Stress Management

Inshallah , I begin this episode with the intention that it will help me . First of all , it will help my family members and the immediate people that I'm in touch with , and everyone that comes across this message through my podcast . I also elevate my intention to include that I'm doing this only for the pleasure of Allah , inshallah .

So a single intervention can change outcomes years down the road , inshallah , and today's episode is supposed to be one of those interventions . First of all , the definition of stress , which is a state of mental and emotional strain or tension resulting from an adverse or very demanding circumstance .

Hormones that are involved in stress are cortisol , adrenaline , vasopressin there's a whole list of them and there will be a quiz at the end of the podcast , so pay attention . Dopamine , oxytocin , glucagon , testosterone , estrogen and DHEA , along with neuropeptide Y , these are some of the main stress hormones . By no means is this list exhaustive .

There's many more hormones that are at play , but out of the scope of this podcast . So first of all , let's start out with figuring out if stress is actually bad for you . There was this one endocrinologist , a physician in 1936 , hans Salié . He experimented on rats .

He injected them with cal-ovarian hormones and he found out that through a series of injections , the mice died a miserable , slow death . He noticed that with these injections the mice had significant physiologic changes that contributed to an early death .

He was fascinated by the results of this experiment , but then he decided to inject the mice with other things , and then he saw that no matter what he injected them with , the result in the physiologic change and the early death was the same . He then concluded that the stress of the injection was what was killing the mice , not the material of the injection .

This was very fascinating to him because as a practicing physician , he was also responsible for taking care of people , and he generalized these findings to human beings , saying that all sorts of stress is bad for human beings and results in early death .

He was very vocal about these findings and later we found out that he was actually compensated by the tobacco industry to say that smoking causes decrease in stress , which , of course , is not the case .

So in light of these experimental findings and the fact that human beings just don't like the experience of stress itself , the way it presents in their body , everyone just assumed that all kinds of stress was bad . But it turns out that is actually not the case .

When a stressful event happens , body goes into a fight-or-flight response and everyone can tolerate acute stress for hours , days or even weeks . This is a sympathetic response . It is not harmful . This is actually life-saving .

Imagine a life-threatening situation happening to you and you go into a stress response and you immediately flee the situation or you defend yourself . This is a life-saving response . There is nothing wrong with this type of stress . But the problem becomes when we live in this type of stress response chronically .

As a human being , our mind is capable of constant thinking and reliving the past , even forecasting worst-case scenarios for the future , worrying and constantly regenerating this stress . So essentially , we are regenerating the cascade of stress just by thought alone . This chronic stress is bad for you .

Body doesn't know the difference between an actual stressor versus an imagined stressor , but we can find solace in the fact that the past only exists in the brain , the only way your past is affecting you now is through your thoughts . So what happens ? The biochemical reaction occurs in our brain after a memory or a thought occurs .

Chemical reaction occurs in our brain after a memory or a thought occurs , which is secretion of these hormones that I mentioned to you . After the thought and the brain's biochemical reaction , an immaterial has immediately been turned into material . Meaning a thought has turned into matter . A memory has turned into chemicals as generated by the neurons of our brain .

Memory has turned into chemicals as generated by the neurons of our brain . This is a miracle in itself . This chemical signal confirms the state of your thinking , meaning , if you're having a fearful thought , you will feel a fearful emotion leading to more fearful thoughts , which turns into a loop .

Thinking creates feeling and feeling creates thinking , along with fear . There are several other recycled emotions that come with stress . There are several other recycled emotions that come with stress , including anger , suffering , hopelessness , irritability , hatred , fear , frustration , unworthiness , futility , sadness , anxiety , pain , grief , worry , guilt .

These recycled emotions is the reason why acute stress turns into chronic stress . In other words , acute stress turns into chronic stress just because of our belief that stress is bad for you . A study done on 30,000 people showed that high level of stress was associated with 43% more chances of cardiovascular events like heart attacks and other cardiac complications .

But that was not all . High levels of stress were not the only predictor of cardiac disease . It was always coupled with the belief that stress is harmful to your body . Another study with 8 years of tracking deaths through death certificates 182,000 Americans died prematurely , not from stress alone , but from the belief that stress is bad for you .

