Stress Can Impede Your Success!

By Sadia Masroor

In our competitive world, it is not surprising to see many young people going through a phase in their lives when they feel tired of their careers, homes, families and even their lives.

This state is typically disregarded by most of us who believe it to be just a ‘passing phase’, when in reality it is the most decisive period in one’s life that calls for awareness, proper guidance or even counseling.

To deal with stress one needs to realize the negative affects of stress that often lead to depression, thereby impacting the mental and physical health of a person. Hence, it is essential to treat the early symptoms of stress in order to avoid its repercussions later in life.

Some of the early symptoms of Stress are:

• excessive complaining

• increased irritability

• trouble getting to sleep

• the individual prefers to be alone

• heavy smoking

• less interaction with family

• indigestion, lack of appetite

• lack of concentration

Causes of Stress

Major causes of stress can be the death of a loved one, marital disputes, family disputes and separation from children, long-term illnesses, disability, abusive parents, disrespectful children, project deadlines, or even an exam.

A software professional observed: “Stress is a constant companion in our lives encompassing us the moment we grow as an individual and join the millions of others in the race to achieve the ambitious goals set up by humans in the ultramodern world.” She further added that with time we begin to accept our failures and shortcomings and prepare to live by them abandoning all efforts for improvement.

"I yell at my husband and children for an issue that turns into an ugly scene,” said a house wife. However, as time goes by, she realized that no matter how bad the situation is, the problem would only worsen by her outburst. It would have been better if she had analyzed the whole story with a realistic approach. "These kinds of outbursts during stressful times are not rare, and can occur at different stages in life. For instance, this can happen while working on a project or a presentation. No matter how hard the person works, many people still feel insecure to face the world, which sadly manifests during an important time in their career like attending an interview or making a presentation at a coveted conference," she added.

People have different approaches towards stress; therefore, we hear about a variety of consequences; some can be ‘inspiring’ and others that can be ‘pitiful’.

Dealing with Stress

Some of the youth who are under stress are often mystified and lose control of their ability to think and hence, tend to make more mistakes. These are the ones who are disorganized in their lives. They fail to value time and often relate ‘success’ and ‘failure’ to materialistic progress.

Such individuals are usually far from spiritual insight and are lacking in the fundamental nature of human consciousness. These are the people who lack faith in their creator and in the purpose of their creation.

On the other hand, people who believe they have a purpose in life perceive failures and successes as no more than a ‘test’ of their faith. While undergoing stress, such people resolve to make use of every failure as a stepping stone towards success, and thus, they patiently endure stressful phases. These are the people who put their trust in their Creator and believe that their efforts will never be lost in His sight. They have a sense of satisfaction that regardless of the outcome of their labor in this world, their hard work will be appreciated as promised by Almighty Allah who says in the Quran:

(Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you be it male or female. Ye are members, one of another.) (Aal `Imran 3:195)

The above verse acts like an anti-depressant for believers who are faced with strife in their family life or at work.

Belief in goodness will help a person remain steadfast throughout all the trials and tribulations that arise in life. It is the best practical solution for any kind of problem, either at work or in one’s personal life. Endowed with faith, a person is stirred by divine power that bestows sufficient strength to withstand the struggles of life.

A prominent youth counselor said,, “Most young people today are faced with cutthroat competition. This is further aggravated by growing stiffness among family relations owing to the deprave lifestyle which seems to have replaced even the basic moral values in most homes. This leads to a distressing atmosphere where communication between the young and the elders diminishes, causing more stress with dangerous implications. In such situations, the young and the old should be reminded of the principles that bind the believers as a family, with no room for self-interest. This will not only uplift the spirits of the youth, but will further inspire everyone to turn to faith, which is the only everlasting solution for life’s’ large and small problems.

Sadia Masrooris a freelance writer from India. She is interested in the issues related to Islamic History and Current Affairs. She is part of a group called" Jazba (spirit)" that participates directly and Indirectly in welfare programs, such as Micro finance projects for the poor, Interaction with kids at orphanages, and fund raising for the poor seeking medical aid. She also works as a graphic designer. sHe can be contacted atyouth_campaign@islamonline.net