You have weak imaan, work on your relationship with Allah, make Dua and you'll be fine...
...Are some great words of advice...but is it enough? What if I am on my deen, I am praying my five, I do put full trust in God, but I am still suffering with my mental health?
The truth is, we deserve more support, empathy, and understanding than being told we need to work on our deen.
We could be doing all the right things, but still suffer the impacts of trauma, anxiety, OCD, low self esteem, self harm, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, grief, loss and so many more. These are some of the very real mental illnesses muslims can and do suffer from daily, all around the world. These issues are very quick to be ignored or dismissed in various cultures, which is so damaging. We can feel unheard, unimportant, like a burden, or made to feel we are being weak or dramatic. But the internal battle can be extremely difficult and overwhelming to deal with, and this is where we start to lose ourselves.
The reality is, we need both action and trust in God to look after ourselves. We need to fulfil our prayers, trust in God's greater plan for us, as well as taking the relevant action. This could look like reflecting on your own mental health, acknowledging that you're struggling, communicating how you feel to loved ones, accessing mental health support either through therapy, communities, helplines or specific services, or taking medications if necessary.
Think about poor mental health as a physical illness. For example, you've broken a bone. You would go to the doctor for treatment and medications. Whilst making dua for your recovery. These go hand in hand for your own wellbeing. It would be unrealistic and more damaging to ignore the treatment part and solely relying on making dua. Tying your camel is essential.Therefore, accessing treatment for your mental health is imperative for your wellbeing. This is a huge taboo in certain cultures to talk about your mental health as well as accessing support for it. Let's de-stigmatise going to therapy and prioritising yourself, one at a time.
I hope this helps validate some of you who have heard lines like these growing up. Remember that speaking up about your mental health struggles is an act of bravery and resistance against the taboo that remains prevalent even today.
Take care
Nawal :)
*I recommend the podcast episode by The Digital Sisterhood: Her name is Hana. This is a difficult yet beautiful story of Hana, who was a beautiful soul inside and out, but battled with her own mental health.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/46nzWHmxsNSfjJWG7vRdhz?si=94Hub73uT-SA2j4po7eu5g&nd=1&dlsi=688772aee2254f9a
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