Explore MorningWind!

There are times we feel marvelous. We are matchless at our jobs or academic performance. We jump on our treadmills and savor each moment. The sweetness in salah is ever so tasty. We even manage to throw that bash for our dear friends. Our managers and teachers love us. Our family and friends love us. We love the reflection in our bedroom mirrors. The scent of happiness hugs us. Life seems just right until suddenly our flourishing tropical paradise turns into a biting ice storm. We sink like rusty anchors in bleak oceans. Our bodies become lifeless rocks, unable to move from our grey mattresses. Staring at a pile of hay brings more excitement than going to work or school. Our mouths turn into black holes in outer space, devouring any food in sight. Catching the next salah seems far out of our sight. And our treadmills morph into our couches.

Then comes the surge of questions: What happened? I was fine before. I’m a good person. I’m a good Muslim. What did I do wrong? Why me?

As humans, we have a remarkable ability to experience a wide array of emotions. Many of us encounter happiness, excitement, hope, frustration, anxiety and contempt. It is normal to go through a wave of emotions. Some of us even revel in this emotional ‘swing’. But what happens when our emotions are no longer a tranquil ride through scenic hills and valleys? What happens when our moods oscillate like blazing, fiery days and pitch-black nights? We are content, productive and loving one day. And the next day we feel bitter, tired, and apathetic, maybe the next hour or even the next moment.

Many of us who experience these drastic mood swings are likely diagnosed with a mood disorder like Bipolar. Bipolar or manic depression is a medical illness that causes extreme shifts in moods, energy, and functioning. Some of us might be tested with another mood disorder like major depression which is also a serious medical illness. And unlike normal emotional experiences of sadness or loss, major depression is persistent and can significantly interfere with our thoughts, behavior, mood, activity and physical health.

While medication, therapy and a healthy lifestyle play a major in treating bipolar and major depression, we believe that as Muslims, we need to keep Islam and Allah in sharp focus. After all, who vested medication, therapy and exercise with healing powers? Allah! Too often, these mood disorders envelop us and become the center of our lives. At MorningWind, we turn our hearts towards Our Creator and follow the recurring breeze of faith in Allah. MorningWind brings a gust of cool air when we move too fast, take on too much and forget about ourselves. It also brings a warm soothing breeze when we feel lonely and frozen.

At MorningWind, each moment is better than the last! And we think that’s a sure sign of excellence. Just as each morning is a new beginning, each second here is bursting with exciting possibilities to master our emotions and grow as better people and outstanding Muslims. And like the morning wind that touches everyone in its path, the inspiration, tools and techniques here are open to us all.

MorningWind also happens to allude to my Urdu name, Saba How invigorating!

Watch my Bipolar story below to see how I am mastering Bipolar!