to therapy these are people who are
  • 00:09:33
    trained as professionals and have
  • 00:09:35
    learned the techniques to help you with
  • 00:09:37
    certain difficulties you're facing such
  • 00:09:39
    as stress or anxiety and it means that
  • 00:09:42
    you're going to a person of knowledge
  • 00:09:44
    here too we look to the Quran Allah says
  • 00:09:49
    and reminds us that when we do not know
  • 00:09:52
    we must ask the people of knowledge who
  • 00:09:55
    do know
  • 00:10:00
    so ask the people of knowledge if you do
  • 00:10:03
    not know so if you're sitting here
  • 00:10:05
    thinking I have a lot of stress or I
  • 00:10:07
    have a lot of anxieties and I don't know
  • 00:10:09
    what to do about them what does your
  • 00:10:11
    religion say to you it says seek out the
  • 00:10:13
    people of knowledge who do know and have
  • 00:10:15
    learned the techniques to help you along
  • 00:10:17
    that is part and parcel of what therapy
  • 00:10:19
    is all about maybe you might have a
  • 00:10:21
    condition that's actually biologically
  • 00:10:23
    driven or has a genetic loading to it
  • 00:10:26
    and it may mean that it's more than just
  • 00:10:28
    therapy that's going to be needed maybe
  • 00:10:30
    you might need medications here too but
  • 00:10:32
    we won't know when you won't know unless
  • 00:10:34
    you consult with the people of knowledge
  • 00:10:35
    who have been trained and they're able
  • 00:10:37
    to do an assessment and figure out for
  • 00:10:39
    you is therapy sufficient is medications
  • 00:10:42
    needed perhaps both or could the roots
  • 00:10:45
    and the origins of the stress be
  • 00:10:47
    something different maybe it's
  • 00:10:48
    environmental social something
  • 00:10:50
    difficulty is happening in your life
  • 00:10:52
    maybe you've experienced the trauma and
  • 00:10:54
    need to process that or maybe it's
  • 00:10:56
    something spiritual and it could be a
  • 00:10:59
    combination of all of these things
  • 00:11:00
    because mental illnesses are in fact
  • 00:11:02
    multi-factorial they come from different
  • 00:11:05
    perspectives and depending on that comes
  • 00:11:07
    your treatment to which your Dean also
  • 00:11:09
    tells you to seek out treatments and
  • 00:11:11
    help so knowing the background
  • 00:11:13
    understanding why these emotions come to
  • 00:11:16
    us in the first place and then having
  • 00:11:19
    our religion tell us to seek out the
  • 00:11:21
    help needed and to seek out the people
  • 00:11:23
    of knowledge who have this information
  • 00:11:25
    is part and parcel of how you heal and
  • 00:11:28
    how you get better inshallah many people
  • 00:11:31
    often feel reluctant to reach out for
  • 00:11:32
    help especially if they are deeply
  • 00:11:34
    religious how can people overcome this
  • 00:11:36
    one of the reasons people sometimes have
  • 00:11:38
    a difficulty in reaching out for mental
  • 00:11:41
    health help especially if they're a
  • 00:11:42
    person of faith is that they don't find
  • 00:11:44
    that there's this connection to their
  • 00:11:45
    faith or how to actually use their faith
  • 00:11:48
    to help themselves get better and so as
  • 00:11:50
    we said before it's important to get the
  • 00:11:53
    help needed in order to get better in
  • 00:11:55
    terms of mental health but it's also
  • 00:11:57
    important to know that your spiritual
  • 00:11:59
    being is part and parcel of the story
  • 00:12:01
    and in order to heal
  • 00:12:03
    especially if you're a person of Faith
  • 00:12:06
    your spirituality your Deen is part of
  • 00:12:09
    the healing process
  • 00:12:10
    and so to bring that into the discussion
  • 00:12:13
    with your care provider is very
  • 00:12:14
    important to be able to lean on the
  • 00:12:17
    verses of the Quran and the Hadith that
  • 00:12:19
    specifically talk about and remind you
  • 00:12:21
    that you're not going through this alone
  • 00:12:22
    that Allah is now going to burden you
  • 00:12:25