Imagine how fascinating this is . What is happening here is that a group of people identified as having a high amount of stress in their life , but among that population , the only group of people that developed heart disease were the ones that believed stress is bad for you .

The ones that believed stress is good , or stress is neutral , or stress helps them grow did not develop heart disease . They actually had the same risk of cardiovascular disease than people who reported mild stress in their life . This , to me , is just fascinating a belief causing heart disease .

But this is exactly the scientific grounding of epigenetics , which I will discuss in another podcast . So there are two possible outcomes for every stress stimulus . It's either detrimental if it's a chronic threat response , or it's beneficial if we turn it into a growth response .

Chronic threat response or it's beneficial if we turn it into a growth response , and that switch between threat and growth response depends on our mindset .

Beneficial growth response from stress is that there is a biology that is programmed for courage , bravery , social connection , creativity , resilience and growth , and hormones majorly responsible for this type of reaction are oxytocin , dhea greater than cortisol and dopamine . Again , this is just the surface .

There are multiple other complicated hormonal cascades that are at play . So what does it actually look like in a threat versus growth response ?

In a chronic fight or flight situation which starts with your life being actually on the line of there being an immediate danger , but when it starts to live through our memories over and over again , it turns into higher cortisol levels . Over time it depletes energy . It always feels fearful . You're in constant survival state .

Your decision capacity is reduced , you have poor social connection . This type of stress is harmful for your cardiovascular health and it decreases immunity . Overall , it's harmful Compared to a challenge or a growth response to stress where you understand that the danger is imaginary . There's a higher level of DHEA and oxytocin levels . It enhances energy .

You feel focused , you go into a creativity state , which some scientists call as the flow state , you have access to your decision-making capacity , you make higher social connections , it protects cardiovascular health , it increases immunity and it is beneficial over time .

Another fascinating thing to me is that both of these responses are associated with high heart rate , high perception of pressure related to the situation , high performance , high emotional stress .

And both of these responses are not associated with physiological calm , meaning you will be feeling stressed in both of these outcomes , but one is harmful to you and the other is beneficial , and the only difference between the two , like I said , is a mindset . Stress is harmful .

Mindset will have you believe that it depletes your health , it debilitates your performance and it isolates you . On the other hand , stress is enhancing . Mindset will tell you . It helps your growth , it enhances your performance and it promotes connection with your loved ones .

So how can we actually stop recycling these emotions and can we change our beliefs about stress to go from one mindset to another ? And , as usual , my very handy-dandy , trusty formula , ctfar , is at play . You understand that the result that you generate is dependent on the thoughts you create .

So the mindset about this stress are the thoughts we're having , which will then generate feelings , actions and results , depending on the thought that this stress is actually helpful for me will generate a neurochemical cascade which is beneficial , meaning you will feel energized , connected and more elevated emotions from just these thoughts alone .

In this case , body is a part of the unconscious mind , because thoughts are the language of the brain and feelings are the language of the body . They feed off of each other and together they make up the human experience which is referred to as the qalb in the Quran . Another thing that happens is that chronic stress makes us forget that we have a choice .

Chronic fight and flight response shuts down our higher thinking brain . Because what's the point of rational thinking when all you have to do is run for your life If a predator was running towards you ? You do not need your decision-making capacity , you need to get out of there .

So this is a beautiful protective design by nature that our rational brain gets shut down . Otherwise we'd be standing there thinking should I run , should I stay ? There's no time for that type of decision making in an acute stress response . But this chronic stress over time works the same way . It shuts down our prefrontal cortex .

It takes our agency away that we actually have control over our thoughts , which leads to depleting mental health . But we can reinsert our agency in a situation where there's no actual threat response . By reinserting , where is it that we have control ? And we actually only have control over our thoughts .

Let's imagine there are chronic or repeatedly mild stressors , which are a diagnosis of cancer or chronic illness , elderly parent that you might be taking care of with declining health , stress of miscarriage , death , chronic illness of a child loved one , divorce , pandemic , social media and news which present to us repeated threats .

