It’s very easy to feel overwhelmed and sometimes even hopeless when you are being tested over and over again. But what if I told you that you can turn it around! Read this article to know more.

Whether it is the coronavirus or the snowstorm in Texas, the loss of wealth and lives or the huge unpredictability of the future, everyone is experiencing anxiety, fear, and a certain amount of hopelessness. It is normal to feel overwhelmed and wonder how we can move forward.

Let me give you an analogy. Let us say that your child has a very important test/examination and you want to wake them up so they can be on time to attend the exam. You know it is an important day for your child, so you don’t hesitate to wake them up early. If your child is a deep sleeper, you know you have to kind of escalate and shake them up in order to wake them. You are going to be a bit aggressive in your technique of waking them up until they’re actually awake. You may have to jolt them or put some water on their face. You do whatever it takes to wake them up because you know how important it is.

This is exactly what is happening in the world around us. Some of us are in deep slumber. We may have been woken up by certain incidents but these incidents are not strong enough to awaken us completely. We are probably still half asleep and have gone back into our deep slumber. So, when we are dealing with unfavorable situations, remind yourself that this could be Allah’s way of waking you up from your deep slumber.

So, one of the first things you can do in dealing with hopelessness is how you interpret the situation. This really affects your attitude, your actions, and your reactions. If you interpret the situation as unfair or terrible, and even blame Allah and wonder why you are being punished, you will inadvertently get emotionally and spiritually drained. You will have no energy to move forward.

So, when you are dealing with crises, interpret it as a form of mercy. Remind yourself that these tests are sent upon us to soften our hearts and wake us up from our slumber. Too often, we get so mesmerized by the beauty of this Dunya that we fail to focus on our akhirah. These tests are designed to wake us up from our slumber and return to Allah SWT. When you focus on your difficulties as a means to get closer to Allah, you will turn your hopelessness into hopefulness.

Punishment or a test?

How do you distinguish between whether a difficulty is an act of mercy or a punishment? The first thing you have to look at is whether the test is bringing you closer to Allah? Is it making you pray more? Is it making you more grateful? If you are taking action towards them, then it’s an act of mercy. If you’re going further and further away, then it may be a form of punishment. So, if you’re drowning when a calamity strikes but you remember to hold on to Allah, you will not feel hopeless in the situation you find yourself in.

Take positive action

When you face a difficulty, you must go out of your way and take positive action to pull yourself out of your problem. You have to take the first step and try to correct the wrong. You cannot sit there and magically wait for ease to appear.

Additionally, go out of your way to help those around you, whether it is donating for a charitable organization or helping the homeless and needy, whatever it may be, try alleviating the difficulties of those around you, and you will be amazed at how easy your life becomes.

Once you do something, then you feel that you’re actually making a difference. You will then not fall into despair.

So, when a calamity strikes you, take this as an opportunity to show the best side of yourself and awaken your hearts, soften your hearts and cleanse them from any kind of disease. Let us not lose hope in Allah and interpret everything that happens in our lives as something that is good so we can learn from and grow. Purify your intention, do good to others, and sincerely strive to gain Allah’s rewards.

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