    more than you can bear and that that
  • 00:12:26
    reminds you that other or fate that
  • 00:12:29
    Allah has written these very things but
  • 00:12:31
    is also there on your side to bring you
  • 00:12:34
    through it that if he's brought you to
  • 00:12:35
    this difficulty he will bring you
  • 00:12:38
    through it insha Allah experiencing the
  • 00:12:40
    loss of a loved one can be extremely
  • 00:12:42
    traumatic how can Islam help people
  • 00:12:44
    through these situations
  • 00:12:48
    the great deal of loss and hardship in
  • 00:12:50
    his life and because he's our Exemplar
  • 00:12:52
    and who we look to whenever we are
  • 00:12:54
    dealing with anything difficult in our
  • 00:12:56
    life it's really important to understand
  • 00:12:57
    and see where it would happen in his own
  • 00:13:00
    life related to hardship and loss one of
  • 00:13:02
    the beautiful narrations
  • 00:13:04
    and also very heartbreaking and
  • 00:13:06
    difficult is the time in which the
  • 00:13:09
    prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam lost
  • 00:13:10
    his own child his son Ibrahim was in his
  • 00:13:13
    lap as he was taking his final breaths
  • 00:13:16
    and the prophet sallallahu alaihi
  • 00:13:18
    wasallam showed us how it is to be the
  • 00:13:21
    most perfect of all humans but to be
  • 00:13:23
    human nevertheless he was tearing and
  • 00:13:26
    tears were coming down his cheeks and
  • 00:13:28
    the sahaba who were standing around him
  • 00:13:29
    saw this as companions and they asked
  • 00:13:32
    him about this because they too wanted
  • 00:13:34
    to understand how do you deal with loss
  • 00:13:37
    and hardship the prophet sallallahu
  • 00:13:39
    alaihi wasallam said
  • 00:13:41
    foreign
  • 00:13:51
    but we do not say that except which
  • 00:13:55
    pleases our Lord in this narration you
  • 00:13:57
    see something very important happening
  • 00:13:59
    the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
  • 00:14:01
    is acknowledging
  • 00:14:03
    human emotion it is only natural and
  • 00:14:05
    normal at a time of loss
  • 00:14:08
    to cry to shed tears to feel sorrow like
  • 00:14:12
    he says in the heart to feel sorrow but
  • 00:14:13
    even in that there is a balance in not
  • 00:14:16
    saying that except which pleases Allah
  • 00:14:18
    and what he means by that is we don't
  • 00:14:20
    reject the khadar or faith that Allah
  • 00:14:23
    has given us we understand that this is
  • 00:14:25
    a tribulation because Allah has said he
  • 00:14:27
    will give us tribulation loss and
  • 00:14:29
    difficulty so we don't say why me how
  • 00:14:32
    come rather we accept the father or the
  • 00:14:35
    Fate Allah has given us and we work with
  • 00:14:37
    it in order to figure out how to heal
  • 00:14:40
    and get better and so when you see the
  • 00:14:42
    story of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi
  • 00:14:43
    wasallam many stories of loss in his own
  • 00:14:45
    lifetime to remember that he lost all of
  • 00:14:49
    his children except for one in his
  • 00:14:50
    lifetime that is very hard for a parent
  • 00:14:53
    to bury their own children one after
  • 00:14:56
    another this Exemplar of the Prophet
  • 00:14:58
    salallahu alaihi wasallam teaches us and
  • 00:15:00
    helps us frame our own losses and our
  • 00:15:03
    own difficulties it also reminds us that
  • 00:15:06
    we have a right
  • 00:15:07
    upon ourselves our own bodies and
  • 00:15:10
    ourselves to be able to take care of
  • 00:15:12
    ourselves during times of hardship and
  • 00:15:14
    loss there is another narration that's
  • 00:15:16
    very beautiful in which two companions
  • 00:15:18
    of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi
  • 00:15:20
    wasallam
  • 00:15:22
    was very excitable
  • 00:15:25
    and he said I'm going to pray and not
  • 00:15:28
    sleep and I'm going to fast and not
  • 00:15:30
    break my fast he wanted to just worship
  • 00:15:31
    Allah and His companion friend synonym
