Stress and Depression:The Results of not abiding by the Religion
mohammad
"But if anyone turns away from My reminder, his life will be a dark and
narrow one..." (Qur'an, 20:124)
When Allah desires to guide someone, He expands his breast to Islam.
When He desires to misguide someone, He makes his breast narrow and
constricted as if he were climbing up into the sky. That is how Allah
defiles those who have no faith. (Qur'an, 6:125)
The failure of irreligious people in submitting themselves to Allah
causes them to be in a constant state of ill-ease, anxiety and stress.
As a consequence, they are afflicted by various psychological illnesses
which reveal themselves in their physical selves. Their bodies wear
down more quickly, and they age rapidly and degenerate.
However, since believers are psychologically healthy, they do not fall
prey to stress, or despondence, and their bodies are ever fit and
healthy. The positive effects of their submitting to Allah, their trust
in Him and fortitude, looking for the good in all things, and accepting
what happens with the hope of His promise, are reflected in their
physical selves. This, of course, applies only to those who live by the
moral values of the Qur'an, and who truly comprehend the religion. Of
course, they may fall ill and eventually grow old, but this natural
process does not involve the psychological breakdown it does in others.
Stress and depression, regarded as the diseases of our time, not only
cause psychological harm, but also manifests themselves in various
physical defects. The common stress and depression-related problems are
some forms of mental illness, drug addiction, insomnia, skin, stomach
and blood pressure disorders, colds, migraines, a number of bone
diseases, kidney imbalances, respiratory difficulties, allergies, heart
attacks, and brain swelling. Of course, stress and depression are not
the only causes of these, but it has been scientifically proven that
the origins of problems such as these are usually psychological.
Stress, which afflicts so many, is a state of mental anxiety caused by
such feelings as fear, insecurity, overexcitement, worry and other
pressures, that damages the body's equilibrium. When people become
victims of stress, their bodies react and sound the alarm, and various
biochemical reactions in the body are initiated: The level of
adrenaline in the bloodstream rises; energy consumption and bodily
reactions reach their maximum levels; sugar, cholesterol and fatty
acids are deposited into the bloodstream; blood pressure rises and the
pulse accelerates. When glucose is sent to the brain, cholesterol
levels rise, and that all spells trouble for the body.
Because chronic stress, in particular, alters the normal functions of
the body, it can cause serious harm. Due to stress, adrenalin and
cortisol levels in the body rise to abnormal levels. Long-term
increases in cortisol levels lead to the premature appearance of
disorders such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer,
ulcers, respiratory diseases, eczema and psoriasis. The effects of high
cortisol levels may even include the killing off of brain cells. The
disorders caused by stress are described as follows in one source:
There is an important relationship between stress and the tension and
pain it gives rise to. The tension caused by stress leads to narrowing
of the arteries, disruption of the flow of blood to certain regions of
the head and a reduction in the amount of blood flowing to that region.
If a tissue is deprived of blood this leads directly to pain, because a
tense tissue on one side probably requiring greater amounts of blood
and on the other side already having insufficient blood supply
stimulates special pain receptors. At the same time substances such as
adrenaline and norepinephrine, which affect the nervous system during
stress, are secreted. These directly or indirectly increase and
accelerate the tension in the muscles. Thus pain leads to tension,
tension to anxiety, and anxiety intensifies pain.
However, one of the most detrimental effects of stress is heart
attacks. Research shows that aggressive, nervous, anxious, impatient,
competitive, hostile and irritable people have a much higher incidence
of heart attacks than people less inclined to these traits.
The reason for this is that extreme stimulation of the sympathetic
nervous system, initiated by the hypothalamus, also causes excessive
secretion of insulin, and therefore the accumulation of insulin in the
blood. This is a matter of vital importance. Because, none of the
conditions that lead to coronary heart disease play such a definitive
and harmful role as excess insulin in the blood.
Scientists have recognized that the higher the level of stress, the
more the positive effects of the red cells in the blood are weakened.
According to an experiment developed by Linda Naylor, head of the
Oxford University's technology transfer company, the negative effect of
stress levels on the immune system can now be measured.
There is a close relationship between stress and the immune system.
Physiological stress has an important effect on the immune system and
results in its deterioration. When under stress, the brain increases
production of the cortisol hormone in the body, which weakens the
immune system. To put it another way, there is a direct relationship
between the brain, the immune system and hormones. Experts in the field
state:
Studies on psychological or physical stress have revealed that at times
of intense stress there is a fall in immunity response linked to the
hormonal balance. It is known that the emergence and strength of many
illnesses including cancer is linked to stress.
In short, stress harms a human being's natural equilibrium. Constant
exposure to this abnormal condition impairs the body's health, and
leads to a wide variety of disorders. Experts classify the negative
effects of stress on the human body under the following basic
categories:
- Anxiety and Panic: A feeling that events are spiralling out of
control
- Constantly increasing perspiration
- Voice changes: Stammering, trembling speech
- Hyperactivity: Sudden explosions of energy, weak diabetic control
- Sleeping difficulty: Nightmares
- Skin diseases: Spots, acne, fever, psoriasis and eczema
- Gastrointestinal indications: Indigestion, nausea, ulcers
- Muscular tension: Grinding or locking teeth, aches in the jaw, back,
neck and shoulders
- Low intensity infections: Colds etc.
- Migraine
- Palpitations, chest pain, high blood pressure
- Kidney imbalances, holding water
- Respiratory disorders, shortness of breath
- Allergies
- Joint pains
- Dry mouth and throat
- Heart attack
- Weakening of the immune system
- Shrinkage in the brain region
- Feelings of guilt and lack of self-confidence
- Confusion, inability to analyse correctly, poor thinking ability,
weak memory
- Extreme pessimism, believing that everything is going badly
- Difficulty in moving or staying still, constant rhythm beating
- Inability to concentrate or difficulty in so doing
- Irritability, extreme sensitivity
- Irrationality
- Feelings of helplessness or hopelessness
- Loss of or increased appetite
The fact that those who fail to abide by religious moral values
experience "stress" is revealed by Allah in the Qur'an:
"But if anyone turns away from My reminder, his life will be a dark
and narrow one..." (Qur'an, 20:124)
In another verse, Allah has revealed that "... the earth became narrow
for them, for all its great breadth, and their own selves became
constricted for them and they realised that there was no refuge from
Allah except in Him..." (Qur'an, 9:118)
This "dark and narrow" life, or stress, to give it the current name, is
the outcome of non-believers' failure to abide by the moral values
imparted by faith. Today, doctors maintain that a calm and self-assured
composure are essential for protection from the effects of stress. A
calm and peaceful disposition is only possible by living according to
the Qur'an. Indeed, it has been revealed in many verses of the Qur'an
that Allah imparts "serenity" upon the believers. (Qur'an, 2:248, 9:26,
40, 48:4, 18) Our Lord's promise to the faithful has been revealed as
follows:
"Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will
give them a good life and We will recompense them according to the best
of what they did". (Qur'an, 16:97)
SOURCE:http://www.harunyahya.com/articles/32stress_depression.php
"Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the
Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the
Fire!" (The Holy Qur'an 2:201) Ameen