THE KHALIFAH DIARIES Be The Best Muslimah For Allah SWT

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

What does it mean to feel overwhelmed?

We will certainly test you with a touch of fear and famine and loss of property, life, and crops. Give good news to those who patiently endure— (Al-Baqarah 2:155)

You know you’re feeling overwhelmed when you feel stuck, like you have too many things to do and you just don’t know where to start.  Or you may be going through a very hard situation and you don’t know how to cope with it, it makes you feel like you have nowhere to go.

You just need a way to cope with stress in Islam.

Being overwhelmed is just a part of life that every single one of us will definitely go through. You don’t need to be afraid of it because Islam has all the solutions that you will ever need. Allah has told us in the Quran that He will test us with fear, hunger and loss from the things we love.

So what can we do to equip ourselves when we are feeling overwhelmed? 

Let’s find out.

What are the symptoms of feeling overwhelmed?

• Difficulty focusing and concentrating
• Low energy
• Headaches
• Stomachaches 
• Lack of interest in things you used to enjoy
• Feeling confused
• Racing thoughts
• Having a hard time with problem-solving
• Withdrawing from social interactions
• Negative emotions and worrying

Why do you feel overwhelmed?

• Too many tasks and responsibilities – you may be juggling with your professional and personal obligations, hobbies and passions.
• Life changes – you may be starting a new job, moving into a new area/country, returning to school etc.
• Traumatic events – you may be losing a loved one, being in an accident, or natural disasters.
• Fearful situations – you may fear being in a large crowd or doing public speaking.

Why do you feel overwhelmed for no reason?

Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed for no reason but this is most probably because you have accumulated bad habits that contribute to poor mental health. You feel stressed out to the point that you have lost control over your life. 

For example maybe you haven’t been taking care of yourself, lack of sleep, less social interactions and piling up on your work. It makes you feel overwhelmed.

Islam has the solution for everything including when you’re feeling overwhelmed. So here are 10 best ways to overcome the feeling of being overwhelmed in Islam.

1. Turn to Salah (Prayer)

“Indeed, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest” (Quran 13:28). 

The number one thing that you should do when you feel overwhelmed is to turn to Allah in your prayers, your Salah. Just take wudu’, take out your prayer mat, bring out your prayer clothes and start praying because that is the ultimate cure for every overwhelming feeling that you’re currently going through.

It does not matter whether it is the death of a loved one, an overflowing to do list or you just feel lost inside. Take out your prayer mat and start doing Salah because Allah says in the Quran that in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace.

That is the ultimate cure to overcome your feeling of being overwhelmed. When you make sujood or prostration, be vulnerable to your Creator and just tell Him how you feel. This is how you seek solace in prayer.

He is the One who made you. Even though Allah already knows everything that you will say, just let it out. It is part of being humble to your Creator when you acknowledge the struggles you are feeling.

There is a reason why Allah made the 5 daily Salah compulsory. He wants us to get closer to Him. He knows that this life is difficult and there are so many distractions in our everyday life. So we need to do our 5 daily prayers spreaded across the day. 

It is a way for us to get connected to Allah. It is like charging your phone. You need to charge your phone every few hours, we too need to charge ourselves back to Allah SWT, especially when you feel overwhelmed.

2. Seek Refuge in Dua (Supplication)

Allah promises in the Quran, “Call upon Me; I will respond to you” (Quran 40:60).

Dua is also a secret weapon that you can always use when you feel overwhelmed. Sometimes when you feel overwhelmed, you just don’t know where to start and you don’t know what to do. You feel stuck. That is the best time for you to turn to Allah.

Just say to Allah: ‘ya Allah I’m feeling overwhelmed and I don’t know what to do. Please help me.’ 

The best part is the more you make dua, the more you will get used to relying on Allah SWT. You will start to feel that Allah is near and He is always answering your duas.

Allah promises that He will answer every single dua that you will ever make. He will never leave you hanging without an answer even though we sometimes feel like we don’t get an answer immediately.

Sometimes you might not get the result you want but by the wisdom of Allah, He will always give you something better. So, you will gain and never lose when you make dua. Just turn to Allah because that is what all the prophets have done in the past when they face difficulties and feel overwhelmed.

Dua, or supplication, is a powerful tool in seeking help from Allah. It is very important that you keep trusting Allah in difficult times.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) reminded us that “Supplication is the essence of worship” (Tirmidhi), highlighting the significance of turning to Allah in times of need.