  • 00:15:34
    said to him and reminded him
  • 00:15:37
    some beautiful words of wisdom that when
  • 00:15:39
    later the prophet salallahu alaihi
  • 00:15:41
    wasallam heard these he said man has
  • 00:15:44
    spoken the truth and what were these
  • 00:15:46
    words we know them because of the Hadith
  • 00:15:48
    narration that collects them and it says
  • 00:15:51
    I said manifest he said
  • 00:15:54
    that you have a right that your lord has
  • 00:15:57
    a right upon you
  • 00:16:00
    your body or yourself has a right upon
  • 00:16:02
    you
  • 00:16:05
    and your family has a right upon you too
  • 00:16:07
    and so when you put this in together you
  • 00:16:09
    see the Islamic understanding of taking
  • 00:16:12
    care of ourselves not going to any one
  • 00:16:14
    extreme or the other not denying our
  • 00:16:16
    emotions you see the tears of the
  • 00:16:18
    prophet and not also denying our ability
  • 00:16:20
    to get that help or blaming everything
  • 00:16:22
    on our mental illness or difficulties
  • 00:16:25
    but rather to say here is here is our
  • 00:16:28
    fate and loss and tribulation is part of
  • 00:16:31
    the story but so is healing and getting
  • 00:16:33
    better could you give us three tips from
  • 00:16:35
    our religion to protect our Mental
  • 00:16:37
    Health
  • 00:16:37
    when we look at faith-based ways to be
  • 00:16:39
    able to heal and to really have better
  • 00:16:42
    mental health going forward let's think
  • 00:16:44
    about three specific steps the first
  • 00:16:47
    let's think about the importance of
  • 00:16:50
    understanding Allah
  • 00:16:52
    and where who we are in relation to him
  • 00:16:55
    one of the beautiful narrations
  • 00:16:57
    is knowing who Allah is through his many
  • 00:17:02
    different attributes and names
  • 00:17:04
    any of these names that you hold on to
  • 00:17:06
    are going to be very important for you
  • 00:17:08
    the 99 or no more names of attributes of
  • 00:17:11
    Allah find the ones that speak to you
  • 00:17:14
    there's an important narration that says
  • 00:17:20
    I am as my servant thinks I am so find
  • 00:17:25
    the attributes of Allah that speak to
  • 00:17:28
    you when people think about Allah if
  • 00:17:30
    they only think about
  • 00:17:33
    Hellfire or Vengeance they are losing
  • 00:17:36
    sight of the very important aspects of
  • 00:17:38
    Allah the names that he calls himself
  • 00:17:42
    the most merciful the most compassionate
  • 00:17:45
    when you think about names of Allah that
  • 00:17:48
    remind you of how it is that you're able
  • 00:17:51
    to get through any of the difficulties
  • 00:17:53
    hold on to those because that is going
  • 00:17:56
    to really help you through your
  • 00:17:57
    struggles number two
  • 00:18:00
    robot having acceptance of the decree of
  • 00:18:04
    Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala here too we
  • 00:18:06
    find important narrations where the
  • 00:18:08
    Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam is
  • 00:18:10
    teaching us that Allah has already
  • 00:18:12
    predetermined for us our life yet we
  • 00:18:15
    have to we don't know what that is and
  • 00:18:17
    so we strive and struggle to be able to
  • 00:18:19
    do our very best and it's very important
  • 00:18:22
    this narration where the Prophet teaches
  • 00:18:24
    us
  • 00:18:25
    that of all the people of the world were
  • 00:18:28
    together to harm us they cannot except
  • 00:18:31
    by the will of Allah and if all the
  • 00:18:33
    people of the world were together to
  • 00:18:35
    hurt to help us they also cannot accept
  • 00:18:38
    by the will of Allah the Pens have been
  • 00:18:42
    lifted and the ink has dried when you
  • 00:18:44
    think about it from that perspective it
  • 00:18:47
    doesn't matter if that person in your
  • 00:18:48
    life or that boss or that neighbor or
  • 00:18:51
    whoever it may be that's giving you a
  • 00:18:53
    hard time it does not matter who they
