6. Practice social distancing
We tend to think nothing of sharing space or bread with people who are determined to rob us of our mental health.
We all intuitively understand what it means to be around toxic people. Keep your distance from them.
Of course, sometimes we are not able to create physical, let alone psychological, distance between us and those we deem toxic, especially if they are family members.
If that is the case, then proceed with caution and prioritize your mental health over your sense of duty.
7. Find a constant in the constantly changing
One way that anxiety manifests itself is through obsessive-compulsive ritualistic thoughts or behaviors. Ritual is one way that we cope with anxiety.
For many people, engaging in ritualistic behaviors provides a sense of control and reduces anxiety.
Rituals that have no practical outcome but only a spiritual one are immune to the ups and downs of practical reality, which is why they give us a sense of security.
We need rituals in times of stress, so if you are tempted to go all OCD about something, then get fastidious about your five daily prayers.
Salat is a ritual that allows you to have a constant spiritual life in a constantly changing world.
Unlike the yoga mat, your prayer mat has a compass. Facing in the same direction each time is a very powerful metaphor for those moments when you are feeling lost.
8. Lastly, look for the light at the end of the tunnel
The hardships we choose cannot impart wisdom in the same way that the hardships we do not choose can and do.
The hardships we choose are driven by a desire for accomplishment, or, in other words, your ego.
The hardships we don’t choose dethrone our egos and knock us right off whatever high horse we are riding.
In the midst of your panic and anxiety, you may believe that God has forsaken you.
You may feel that hardships only undermine your faith, and that you will not be able to yield any spiritual blessings from them. But you don’t need to feign stoicism or spiritual growth.
You do not need to be anything but human. Everything in life is a tradeoff, and your suffering will never be in vain.
The article is from the archives.
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