People use many different types of techniques to help with taking control of their lives, but sometimes fail to realise that two of the simplest methods are in front of them and available for free.
Prayer and Meditation. Both of these can have very personal meanings to each individual person. Especially, religion. Prayer in religion is often a spiritual practice. In Islam prayer is often used to help one keep in control of life.
Prayer
A lot of physicians accept now that healing comes from God. Often, putting Islam aside for a moment, a lot of people at the time of pain, grief etc will turn to a higher power to seek comfort and to get some kind of control in life. The Quran has been sent down to Muslims as a way of life and not as something that would be classed as a pick and choose task. Although no one can say that the Quran is a book of medicine, it is known as the book of healing. The Quran has a set of rules in it, that if followed will promote good health and healing and allow you to take control of your life in the most effective way.
The Quran states “O mankind, there has come unto you a direction from your Lord and a healing for the heart and for those who believe in guidance and mercy” (Quran 10:57)
The Quran offers healing in 3 main ways that help to regain control over one’s life:
- It has a legislative effect. We are taught to have faith in Allah (SWT) as not only the creator of everything but also as the one who sustains and protects us from all harm. This includes the benefits of fasting, praying, giving zakat, pilgrimage and most importantly believing that Allah (SWT) is one with the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) being his messenger. The Quran helps every person to have guidelines that help to control their lives in a way that is sustainable and also if you falter, you can back to the turn to the Quran at every stage. It also helps but laying out struggles by other prophets and how they overcame them which gives hope.
- The Quran provides health promoting medicinal items which are natural by nature. This can be very helpful for those who are struggling with medical conditions or even those that may feel that they are out of control due to temptations that surround them. The medicinal qualities in the Quran are also backed by the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) e.g. using honey, olives and olive oil, fresh fruits and vegetables, not eating excessively, only eating so much. Prohibiting foods that cause harm e.g. alcohol, sexual promiscuity amongst other things. Eating healthy and avoiding things that are wrong often help people to take control of their lives.
- Reciting the Quran directly itself gives you a lot of benefits, it helps to heal a person and also helps to guide them to take control of their lives by constantly providing guidance every step of the way by being constantly reminded.
Meditation
Meditation has many known benefits in helping a person to take control of one’s life. Simply practicing it for 5 minutes a day will start to show you benefits over time. Meditation has been backed by science to provide the following benefits:
- Reduces stress – this is one of the common reason’s meditation is used and is now also often promoted by physicians. Physical and mental stress releases cortisol (a stress hormone) which increases blood pressure, causes depression and many other medical conditions. By being able to meditate and to focus and redirect your thoughts whilst still being able to redirect your thoughts through meditation you are able to take control of your life. A study of 1,300 people showed that meditation can reduce stress. The effects were noticeably strong in those that had the highest level of stress.
- Emotional health – meditating promotes emotional health and helps you to take control of your life as you are able to better regulate your emotions. Two studies of 2600 people showed that mindful meditation led to a reduction in depression.
- You have a better attention span – because you are able to be aware of your surroundings and not let them effect you in meditation, your attention span becomes better. The Longer you begin to do meditation, the better you become at focusing and are able to take more control of your life. One studied showed that workers in a human resources setting were able to stay focused and do tasks for longer periods times but they were also able to remember the details of the tasks much better than those people that did not partake in meditation.
- Another amazing thing that comes from practicing meditation is that age-related memory loss may be potentially reduced. Many studies have shown that meditation increases mental alertness, quickness and also increases the memory in it self. This is a huge benefit as slowly losing your memory can be a very debilitating way of losing control of your life.
In summary, both meditation and prayer are available to help you to take control of your life without having to spend a penny. Some people find that religion and prayer helps them to regulate life whilst others find that meditation is calming and more effecting in helping them to learn to focus and keep control of their lives. She which one works for you, without trying you will never know.