3. Recite Quran for Spiritual Healing

“And We send down of the Quran that is healing and mercy for the believers…” (Quran 17:82).

Sometimes when you feel overwhelmed, you just need someone to talk to, to let out all your worries and to just let it off your shoulders. The best person to go to is none other than Allah.

They say that when you go into prayer it’s like you’re talking to Allah but when you recite the Quran, it is as if Allah is talking to you because the Quran is just the words of Allah. 

It is exactly what Allah wants you to hear, so when you feel overwhelmed, try to open the Quran and see what Allah is trying to tell you.

No matter what page you open to, or Surah, just open it and read it and see how Allah can heal your feelings because Allah is the one who gave you that overwhelming feeling in the first place.

He is the best person for you to turn to and Allah said that the Quran is a healing for each and every one of us. He has every single solution to all your problems. You just need to find it and trust that no matter which path Allah leads you to after this it is the best for you. So try to recite the Quran when you feel overwhelmed.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) assured us that “The one who is proficient in the recitation of the Quran will be with the honorable and obedient scribes (angels)…” (Bukhari).

4. Reflect on the Names of Allah

“And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them” (Quran 7:180).

When you feel overwhelmed, it helps to reflect on the names of Allah. Allah has 99 names. His names will show you how He is immensely majestic, merciful and kind.

Even though there are some names that you may not understand at first, it will still help you get closer to Him. Allah is the One who gave you those overwhelming feelings in the first place.

You will understand why Allah wants you to go through these difficult situations in your life and when you know that Allah is always there for you, you will find immense comfort in that because Allah never leaves His servants when they call Him.

Understanding the Names of Allah can provide us with immense comfort and strength. It gives you that emotional resilience you need that only Islam and Allah can provide.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us that “Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred minus one, whoever believes in their meanings and acts accordingly, will enter Paradise” (Bukhari).

5. Perform Istighfar (Seeking Forgiveness)

“And seek forgiveness of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful” (Quran 73:20).

Performing istighfar when you’re feeling overwhelmed is very good. It means that you are seeking forgiveness from Allah for things that you may not even realize that you did wrong.

That shows humility and how humble you are towards your Creator. Sometimes Allah puts us in situations that are challenging and a little out of our control so that we may realize that we are weak. 

Therefore, we humble ourselves and remember to turn back to Him in repentance.

As human beings, it is very easy for us to forget that we are weak and always in need of Allah’s help in our everyday life even for things as simple as tying your shoes all the way to taking care of our children, husband, everyday house chores and so on. 

We have been doing these things for the longest time every single day but when Allah gives us that feeling of being overwhelmed, it humbles us and forces us to our knees. We suddenly realize that we are so much in need of Allah’s assistance.

Seeking forgiveness from Allah is key to finding peace of mind. It helps you find peace in challenging times.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever seeks forgiveness for the believing men and believing women, Allah will write for him a good deed for each believing man and believing woman” (Tabarani).

6. Connect with Nature to Rejuvenate

When you feel overwhelmed in life, it helps to reconnect yourself to nature so that you can rejuvenate. Spending time in nature can be incredibly rejuvenating for the soul.

Allah’s creations remind us of His greatness and provide us with tranquility. 

Allah describes in the Quran, 

“And within the land are neighboring plots and gardens of grapevines and crops and palm trees, [growing] several from a root or otherwise, watered with one water; but We make some of them exceed others in [quality of] fruit” (Quran 13:4). 

If you have a garden, go out to your garden, take a deep breath and smell the flowers and trees and try to let go of your stresses for a while. You need to find the time to balance between faith and stress management.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) emphasized the importance of caring for the environment, stating, “Whoever plants a tree and diligently looks after it until it matures and bears fruit is rewarded…” (Ahmad).

7. Reach Out for Social Support

“The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers” (Quran 49:10). 

Another way for you to overcome this feeling of being overwhelmed is to reach out for social support. Try to find friends and other fellow Muslims who can help you find comfort and guidance.

Sometimes we cannot solve our own problems because we have developed our own limited thinking or limiting beliefs that prevent us from finding the right solution. So it helps to get other people’s input and advice to overcome your feeling of being overwhelmed. 

When you feel overwhelmed, it means that you are stuck in your own thinking and you cannot find a way out of your situation. So staying in your same pattern of thinking will not help you move forward.

