Mental Health

Oh boy , this is one of my favorite topics . Why mental health ? Is this the next big fad ? I don't think so . I think mental health is extremely important . In this episode , we're going to be answering why mental health ? In this episode , we're going to be answering why mental health ? What's so important about it ? Why the formula ?

Why CTFAR Circumstances , thoughts , feelings , action , results ? Why , at Islamic Life Coach School , we give it so much attention ? Why the self-love ? Why self-awareness ? Why have I recorded all those podcasts leading up to this point ? And I will answer all those questions .

I want to start out by saying that all the medical and mental models for mental health are based on pathology or illness , meaning . If you don't have mental illness , that qualifies for mental health . That is a very low standard that we've set up for ourselves .

It's only recently that we're gaining more momentum towards correct definitions of mental health and the way I define mental health is not through just a lack of mental illness , but it's through a sense of well-being and fulfillment .

The biggest tragedy of these times is when we push for a diagnosis when actually the person is going through a human experience , like they're exposed to the elements of life , and they're experiencing an emotion that does not translate automatically into pathology .

For example , if somebody's spouse of 60 years passes away , they enter into a grief state and that is very natural . Nobody's supposed to be happy about losing their spouse of 60 years . If somebody gets a serious or chronic illness diagnosis , then it's natural for them to feel overwhelmed and anxious about the unknown .

Problem lies when we try to provide a quick fix for these natural emotions . In my opinion , overall the medical community is very sensitive about this , and I say that because I'm not coming from a place of blame , but because I've experienced this firsthand .

There's an epidemic of over-diagnosis of mental illness and everyone searches for a quick fix with pills or other quick fix therapy modalities because they're afraid to feel the emotions the natural emotions that the situation calls for , which is completely human . It is .

Trying to avoid these natural emotions with a diagnosis or a pill is when we get into trouble Now , do not get me wrong here . I have great respect for my colleagues in the mental health fields , including your neurologists , psychiatrists , psychologists , and I've mentioned this before .

There is a time and a place for proper diagnosis and proper treatment , especially if these grief states or these anxiety states continue to propagate well beyond the boundaries of what can be considered normal human emotion . And at those times medical intervention is warranted , and not only warranted , it is absolutely needed .

Not only with grief and anxiety , but other mental health disorders like bipolar disorder , major depression , schizophrenia , personality disorders that is actually not what I'm talking about here have a general tendency to get over-diagnosis , even if it's self-over-diagnosing , because this is to seek relief from the human emotions that are negative .

And since you can place a label on it , there must be a cure for it , and that's the quick fix that everyone's looking for . And unfortunately , this is where everyone gets into trouble . Because , my friends , there is no cure , there is no quick fix for being a human and a life as it happens to you .

At this point I will introduce a concept called Life is 50-50 . This is an extremely important concept and if you can understand it completely , then it'll save you a lot of brain drama , then it'll save you a lot of brain drama .

What it basically translates into is that life is 50-50 , meaning 50% sad , 50% happy , 50% good , 50% bad , 50% negative , 50% positive . It doesn't matter what condition you're in at what point in your life . Your life will always be 50-50 . You can be a millionaire or you can be making $20,000 a year . This rule of life applies to everyone .

Doesn't matter the amount of money you have . You will always experience 50% sadness and 50% happiness . This balance of life does not disappear after you've achieved something that you've been dreaming of , like a promotion or a degree . Your life will always be 50-50 . It's not gonna get better after a divorce or after marriage . Your life is 50-50 .

Now it will be 50-50 . Then , if you can come into grips with this concept , you stop struggling and fighting against what the life has to offer you .

And that is extremely freeing , my friends , because it takes us out of the mind drama of trying to change our circumstances and helps us put our energy into gaining something productive , into adding value , into tapping into our talents and really pushing forward with life . Let me give you some examples .

Have you ever seen a very rich , very popular celebrity being sad ? Yes , you have . They overdose , they take drugs , try to numb their pain because they thought that life would be 100% happiness once they achieve all the fame and popularity . And sadly , it's not . And have we seen a person that's extremely poor and be happy at the same time ? Yes , we have .

