Who Else Wants a Cooler Mind?

We could all use a mind full of serenity where we feel harmonious. Saying that is easier than actually doing it. But that’s all about to change! Why? Because here are 3 fabulously simple techniques you can use now to watch your thoughts pass like fluffy cotton clouds.  Take shelter under the following 3 journaling tips so you’re not shot by recurring thoughts as if they were cruel thunder bolts.

1. Dump your thoughts
Sometimes, our mind is overwhelmed with too many preoccupations and anxious thoughts. Maybe there are even thoughts of the past looping over and over again in our mind, like a horrendous movie. The best thing to do is to grab our journal and start brain vomiting. Purge your brain of all the thoughts flying in your head and simply dump them as yesterday’s garbage. Feel free to jot down anything and everything. Never mind the punctuation and grammar. Soon you’ll feel mastery over your thoughts because they’re not scattered everywhere. Then your mind is simply another organ in your peaceful body as you clear the cobwebs i.e. thoughts and begin writing from your heart. And what a sweet experience that is!

2. The Shovel Pen
When you have an annoying bug picking at your brain but you just can’t figure out what to do with it, grab your favorite pen. Imagine the pen is a shovel and the smooth and open pages as your terrain. Begin digging with your pen by first writing at the top of your page: “What is bothering me?” Set in motion your creative juices and write freely as you get closer to the bug. I actually see it as treasure beacuse it tells me such brilliant things about myself. Once you’re done, go one step deeper with your shovel pen by writing “What is REALLY bothering me” and then answering it. At this point you might think that you’ve reached the truth, but there is a deeper truth buried further so write “What is REALLY REALLY bothering me” and answer away. Keep doing this until you feel you’ve reached the true answer. Trust your gut feeling and listen to your heart. It’s wiser than we think.

3. Start the L.I.E.
This tip is excellent for people who want instant gratification. So start L.I.E.ing in your journal This marvelous journaling tip comes from master coach Muhammad Alshareef. It’s best to do this before sleeping. The rush of gratitude, confidence and pleasure you’ll feel as a result is exhilarating. Begin by writing the letter “L” and then note down 3 things that you Learned today. Next, write an “I” and beside it, scribble 3 things you Improved on today. Lastly, put an “E” and then quickly jot down 3 things you Enjoyed on this day.

Use these three tips when you feel a bit out of sorts or frustrated. Keep them handy by referring to MorningWind so you can dump unwanted thoughts, dig with your shovel pen and start L.I.E.ing to experience the cooler mind!

When do you journal? And what tips and techniques do you use when journaling?

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The Secret to Being Patient with People of Mental Illness

It’s an icy and dark Friday evening. My teeth tickle from the blazing cold as I exit the noisy train station. I am meeting my family at Tehran by six o’clock. I’m hoping they’ll arrive in time at the Iranian restaurant. I glance at my ipod. It reads 6:09pm. I continue walking under the shimmering blanket of stars towards the eating place while hearing the heavy snow crunch beneath my stiff boots. I reach Tehran and peek inside the dimly lit dining hall. Soothing candle light hugs the burgundy chairs and chocolate tables. White plates of saffron rice elegantly arrive at tables as people sip green tea with mint. But my family is no where in sight. It’s 6:22pm now. I stand outside the restaurant hoping to spot my mom’s black Toyota. My eye lashes now have frost and my toes feel like heavy ice cube. I reach into my bag to pull out my gloves when I spot a blue book with tree branches and a full moon. The book cover resembles the majestic moon and naked trees I stand under. I quickly pull out the thin paperback. It reads “Patience and Gratitude” Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. My heart smiles with bewilderment.

For the next hour, I sit in a small nearby café and devour the book with a cozy cup of chamomile tea. My family finally arrives and I feel very little need to bombard them with question because Allah sent al-Jawziyyah’s book to my rescue.

Sometimes, I wish life could be more clear like that Friday night at Tehran. On that day, I was stuck in the cold and just at that right moment, a book detailing the varying degrees of patience appeared and showed me the simple steps I can take to strengthen patience. Indeed, it was from God, as is everything else.

But it’s challenging to always find a strong umbrella to take shelter under when we’re caught amongst heavy stones of rain. In fact, in many tense moments, we don’t have a team of coaches rushing to help us. Nor can we flip open books by the great and learn expert techniques. No. Life is not like that. To withstand storms and come out as better people, we need to equip ourselves with the right tools beforehand. We need to prepare for the adventure before it happens. And a big part of the preparation involves learning the art of patience. Patience is the strongest arsenal against any attack. But that patience needs to be complimented with intelligent action. So first, we’ll discover what patience is and then learn to put it in action when it comes to dealing with people of a mental illness.

Firstly, there are different types and degrees of patience. The two main types of patience are physical and psychological. And these two types can be practiced voluntarily and involuntarily. In his book “Patience and Gratitude”, Imam Ibn Qayyim outlines the four types of patience as the following:

1. Physical patience by choice, such as doing hard labour willingly.
2. Physical patience without choice, such as patiently bearing illness, beatings and extremes of heat and cold.
3. Psychological patience by choice, such as refraining form things which both the Shari’ah and common sense say are wrong.
4. Psychological patience without choice, such as patiently bearing an enforced separation from one whom you love.

These four distinctions regarding patience are important to keep in mind because some are higher in degree than others. And here Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah says that “patience by choice is of higher status than patience without choice, as the latter is common to all people, but the former is not attainable by all. Therefore, the patience of Yusuf alayhi asalaam in disobeying the wife of the al-Aziz, and his patience in bearing the resulting punishment, is of a higher status than his patience in response to his brothers’ action, when they threw him in the well, separated him from his father and sold him as a slave. This superior, voluntary, patience is the patience of the Prophets, of Ibrahim, Musa, Nuh, ‘Isa and the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (sallahu alayhi wasalaam).”

Indeed, this patience of the Prophets is what we need to aspire to. The fruits of voluntary patience are more delicious and sweeter than involuntary. And having knowledge of this is important because knowing is the first step to practicing it.

Secondly, when we deal with someone who has a mental illness, we need to know what patience is before hand. In swimming, before I can do the front crawl, I have to know what it is and the movement it entails. Similarly once we learn about patience and what it entails, we can put it into action.

When someone is in a depression, mania episode or experiencing delusions, speaking to them logically does not work. During that moment, their judgment is impaired. That is where our patience kicks in. People at that time will say words that do not align with their character and thoughts. They will also do certain things that are out of the ordinary. This is where we get to flex our patience muscles, right from the start. Because the foolish person does what the wise does, only later. This means the foolish person also has patience but only after banging their hand and realizing that the need to have patience.

We also get to use patience when preventing triggers that could lead to an episode. Every person with a mental illness has certain triggers that can lead to an episode. Some triggers are across the board such as missing medication, sleep, alcohol and street drugs. Alhumdulillah, a lot of the things that lead to an episode or activities people engage in are not part of Islam. Thus, always strive to help your loved one build their iman, faith, and encourage them to be with the righteous. This will not only help them but also add a lot of rewards to your good deeds account.

Knowledge of patience is essential in practicing it. Imam ibn Qayyim’s book does an excellent job in explaining patience. Grab the proper tools from this book and use them when where there is a depression storm. And when the storm settles, learn the big and subtle triggers that cause an episode in cooperation with your loved one who has the illness. It’s take a while to understand what the triggers are so only patience is befitting.

And remember the epitome of patience when the Prophet peace be upon him prayed, “Oh Allah, I complain to You of my weakness and helplessness.” Complaining to people is contradictory to patience. For what can they do for us when Allah is the only one who hears the deepest and feeble tears of our hearts.