And also other mild stressors of daily modern living which is what to pack for the kids lunches that is healthy ? You got stuck in a traffic jam and were late for the meeting again . These types of stressors accumulate over time and to regain the agency and to switch the mindset , you have to ask yourself these questions what am I making this circumstance mean ?

How can this be for me In any of these chronically stressful situations ? What is my value ? What is my goal ? How am I showing up to this situation ? These questions will help you come out of chronic stress response , because all you have to do to wake up your consciousness is be curious about where your agency lies .

This type of awakening of consciousness will help you determine if you'll make the stress stimulus detrimental or beneficial . So the real goal of stress management , which is the title of this podcast , is actually mind management through CTFAR . Also , it helps to remember in the Quran it says God does not burden any soul with more than it can bear .

This is Surah Baqarah , ayah 286 . So while being in that stressful situation , dissociate yourself from the stimulus long enough to understand that this does not break you . Any type of stressor does not break you unless your mindset is negative , because God does not burden any soul more than it can bear . And how do we know if we can bear it or not ?

Because outlook on stressor will change your outcome . Ayahs of the Quran are a belief in qadr and spirituality . Lead to a beneficial outcome and always remember stress might not be optional , but suffering is Meaning . Whatever you're making that stress mean is up to you .

And this is probably the most controversial teaching that I teach at Islamic Life Coach School , and that is that suffering is optional . You might be stressed about loss of a loved one and grieving in the situation , but you do not have to perpetuate the stress and suffering . And in this case , switching mindsets is not the same thing as toxic positivity .

I'm not telling you to look at the bright side so you don't have to feel the pain . It's not about turning everything bad into something good . It's about being curious . We are not trying to minimize the original insult . What we're saying is ask yourself is there something good in this , as you deal with the grief , stress , anxiety of a difficult situation .

Surah Ash-Shara , 94 , ayah 5 and 6 says 24 , ayah 5 and 6 says فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا , إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا . Undoubtedly , along with the hardship , there is ease . So you know life stressors are going to be there . It's not about thinking everything is positive all the time . Life is 50-50 . With hardship there will be ease .

That is promised to you in the Quran by Allah SWT and that is how the design of life works . We just perpetuate the negativity , the stress , the grief by constantly reliving it through our minds . In reality , life is just 50-50 . There is happiness for sadness . Islam is about moderation and that is the sunnah of Allah SWT .

If you came to this podcast thinking that after this you will not be feeling stressed , I'm sorry to burst your bubble . That is not how it works .

Eliminating stress is both impossible and a huge disservice , because stress is what makes you grow and I cannot advocate for you to rid of something that is good for you , and I cannot advocate for you to rid of something that is good for you . What I am advocating for is to take out the extra layers of negative emotion that you've created for yourself .

So how to actually adapt one mindset over the other

. Acknowledge when you're experiencing stress , imagine it being present through the eye of your body . Welcome it by recognizing that it is a signal to something you care about . Turn the energy of stress into refocusing on values Instead of just repeating tragedy .

Repeat the growth and healing that comes with it as well , and remember the power of and yes , you feel run down and broken and you also feel stronger and uplifted . This will increase your stress intelligence . It will help you question has this experience helped you grow spiritually , communally , individually ? Have you grown in wisdom connection ?

Has it given you any motivation ? Has it helped you gain perspective of others ? Helped you gain empathy motivation ? Has it helped you gain perspective of others ? Helped you gain empathy ? So is stress bad for you ?

The question that Hans Salier asked the endocrinologist that I presented to you in the beginning of the podcast Through his work yes , chronic stress is bad for you , but only if you don't become curious about it and , as I promised , I've given you one of the strongest mindset interventions when it comes to stress management , and you might forget this podcast , but

you can internalize the message which , inshallah , will lead you to fruitful outcomes from stress years down the road . With that , I pray that Allah SWT not place any stress or burden on us , as it was placed on the people before us . I ask Allah SWT not to test us in this world in a way which breaks our connection with Him .

I pray that the Muslim Ummah be able to turn their current tests and trials into strengths . Please keep me in your du'as I will talk to you guys next time .