It is a huge mistake to believe that life will become much happier , meaning the balance of 50-50 will tip towards more happiness versus sadness . Maybe your life will be 80% happy and 20% sad after you've made $100,000 in your business .

That is a huge mistake , my friends , because once you get there and you realize you can still experience sad emotions and you're not shielded from everything life has to offer , then it strikes as a huge disappointment . Then the natural question becomes if life is 50-50 now and it will be 50-50 then , then why try and achieve anything ?

I thought we were trying to work hard so we could be happy , and to that , my friend , I will offer that you should try and strive to be your best regardless , because that's what you have to offer .

Once you stop trying to fight the negative 50% of life and embrace it with all of your thoughts and all your might , you will see that the negative circumstance will seem more diminished because we've stopped trying to fight them , and I will talk more about this concept in my later podcasts .

For now , I want to come back to mental health and as it relates to life being 50-50 . For now , I want to come back to mental health and as it relates to life being 50-50 . Now , if somebody is facing a major calamity in their life , it does not mean that you should be able to face it without any negative emotion .

It also does not mean that you have a mental illness , though . Our exposure to social media and other people's lives being portrayed as 100% happy all of the time is a big culprit here . No one is happy 100% of the time , no matter what their Facebook or Instagram says .

We are always fighting to be 100% happy all of the time because we are afraid of a presumed mental health diagnosis or even a negative emotion . This , you guys , is the foundation of not being able to find your mental well-being . Find the truth in the balance of 50-50 and accept it , and you will effortlessly gain your mental well-being .

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has tests in store for everyone . We just don't know what someone else's struggles are . Allah SWT also says that everyone will have struggles , but not beyond what they're capable of handling . The formula we teach at the Islamic Life Coach School is a way to go through the 50-50 that the life has to offer .

This is the way of obtaining more authority over your mental wellness . Our mission in life is to provide insight into your mental health and utilize the formula , gaining deep insights into well-being and not just the standard of lack of mental illness . So , having said that , I'm going to offer you a very powerful statement , and think about this carefully .

All mental health is just about thoughts . Mental wellness is all and only about managing your mind . This as it holds true for individuals without a mental illness . Now , why am I suggesting that this is such a powerful statement ? Because think about it .

If mental health is all about thoughts and we can control our thoughts based on the formula , that means that we can achieve superior mental health . This is excellent news , and here at Islamic Life Coach School , we're all about great news . It is so sad that nobody ever taught us this in school .

We focus so much on taking any and all of the pain away from our loved ones , especially our children . We don't think to teach them about mind management as soon as we realize that the child is going through a negative emotion , be it bullying or about a loss . Our whole effort goes into taking the pain away from the child , and that is very natural .

But we're depriving them of developing this very , very important life skill that , if they manage their mind , they can get over the difficult time . We will fight with the teacher if they get a bad grade or if they God forbid correct the child .

We have a tendency of giving our children a smooth ride through life , even though we know we cannot control everything around them . This is really setting them up for failure and this is such a tragedy . We are fighting the same battles for our children that we are fighting for ourselves .

We are trying to run away from the negative 50% that the life has to offer instead of managing our mind around it . One clarification I want to give here is that mental health and well-being does not mean that we are happy all the time . Being able to be happy all the time is a big lie that we are fed all throughout our lives .

I know you want that for yourself , I know you want that for your children , but life has proven to you over and over again that that is not true . No one is happy 100% of the time . I'm sorry as much as we want it , it just does not happen that way .

Even the prophets saw extreme challenges in their lives the most beloved of people to Allah , subhanahu wa ta'ala and it was by design . So that we can learn from that , so we can learn that no one is spared from the 50-50 of life and we drive lessons from their lives . But what a tragedy that we forget these lessons .

So , in an effort to embrace life as it is handed to us , I offer you that you do a daily thought output . Apply the formula to your most pressing thoughts . Now , for those of you who are not familiar with the formula , I suggest that you listen to the previous podcasts . You can find the daily worksheet on islamiclifecoachschoolcom .

And with that , I pray that Allah SWT protects us from any tests in life . But if we do face one , I pray that we find the clarity to manage our minds around it and not fall into sin , because , after all , mental health is just thoughts . Please remember that and I'll talk to you next time .