Anxiety Therapy

Is Anxiety Affecting Your Emotional And Spiritual Wellbeing?

Are you struggling with persistent worries that you just can’t shake? Has anxiety caused you to isolate yourself from your friends, family, or community? Have you lost the motivation to engage in the religious practices that were once so grounding?

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Everyone experiences anxiety occasionally, but severe anxiety can interfere with every area of your life. You might be having trouble managing your responsibilities at work or in school, and your relationships may feel strained and tense. Sometimes, your symptoms might become so severe that you experience headaches, chest pains, or stomach aches. Anxiety can make it hard to live out the values you desperately want to embody.

Anxiety Can Make It Harder To Practise Your Faith

You desperately want to have tawakkul and trust in Allah’s plan for your life, but you’re so anxious about the future that it’s hard to believe that good things are in store for you. Sometimes, you even find yourself worrying about the next life. You may feel alone within your community and experience guilt for being anxious.

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Anxiety might be making it harder to engage in the practices you hold dear. Perhaps you’ve been trying to keep up praying five times each day. Yet every time you attempt to pray, you question whether or not you’re doing it for the right reasons, and maybe you’ve even stopped praying as a result. Maybe you’re just so tired and exhausted from the anxiety that you can’t gather the energy to pray and start to question your belief altogether. These confusing thoughts can leave you doubting your intentions and sincerity.

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Thankfully, you can learn how to manage your anxiety symptoms without minimising the importance of your faith. Through therapy with a Muslim counsellor who understands your religious background, you can untangle the roots of your anxiety and cultivate inner peace.

You Are Not Alone In Your Struggles With Anxiety

From time to time, everyone deals with mild anxiety, but sometimes, these worries become overwhelming. People who live with clinical anxiety may have trouble forming healthy relationships, upholding their commitments in the workplace, or even carrying out basic errands. Those who experience racism or xenophobia may also encounter unique obstacles that make them more susceptible to anxiety while facing barriers to accessing treatment.

Muslim Canadians Face Unique Obstacles

In Canada, Muslims may deal with cultural tensions that can exacerbate anxiety. They might have trouble navigating the tensions between their faith, ethnic background, and secular Canadian society. It can be difficult to practise your faith while fearing discrimination or Islamaphobic backlash. Furthermore, some Muslims internalise harmful colonial narratives and feel like they must prove that they’re “worthy” of living in Canada.

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Muslims seeking support for anxiety might turn to a therapist, only to find that they don’t understand the specific challenges they face or understand their worldview and belief system. For example, some therapists might encourage a Muslim client to end relationships with relatives by setting strict boundaries—yet this recommendation could feel unworkable for someone who is concerned with maintaining ties of kinship. A Muslim woman may worry that wearing a hijab at work could hold her back from being promoted, but it can be hard to seek advice from a therapist who lacks firsthand experience with these challenges. At the same time, it’s not always easy to turn to your faith community for guidance due to stigma.

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Perhaps you feel like your anxiety might be rooted in an attachment to the worldly life, and you’re ready to reconnect with your true purpose. If you want to seek help from someone who understands your way of life, working with a Muslim therapist will allow you to integrate your faith into the healing journey.

Therapy Can Help You Find Relief From Anxiety

It’s normal to feel a bit nervous about working with a therapist. Ruh Care is an online therapy platform allowing you to connect with a Muslim counsellor from the comfort of your own home. You’ll be able to share your thoughts and feelings in a nonjudgmental environment with a professional who is familiar with your faith. Working together with your therapist, you may choose to explore different Islamic approaches and teachings to support your well-being and address your anxiety. 

What To Expect In Therapy For Anxiety

During your first session, you’ll have the opportunity to share why you decided to start therapy, when your anxiety symptoms started, and what you hope to achieve through counselling. Your therapist will also ask about Islam’s role in your life, and how you would like your faith and culture integrated into sessions. 

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If you’ve ever felt like mental health struggles such as anxiety were ignored or criticised in your family or community, it may be hard to open up in counselling. Your therapist will take the time to explore anxiety through an Islamic lens, drawing on examples from the Quran and Sunnah to illustrate why anxiety is not a sin and help you let go of any lingering guilt.

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Rather than simply treating your symptoms, your therapist will help you identify the core issues contributing to your anxiety. You’ll examine how your symptoms influence your daily life, as well as your soul. Overall, your therapist will support you in building a meaningful life aligned with your purpose as a Muslim so that you can ultimately attain Jannah, or paradise, where there is no sorrow, sadness, or worry.

Counselling Approaches For Anxiety Therapy

Ruh Care therapists draw from various modalities, so your counsellor will develop a customised plan for you that combines different therapeutic techniques, beneficial habits, and Islamic practices with respect to your unique goals and dreams to help you reduce your anxiety and live a hope-filled life. 

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Throughout sessions, your therapist may emphasise Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) so that you can identify and fully process complex emotions rather than suppressing them. Additionally, you might benefit from person-centered approaches like narrative therapy, which can help you separate your anxiety from your core identity and develop a healthy self-image. Depending on your symptoms, your therapist might also recommend Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) charts for anxiety. Furthermore, journaling is a helpful way to track your moods, practise emotional regulation, and focus on gratitude.

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Your therapist might also recommend Islamic practices like Muraqabah (mindfulness), Tadabbur (reflection), and Tafakkur (contemplation). We offer Ruh App, which is an Islamic mindfulness app that can help you incorporate these practices into your life. By cultivating mindfulness, you can deepen your consciousness of Allah and gradually shift towards living in alignment with Islamic values. You may find that spending time in reflection and contemplating on the vastness of Allah’s creation helps you feel calm and grounded. 

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Every worry is noticed by Allah and anxiety can serve as a means of purification. Although Allah may test you with difficulties from time to time, these challenges were uniquely chosen for you, and overcoming them can elevate you. With the support of a compassionate therapist, you can learn to have faith in Allah as you heal from anxiety. As the Prophet said, "No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that." 

But You May Still Have Questions About Anxiety Therapy…

Why am I struggling to trust in Allah?

If you wish to place your trust in Allah, but your anxiety is getting in the way, know that there is nothing wrong with your heart. You’re ready to trust Allah and you just need some support to continue along this journey. We were created in the most beautiful form, yet sometimes, we all have to ask for help in order to heal parts of ourselves. A therapist can guide you in letting go of the unhelpful thoughts that don’t serve you and learning to trust Allah’s promises.

I’m worried that I’ll be judged for seeking help from a therapist.

There is no shame in admitting that you’re struggling with your mental health or contacting a therapist. In fact, mental health care is part of the Islamic tradition. Historical places of healing from the 8th century, such as Bimaristans or dar-ul shifas are still standing today, exemplifying beauty in their architecture and healing practices carried out within these spaces. You can envision a faith-based therapy practice like Ruh Care as a virtual dar-ul shifa, where you heal your mind, body, and soul.

Can therapy really help me recover from anxiety?

Perhaps you’ve been living with anxiety for a long time and worry that you’ll have these symptoms forever. Yet the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment." As Muslims, we believe that healing comes from Allah, but you do not have to walk this path on your own. Support from a therapist who understands your faith can be integral to the healing process. 

You Can Learn To Manage Your Anxiety Through Faith-Based Therapy 

You can heal from anxiety while upholding your beliefs and way of life. If you are interested in working with a Muslim therapist to overcome your anxiety and bring your life into alignment with Islamic values, we encourage you to complete our matching form to book a free 15-minute consultation with one of our counsellors.