You need someone to help pull you out of your situation and that is where social support comes in. You might be surprised how just a simple phone call with a friend or someone wise can help you get out of your feelings of being overwhelmed.

Seeking support from fellow Muslims can provide us with comfort and guidance. The right friends will remind you on how to have patience and perseverance in Islam.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) likened believers to a strong building, stating, “A believer to another believer is like a building whose different parts enforce each other” (Bukhari).

8. Engage in Physical Exercise

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) emphasized the importance of strength, saying, “A strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than a weak believer…” (Muslim).

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, you may think that the last thing you want to do is to exercise. But you might be surprised that one of the best things you can do is to actually start exercising.

When you are feeling overwhelmed, you are stuck in your own emotions, which inhibits your mental clarity. It prevents you from finding the right solution to your situation.

Exercise will help you change your physiological and emotional state. You will gain more mental clarity. We all know that during and after an exercise, our body releases dopamine and oxytocin which are the happy and productive hormones. So we feel happier after an exercise. 

On top of that, maintaining physical well-being is integral to our overall health. 

9. Practice Mindfulness and Gratitude

“So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me” (Quran 2:152). 

One of the biggest reasons why we feel overwhelmed is because we are not present in the moment and mindful of our situation. We may be thinking of the past or the future and we forget what is happening in front of us. 

So when you’re feeling overwhelmed, it helps to first practice mindfulness. Try to get a good grasp of what is actually happening in front of you. Look at the object in front of you and try to focus on it, feel and touch the object with your hand, take it and ponder on it for a moment. It brings your focus back to the present moment.

There is a reason why you are facing this overwhelming feeling in this moment, and in this place at this particular time. There is wisdom behind everything. Allah put you here for a reason. Find the lessons in it and try to look at the situation for what it is and not dwell on the past or be worried about the future. 

When you have brought your focus to the present moment, be grateful for it. Be grateful for the fact that you are still breathing, pumping air in and out of your lungs. Be grateful for the fact that you are still alive and well.

Incorporating mindfulness and gratitude into our daily lives can bring about a sense of peace and contentment. It gives us spiritual healing in Islam.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) urged us to count our blessings, saying, “Look to those below you and do not look to those above you, as it is more suitable that you should not consider as less the blessing of Allah” (Muslim).

10. Embrace the Power of Patience

Sabr (patience) is a beautiful characteristic of a Muslim.

Allah promises, “And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allah]” (Quran 2:45). 

Here are 3 different categories of Sabr.

• Patience in obeying Allah (SWT) (Sabr ‘ala al-ta’a) …
• Patience in abstaining from the forbidden (Sabr ‘an al-ma’siyyah) …
• Patience in the face of adversity (Sabr ‘ala al-ibtila)

Some of the ways you can practice sabr is…

• Don’t complain about your situation
• Ask Allah to give you sabr
• Continue to be grateful for everything
• Engage in Zikr
• Remember that ‘this too shall pass’
• Help others who are in a more difficult situation than yours
• Ask yourself ‘what can I learn here?’

In the face of adversity, patience is a powerful tool you need to harness to gain tranquility. 

By embodying patience in the face of overwhelming challenges, we affirm our trust in Allah’s divine wisdom, knowing that steadfast perseverance leads to eventual ease and relief.

Conclusion

“So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief. Verily, with every difficulty there is relief.” (Al-Inshirah 94:5-6)

Feeling overwhelmed is a very natural part of life and as Muslims Allah gave us specific guidance from the Quran so that we can take the right steps to continue moving towards Allah when we are feeling overwhelmed. 

We shouldn’t be afraid of this feeling as it is very natural. Instead, we should overcome hardships with iman and faith. 

Try to turn back to Allah in your Salah, Quran recitation and reflecting on Allah’s names. That will help you find the most peace and the right solutions to all your problems.

In the end, we are all in this Dunya to seek Allah’s pleasure. When you are feeling overwhelmed, it just means that Allah is trying to use the situation to pull us closer to Him. He misses us.

Find the relief in your situation. Do not let the situation weigh you down because Allah is always with you, looking after you and taking care of your affairs. 

With the help of Allah, we can find peace and solace in even the most trying times. May Allah grant us strength and ease in our struggles, and may these practices bring us closer to Him. Ameen.

Love & Salam,

Aimi

Any good from this article is from Allah and any evil is from the shaytaan and me. May Allah forgive our shortcomings in practicing His deen.

Wa billahi tawfeeq wa hidayah

(All successes come from Allah and His guidance).