  • 00:18:55
    are exactly because ultimately Allah is
  • 00:18:58
    greater than them and every person who
  • 00:19:00
    is has a around a person like a pharaoh
  • 00:19:03
    like who's so difficult there is Allah
  • 00:19:06
    above them and so when you put things
  • 00:19:08
    into perspective it shrinks down our
  • 00:19:10
    anxieties and troubles back to real size
  • 00:19:13
    and that is really important because you
  • 00:19:16
    realize that no one can harm you except
  • 00:19:18
    by Allah's decree and if it happens it
  • 00:19:21
    was written and if he brought you
  • 00:19:22
    through the struggle he'll bring you
  • 00:19:24
    through it as well and if good is coming
  • 00:19:26
    to you it's also coming to you from
  • 00:19:28
    Allah in addition to your own good works
  • 00:19:31
    as well
  • 00:19:34
    nothing will befall us except that which
  • 00:19:37
    Allah has decreed that having that that
  • 00:19:40
    contentment that knowledge is going to
  • 00:19:42
    help you through and thirdly
  • 00:19:44
    Helm or forbearance this ability to know
  • 00:19:48
    that all of the difficulties that have
  • 00:19:50
    come your way not only were decreed and
  • 00:19:52
    you have the acceptance of that not only
  • 00:19:55
    were they ones that are part of your
  • 00:19:57
    journey and struggle but having the
  • 00:19:59
    forbearance to to deal with that and to
  • 00:20:02
    go through life knowing that you're not
  • 00:20:04
    alone to remind yourself
  • 00:20:06
    that Allah will never give you more than
  • 00:20:09
    you can bear he will never test you more
  • 00:20:11
    than you can bear or burden you more
  • 00:20:13
    than you can bear and so with that
  • 00:20:15
    you're able to say if Allah brought this
  • 00:20:17
    to me he's going to bring me through it
  • 00:20:20
    on the other end and having the
  • 00:20:21
    forbearance to be able to push through
  • 00:20:23
    becomes part and parcel of your healing
  • 00:20:26
    Journey insha Allah what should a person
  • 00:20:28
    do if they have friends or family that
  • 00:20:30
    are struggling with mental health issues
  • 00:20:32
    being a friend or family member to a
  • 00:20:34
    loved one who is struggling with mental
  • 00:20:36
    health conditions is very difficult
  • 00:20:38
    oftentimes there is a certain level of
  • 00:20:40
    Taxation on wanting that loved one to
  • 00:20:43
    get better and seeing them go through
  • 00:20:45
    difficulties sometimes it's even more
  • 00:20:47
    difficult because our loved one is not
  • 00:20:49
    willing to get the help they need and
  • 00:20:51
    we're seeing them struggle how do we
  • 00:20:53
    help them this is such an important
  • 00:20:55
    question because part of the story as a
  • 00:20:58
    Believer as a movement as a Muslim is
  • 00:21:00
    actually that push to get help whether
  • 00:21:02
    it be physical or mental health
  • 00:21:04
    conditions we always are told to be able
  • 00:21:07
    to get help for ourselves and our loved
  • 00:21:09
    ones I remind us of the Hadith of the
  • 00:21:11
    prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam in
  • 00:21:13
    which he reminds us and says
  • 00:21:17
    seek out treatments o Servants of Allah
  • 00:21:20
    because Allah has not sent down an
  • 00:21:22
    illness except that he also sent a
  • 00:21:25
    treatment or cure and in that case we
  • 00:21:28
    are told we must be able to get that
  • 00:21:30
    help we need
  • 00:21:31
    but how do you do so if your loved one
  • 00:21:33
    isn't willing I remind us that one of
  • 00:21:35
    the very first rules
  • 00:21:37
    in therapy is that you cannot help
  • 00:21:40
    someone who doesn't want to be helped
  • 00:21:43
    and I know friends and family members
  • 00:21:44
    are listening to this thinking how what
  • 00:21:46
    a terrible thing to know that you can't
  • 00:21:48
    actually push someone to get that help
  • 00:21:52
    true you can't because they themselves
  • 00:21:55
    have to want that help for themselves
