Ustadha Sarah Sultan: Learning from the Pandemic

The Coronavirus pandemic took the world by storm and resulted in world transformations we, as human beings, could never have anticipated. This, naturally, led to a great deal of anxiety, stress and overwhelm. While these emotions are absolutely normal and a part of the human experience, Allah (swt) has given us tools through Islam to manage the toll of the uncertainty each of us continues to experience during this pandemic.

The pandemic reignited our understanding of our complete and utter reliance on Allah (swt). Allah is the Almighty, The Most Powerful and The Protector. He is the One who created the coronavirus and is more powerful than it. We rely on Allah’s protection in every moment- from the air in our lungs to the beating of our hearts. Our health is always in the Hands of Allah (swt) but the coronavirus is an intense reminder of this. Allah reminds us of this when He says, “Who has fed them, [saving them] from hunger and made them safe, [saving them] from fear.” (106:4)

Life is constantly in flux and filled with uncertainty. Change and unknowns are always imminent but we tend to imagine we are immune to unpredictability. Coronavirus is a reminder that we’re not. We didn’t know if we’d still be alive right now one week ago; there’s always a level of uncertainty in our lives despite our unawareness of this fact at times.

The heavy dose of uncertainty we are experiencing gives us an opportunity to teach ourselves to cope with this distress and accept what is outside of our control while focusing on working on what is within our control. One of the most powerful tools I work on with my clients in therapy is to help them to sit with discomfort, to tolerate distress and this the perfect opportunity to work on this. This is one of the most significant skills we can develop to allow us to cope effectively, strengthen resilience and increase our patience during times of trial and tribulation.

One of the most powerful ways to increase our ability to manage the anxiety and stress that comes with uncertainty is to shift our mindset. Here are a few practical mindset shifts to change the way you view the current pandemic:

Shift Your Mindset: