بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
˹He is the One˺ Who—out of His grace—has settled us in the Home of Everlasting Stay, where we will be touched by neither fatigue nor weariness.” (Al-Fatir:35)
When you feel tired and overwhelmed, just remember that you are doing all this for Allah SWT and to get to Jannah where you will never feel tired or weary ever again for eternity.
We have all been there. The struggle of work-life balance is real. When stress and feeling of overwhelm takes over, you feel like you have so much to do yet so little time.
How are you going to get anything done?
Dear, feeling stressed and overwhelmed is a natural phenomena.
You might have too many responsibilities and things happening in your life currently making you feel out of control, stressed and maybe even develop anxiety.
It’s okay. It’s totally normal. Just take a deep breath and stop for a moment.
I know it’s hard but try to stop and realize that you’re awesome. You made it this far, right? You must be doing something right. Tap yourself on the shoulder and say ‘congratulations, you made it this far, I’m proud of you’.
It may feel awkward to encourage ourselves with uplifting words if you’re not used to it, but it’s necessary because only we have the power to change ourselves.
If we don’t do it for ourselves, who will?
Allah says…
“…Indeed, Allāh will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves….” (Ar-R’ad:11)
So let’s love and have more compassion for ourselves and stop punishing or burdening ourselves with things we cannot handle.
Here it is, 10 tips to feel better when you feel overwhelmed.
1. Have ‘Sabrun Jameel’ (Beautiful patience)
“…˹I can only endure with˺ beautiful patience. It is Allah’s help that I seek to bear your claims.” (Yusuf:18)
Patience does not mean you stay passive and not do anything.
Rather, having patience means when you can be angry, upset and get into an outrage because you are tired and overwhelmed, you remember that Allah is watching you and His promise to reward you with Jannah is greater than your anger.
So you remain calm. I know, It is super hard to do.
Let’s look at Prophet Yusuf A.S. All his life, he was bullied, and put into difficulty after difficulty when he was not guilty of any crime.
But not once did he blame Allah or got angry for all the cruel circumstances he was put in.
In the end, Allah rewarded him by giving him the position of a governor, honoured by everyone.
So you see, people who remain calm in the face of difficulty are always the winners. And when you do it sincerely to gain Allah’s pleasure, surely He will be pleased with you insyaAllah because Allah loves those who are patient.
2. Do breathing exercises
Now that you understand why you need to have beautiful patience, you need to focus on your physiological state.
Taking deep breaths will allow you to regulate your brain and think more rationally.
If we can’t think properly, we won’t be able to do anything. So take a deep breath first, relax and allow yourself to calm down.
Feeling overwhelmed has physiological symptoms. Your brain goes into overdrive mode, your palms may become sweaty and your vision hazy etc.
By taking deep breathes, you can train yourself to calm down.
2. Ask Allah for help
Your Lord has proclaimed, “Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Surely those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell, fully humbled.” (Al-Ghafir:60)
Run to Allah. When Prophet Muhammad SAW was stressed and overwhelmed, he would always do 2 rakaats of Salah to seek Allah’s help.
Do you know the story of Badr?
When the 313 Muslims found out they had to fight an army of over 1000 Quraisy in Badr, they were outnumbered by four to one and completely unprepared.
And not only that, the battle took place in Ramadhan so everyone was fasting. Can you imagine?
“Indeed, Allah made you victorious at Badr when you were ˹vastly˺ outnumbered. So be mindful of Allah, perhaps you will be grateful.” (Ali Imran:123)
On the night before battle, Rasulullah SAW kept repeating the same dua over and over pleading to Allah, raising his hands to the sky higher than ever. He said:
“O Allah! Should this group (of Muslims) be defeated today, You will no longer be worshipped.”
As Badr was the first large-scale battle in Islamic history, it was known that if this pioneer group of Muslims died in battle, there would be no more Muslims to continue spreading the words of Allah.
So what did Allah do?
˹Remember˺ when you cried out to your Lord for help, He answered, “I will reinforce you with a thousand angels—followed by many others.” (Al-Anfal: 9)
He sent down a thousand army of angels to help the Muslims fought the battle. *I’m getting goosbumps.*
And you know what, despite all the odds, Allah gave them their first victory. Allahuakbar!
So you see dear sister, if you ask Allah enough, He will help you. And He can help you in ways you never imagine. Never ever doubt Allah’s mercy for you.
He will help you find a way out for sure insyaAllah.
3. Be grateful for the little things
And ˹remember˺ when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more. But if you are ungrateful, surely My punishment is severe.’” (Ibrahim:7)
Get up, walk around and change your perspective. Focus on the little things that are happening around you.