  • 00:21:57
    and you will burn out trying to push
  • 00:21:59
    them in that direction and they're not
  • 00:22:01
    willing but you know what you can do a
  • 00:22:03
    couple of things one you can Inspire
  • 00:22:06
    them to get help how do you do that
  • 00:22:09
    sometimes you need some extra help in
  • 00:22:11
    doing so maybe there's someone who's
  • 00:22:13
    willing that they're willing to listen
  • 00:22:15
    to I think of some of the Elders of our
  • 00:22:17
    community when a younger person is
  • 00:22:19
    speaking to them maybe it's their child
  • 00:22:20
    or someone younger they're not really
  • 00:22:22
    willing to listen but maybe when you
  • 00:22:24
    find someone who's of their same age
  • 00:22:26
    background that they will listen to that
  • 00:22:28
    they honor and respect their opinion
  • 00:22:30
    you're able to get some leverage so
  • 00:22:33
    leverage the older person who is able to
  • 00:22:35
    talk to your older family member for
  • 00:22:38
    example sometimes it's very helpful to
  • 00:22:40
    talk about Islam maybe they're
  • 00:22:42
    islamically inclined and so you bring
  • 00:22:44
    out the religious conversations related
  • 00:22:46
    to our history and our tradition of how
  • 00:22:49
    advanced we were in the understanding of
  • 00:22:51
    mental health and sex ecology and at the
  • 00:22:53
    Forefront
  • 00:22:54
    maybe they are somebody who actually
  • 00:22:57
    needs extra help because they're feeling
  • 00:22:59
    so down and depressed and unable to
  • 00:23:01
    actually take the next steps so you
  • 00:23:03
    could help in making the simple phone
  • 00:23:04
    calls over to the doctor's offices with
  • 00:23:07
    their permission to be able to get to
  • 00:23:09
    that next step and maybe you're able to
  • 00:23:11
    bridge that Gap
  • 00:23:13
    sometimes it's none of the above and
  • 00:23:15
    rather it's that they're not willing to
  • 00:23:18
    do any of these things despite your best
  • 00:23:20
    efforts so what do you do
  • 00:23:22
    what you do is you get help for yourself
  • 00:23:26
    at the end of the day you're willing and
  • 00:23:28
    wanting to get that person help so you
  • 00:23:30
    should be willing to want to get help
  • 00:23:31
    for yourself why do we say this because
  • 00:23:34
    a loved one and a family member goes
  • 00:23:36
    through a lot in carrying the illness or
  • 00:23:40
    difficulty of their loved one so get
  • 00:23:41
    help for yourself learn the techniques
  • 00:23:44
    to be able to heal and cope with the
  • 00:23:47
    difficulty that's happening in your
  • 00:23:48
    household and by doing so you very well
  • 00:23:51
    may Inspire that person to break the ice
  • 00:23:54
    and get the help that they need to
  • 00:23:55
    inshallah how can parents develop good
  • 00:23:58
    mental health practices for their young
  • 00:23:59
    children when we think about how
  • 00:24:01
    children are dealing with mental health
  • 00:24:03
    struggles it is true in fact the
  • 00:24:05
    statistics show that children and young
  • 00:24:08
    adults are actually having a more
  • 00:24:09
    difficult time with mental health
  • 00:24:11
    especially in this era that we're in now
  • 00:24:13
    we are still not fully emerged from a
  • 00:24:16
    global pandemic and when we think about
  • 00:24:17
    what that has meant in terms of mental
  • 00:24:19
    health for all people of all ages of all
  • 00:24:21
    backgrounds it's definitely been much
  • 00:24:23
    more than it ever has been before in
  • 00:24:25
    fact now we see this that's showing that
  • 00:24:27
    young adults and children are
  • 00:24:28
    experiencing mental health conditions
  • 00:24:30
    six times more than previous
  • 00:24:33
    also we're finding that if you compare
  • 00:24:36
    from 2019 right before the pandemic till
  • 00:24:39
    today that the rates of depression and
  • 00:24:41
    anxiety have nearly doubled from
  • 00:24:43
    pre-pandemic times till today so the
