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Mental health is about how we think, feel and act. Just like physical health, we all have it and we need to take care of it.
Being able to understand and look after your mental health can help you feel good and get better.
This guide will help you to understand more about how to help yourself and others if needed.
If you are worried about yourself or anyone else then please contact our school pastoral support worker Ms Shabnam Parker : Pastoral@boltonislamicgirlsschool.org.uk
Alternatively there are more helpline and resources you can use available listed below.
BIGS Well-being Newsletter Term 1 is linked here.
Anxiety is an important human emotion but, in some circumstances, it can get out of hand and become a mental health problem.
A lot of different things can contribute to feelings of anxiety, including exams, relationships, a new job, a date or a big life change. It is also an emotion people frequently experience around money and not being able to meet life’s basic needs.
Anxiety is also one of the most common mental health problems people face. According to a survey carried out recently, a quarter of adults feel so anxious that it stops them from doing the things they want to do some or all of the time. Six in ten adults feel this way at least occasionally.
For more information about this and other mental health conditions see the resources linked below:
6 ways to cope if you’re feeling anxious
Stay up to date with the latest on Mental Health on social media accounts for updates on the week and other activity.
Twitter: @mentalhealth
Facebook: @mentalhealthfoundation
Instagram: @mentalhealthfoundation
LinkedIn: @mental-health-foundation
Mental health awareness week website
Muslims with mental illness may interpret mental health symptoms as a curse or punishment from God and may regard seeking psychiatric services as showing spiritual weakness. However, Islam puts great emphasis on the preservation of intellect, and clearly demarcates between competency and incompetency.
Although many people would automatically assume that they had angered Allah if they are suffering mentally or physically, this is not always the case, as from Allah suffering can also be a blessing. For example, Abu Huraira reported:
‘The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said
“If Allah wills good for someone, He afflicts him with trials.”’
Additionally, if you are going through a hard time, and begin to think you can’t make it, remember that Allah has told us in the quran:
“Allah does not require of any soul more than what it can afford.”
The Qur’an can be used as a guide to those suffering from emotional distress and aims to lead people to a meaningful quality of life. ‘There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment’ (Hadith).
The Qur’an describes human nature as prone to anxiety and fear:
“Truly, man was created anxious; when evil befalls him, fretful; when good befalls him, begrudging, except for those who perform prayer.”
(Qur’an 70:19-22)
Some practical steps to deal with negative emotions include:
❖ Give yourself and others excuses and try to understand where your thoughts or emotions might be coming from.
❖Don’t stray from the deen, stay close to Allah, remember to do a lot of dhikr and try your best to pray five times a day
❖Recall the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the difficulties he endured compared to your own.
❖Remind yourself that there are great blessings and opportunities in difficulties and suffering, and that it is God’s promise that we will be tested by things that may cause us anxiety, grief, a sense of loss.
❖Lastly, strive to remember that Allah is always with you, even if it feels like the entire world is against you.
Sayyidina Abū Dhar reports that the Messenger of Allāh وسلم عليه الله صلى said “surelyAllāh ended Sūrah al-Baqārah with two verses which He has given me from the the treasures beneath His Throne. So learn them and teach them to your woman and children because they are a blessing, recitation and a supplication.” [Ḥakīm]
Dua from Hadith
If one looks for a cure from:
“Abū Saʿid Khudrī says one day the Messenger of Allāh entered the mosque and found a man called Abū Amāma sitting there. He صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “What is the matter O Abū Amāma that I see you sitting there in the mosque when it’s not time for prayer?” he replied, “I am burdened with debts and anxieties.” Allāh’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “shall I not teach you such phrases (of supplication), when you recite them Allāh the Exalted will alleviate your anxieties and settle your debt, Say in the morning and in the evening, ‘O Allāh I seek your protection against worry and grief…’ ” [Abū Dawūd]
O Allāh, I seek Your protection from grief and sadness, from laziness, from miserliness and from cowardice, from being overcome by debt and from oppression of men.
The following organisations will offer you and your child resources and advice on how to help your child with mental health issues:
For Faith and Culturally sensitive support Muslim Youth Helpline has useful resources:
Be kind to my mind: Across Bolton there are lots of services that can help support you, your friends’ and your families’ mental health and wellbeing. Some of these services are linked here: https://www.bekindtomymind.co.uk/who-can-you-speak-to/
Kooth: Anonymous online mental health support for children and young people in Bolton aged 11 -25. It can be accessed for free on any device via www.kooth.com – simple anonymous registration. Includes 1:1 text based counselling , 24.7 messaging function, moderated forums, self-help materials and articles. Access to social media assets via https://cloud.brandmaster.com/brandcenter/en/koothplc/ https://www.kooth.com/
QWell.io: a resource available to those aged 26+:https://www.qwell.io
Mind – https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus/ or phone 0300 123 3393for support
Young minds – https://youngminds.org.uk/ –
text the Young Minds Crisis Messenger, for free 24/7 support across the UK if you are experiencing a mental health crisis. If you need urgent help text YM to 85258
Urban Outreach – Emotional Health Drop-in information
ChildLine (0800 1111) https://www.childline.org.uk/ A private and confidential service for you to talk about anything.
NSPCC (0808 800 5000) https://www.nspcc.org.uk/ The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
NHS Bolton : Parent Home-school survival toolkit
NHS Bolton : Secondary health and well-being challenges
NHS Bolton : Parent Chathealth messaging service
NHS Bolton : ChatHealth messaging service for young people