Most times when I feel overwhelmed, it means that I was living in my own head and not noticing all the goodness that is happening around me.
Allah says…
“So, surely with hardship comes ease. Surely with ˹that˺ hardship comes ˹more˺ ease.” (Ash-Sharh: 5-6)
Not only that, but Allah repeated it twice to really emphasize that there ARE things He made easy in the face of hardship.
So let’s try to follow Allah’s commands. Focus on the good and take the time to be grateful for even the smallest things.
There is always something to be grateful for if you just notice.
4. Take a break out of your routine
When you feel consistently overwhelmed and on the brink of burn out, it may be because you do not have a healthy balance between rest, self-care and work.
It takes a toll on your body and mental health. So look back to your schedule and take out some of your responsibilities and replace it with much needed rest and self-care.
5. Read & ponder on the Quran
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “The Quran is a guide and a healing to the believers.” (Al-Fussilat:44)
I love going back to the Quran. It always gives me newfound hope and perspective. I feel like Allah always gives me the answers to my problems when I look to the Quran.
For example, I was feeling rather overwhelmed this week and when I opened the Quran, I looked at Al-Hadid:4 and Allah says…
He is the One Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days, then established Himself on the Throne. He knows whatever goes into the earth and whatever comes out of it, and whatever descends from the sky and whatever ascends into it. And He is with you wherever you are. For Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.
Allah reminded me that if He can create this entire universe in 6 days, surely He can solve all my problems in a second. Therefore, I should have nothing to fear, as long as I’m doing my best, Allah will help me.
And He knows exactly what is going on in my life even when I haven’t told Him. So I’m just going to chill, He’s got my back.
Just keep going. You are doing great too!’. 🥰
6. Go into nature
Being in nature lets you recharge. It literally renews your energy. When you use all your 5 senses to soak in the sunlight, listen to the sounds of nature and breathe fresh air, it lets you recharge and reduce stress.
That is why you always feel refreshed and lighter after having walked in nature.
It’s a gift from Allah that He gave us beautiful and astonishing nature to help us ease our minds and continue to ponder on His Greatness.
7. Talk to someone about your struggles
“…˹continue to˺ remind. For certainly reminders benefit the believers.” (Adh-Dhariyat:55)
Do you have a friend or a loved one whom you can seek support from?
Call them up or ask to meet up so you can let out your worries. We all have that one friend or loved one who is always there for us whenever we need them.
Get it off your shoulders and seek their advice on your problems. You will feel a lot lighter insyaAllah.
If you need professional help, reach out to them as soon as you can. This is one of the ways you have trust in Allah – by doing your best in seeking help and continue to rely on Allah to better your circumstances.
8. Write how you feel
Writing down how you feel can help you feel better instantly.
When you write down your feelings on paper, not only will it make you feel better but it will also allow you to discover patterns in your habits and thinking that might be causing you to feel overwhelmed.
You need to get to the root cause of it. When you have identified the source of it, you can then address it.
If you don’t know the problem, you won’t be able to find the right solution for it.
9. Make a to do list
A to-do list can be quite liberating in the sense that it helps you organize your tasks (and your mind).
After you have list down all your pending tasks, prioritize them and see which ones you can finish quickly and get done with.
Then go on with the more difficult ones. Proceed until everything on you to-do list in finished.
If you can delegate some of your tasks, that would be a smart move. Because lets face it, we can’t be doing everything ourselves. You’ve tried it and it doesn’t work, leaving you tired and overwhelmed.
So change your strategy, delegate some of it and focus on what you do best.
10. Clean, organize & change up your space
I love this. Every time I clean up and reorganize my space, I always feel like a new person.
The place you live, work and spend most of your time in reflects your mental state. If you are feeling overwhelmed, most likely your current space needs a little bit of revamping.
Try to rearrange your furnitures, redecorate the place and changing up things a bit.
You will feel more excited to tackle your day insyaAllah.
11. Take care of yourself
He is the One Who has made the night for you to rest in and the day bright. Surely in this are signs for people who listen. (Yunus:67)
How many of us are taking care of everyone else except ourselves? We always forget to sleep early, to eat healthy, to take that break when we need it (me included).
Lets make the time to take care of ourselves first. InsyaAllah we will be able to function better and be a happier person in and out.
Conclusion
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “If Allah wants to do good to somebody, He afflicts him with trials.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5645)
Feeling overwhelmed and stressed occasionally is a sign that we have taken more tasks than we can handle.
Try to slow down and find out why you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed. I hope these tips will help you overcome your feeling of being overwhelmed.
Listen to your body and try to take care of yourself first.
Much love & Salam,
Umm Maryam
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).
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