  • 00:24:46
    question definitely must be asked what
  • 00:24:48
    do we do to help the mental health of
  • 00:24:50
    our children the answer to that actually
  • 00:24:51
    lies in what do we do for the mental
  • 00:24:53
    health of ourselves
  • 00:24:55
    it's very important to know that
  • 00:24:57
    children model
  • 00:24:59
    exactly what we teach them
  • 00:25:01
    and so when we ourselves are not taking
  • 00:25:03
    care of our own selves as adults how can
  • 00:25:06
    they take care of their own mental
  • 00:25:08
    health if we're not doing that same for
  • 00:25:09
    ourselves this is very important point
  • 00:25:11
    because in order to make sure that we
  • 00:25:14
    are healthy one of the prerequisites of
  • 00:25:17
    Islam one of our mahasid as Sharia one
  • 00:25:20
    of the actual foundational principles is
  • 00:25:23
    the preservation of our intellect the
  • 00:25:26
    preserving of our intellect and making
  • 00:25:28
    sure that we optimize it the
  • 00:25:30
    preservation of our body and making sure
  • 00:25:32
    that we take care of it the preservation
  • 00:25:34
    of ourselves and one of these these
  • 00:25:37
    being the foundations of Islamic
  • 00:25:38
    understandings means that it becomes an
  • 00:25:41
    obligation to do so and anything that is
  • 00:25:45
    also a prerequisite to that in and of
  • 00:25:47
    itself becomes a thought this is also
  • 00:25:49
    one of the rules in our Islamic
  • 00:25:51
    understanding so back to children and
  • 00:25:53
    how we take care of them we take care of
  • 00:25:55
    their mental health by taking care of
  • 00:25:56
    our own as well one of the Islamic
  • 00:25:58
    understandings is that you can't give
  • 00:25:59
    what you don't have
  • 00:26:04
    the person who does not have something
  • 00:26:05
    cannot give it so if you are not healthy
  • 00:26:07
    and well how do we expect those who are
  • 00:26:10
    in our care
  • 00:26:11
    to be healthy and well today I find that
  • 00:26:13
    many young people are actually
  • 00:26:15
    interested in getting mental health help
  • 00:26:17
    and care they actually are interested in
  • 00:26:18
    seeking out therapy they know that
  • 00:26:20
    something is not quite right and now the
  • 00:26:22
    discussion on Mental Health nationally
  • 00:26:24
    globally is really increased quite a bit
  • 00:26:27
    it's becoming less stigmatized yet when
  • 00:26:30
    they go to their families or go to their
  • 00:26:32
    parents oftentimes that becomes the big
  • 00:26:34
    barrier the family says no no no what is
  • 00:26:37
    this therapy that you are talking about
  • 00:26:38
    what is this need for mental health and
  • 00:26:41
    so not only is that adult in that
  • 00:26:43
    child's life or that young adult's life
  • 00:26:45
    taking care of themselves they're also
  • 00:26:46
    becoming a barrier for the younger
  • 00:26:48
    person to get that help and so I go back
  • 00:26:51
    to the point I made earlier in order to
  • 00:26:53
    take care of our health children's
  • 00:26:54
    mental well-being we need to take care
  • 00:26:56
    of our own mental well-being and to make
  • 00:26:58
    sure that we're not standing in the way
  • 00:27:00
    of their ability to heal nor are we
  • 00:27:03
    standing in our the path of our own self
  • 00:27:05
    in healing and to know that this journey
  • 00:27:07
    of healing is actually one that is
  • 00:27:09
    absolutely Islamic in its Origins
  • 00:27:11
    because of the foundational Islamic
  • 00:27:13
    principles on preserving the mental
  • 00:27:16
    intellect and preserving our bodies and
  • 00:27:18
    our health
  • 00:27:19
    if you look at it from the core Islamic
  • 00:27:21
    value realize that this is part and
  • 00:27:23
    parcel of our tradition
Etiquetas
  • Mental Health
  • Therapy
  • Islam
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  • Emotions
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  • Dr. Rania Awad
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