Author: Zahirah Adlind
Lessons from Spiritual Session
Topic: Slow Living in the Era of Urgency
Speaker: Amena Hussain, Trained Personal Development and Growth Coach
On paper, Amena Hussain started off in the tech industry with an agile way of working, and soon pivoted to personal development and growth. In her practice, Amena is passionate about blending islamic practices with western theories.
In our spiritual session, Amena divulged how despite being a trained coach, she struggled to keep up with fast living. Being in constant rush led her to people-pleasing which looked like saying yes to things when she really meant no, and taking on more than she can handle, leading to burnout. More worryingly, fast living lead to Amena feeling not quite as connected to God as much as she wanted to be.
“Notice areas where we are unnecessarily rushing ourselves, and look for areas of barakah in our life where we can do more for less…”
Man is constantly rushing – worrying about what’s next, living in the next moment, and having an ‘urgency mindset’, which compels us to respond immediately to a text, or take up more responsibilities than we have capacity for. This leads to an unsustainable state of overwhelm and becoming overstimulated by constant noise and distraction.
We live in a ‘hurry culture’ where we often glorify long hours, valuing productivity over other more meaningful things like building relationships and relaxing. We multitask everything and are not fully focused on the task at hand, and this manifests even in small habits such as not being able to drive or do laundry, without background distraction such as listening to a podcast. We find ourselves chasing external validation, and seeking instant gratification through next-day deliveries, or doom-scrolling on social media.
We often don’t realise that the cost of this culture is that we lose the quality of our interactions. As we are constantly distracted by the multitude of open tabs in our heads, in conversations we often listen to reply instead of listening to hear, and there is a constant desire to derive pleasure from seeking dopamine hits.
In life, it is important to have balance, and being out of balance can lead to emotional agitation in the slightest discomfort, which then leads to knowledge without action. We mindlessly consume content (for the dopamine), and become impatient with natural processes. This makes it hard for us to deal with things that are out of control or things that naturally require time, and ultimately makes us impatient with Allah’s timing, sacrificing our full trust in His knowledge, and His process.
The constant hustle culture leads to stress, disconnection to ourselves and our values, and an imbalanced nervous system and fatigue from the overstimulation and unmanageable overwhelm. As such, we should do more to slow down by being present, because being present is how we will nourish our hearts.
Surah Al-Anbya, Ayat 37
We are exactly where Allah has placed us, so why the need to rush?
“Take a moment to breathe (close all apps, tabs, and tasks in our heads), and notice our breath. Look for 5 things we can see around the room, 4 things we can touch, 3 things we can hear, 2 things we can smell, and 1 thing we can taste. Acknowledge the reason that brought us to this spiritual session (and to reading this newsletter), and realise we are here with the intention that this will benefit our spiritual learning and growth.”
Here are some Islamic practices that allow us to slow down.
- Intention – our actions will be judged by our intention, and the rat race tends to put us in cruise control where we don’t even have time to form intentions. Intention is always the first step to meaningful change as we need to understand why we do what we do, and determine if it is pleasing to Allah. Setting our intentions helps us direct attention to what is valuable, and sets us up to receive more by awakening our soul and helping us derive meaning from experiences.
- Du’a – there is a du’a for everything that we do. We always have the opportunity to make du’a, remember Allah, and slow down. For example, a dream du’a connects our values and desires with Allah, prompting us to think outside the box and engage mindfully with the du’a. Making a heartfelt du’a requires us to reflect on what we truly desire in this world and the next.
- Gratitude – There is evidence that paying attention to what we have and appreciating them makes us happier, fitter, and healthier. Practising gratitude has its social benefits and reduces stress.
Our deen encourages us to slow down, and reminds us that more is not necessarily better. Slowing down allows us to connect with God and our intentions, helping us act in ways that align with our values. Even Western self-help and psychology supports living with intention, practicing gratitude, and slow living.
There are some ways to trick your body into slowing down, like dropping your shoulders, slowing down your speech, noticing your breathing, and breathing through your nose. Other tips include going on a digital detox (which can mean different things to different people), or surrounding yourself in nature.
What small action are you doing to take as a result of this session?
SKATER UKTIS 