The first time I had a headache I used a technique my father used on himself: Closed my eyes, imagined a box in my head with a button and the headache inside that box. When I pressed the button the headache dissipated and evaporated. I felt the entire head feeling calm.

Strangely, this used to work but as a teenager, I moved on from the how and why and just immersed myself in life as one does at that age.

Fast forward a decade later and I had my second child. The labour, the post birth health, everything went downhill. For the longest time I didn’t know what to do. The stress of two young children in my current state was driving me insane and my body was not responding to the demands of the home and kids. Then I remembered my father’s technique and realized it was a case of telling the mind what to feel and do.

In the world of lab science, we forget there are other things at play in nature. We are skeptical about anything that has not been endorsed by a famous western scientist. As Muslims, we also look at things as if they should be endorsed by Allah and Prophet in the Quran and Hadith. There are several layers to what they endorsed and how that plays out in our lives. For example we are told in our deen to always say positive things – to stay silent if we have nothing good to say. As for lab science, my body is the lab and if what I do as experiments work then the science of what I did worked, don’t you think?

So coming back to what I did as a mother of two young children is this: Affirmations.

What are Affirmation? They are conversations you have with your self, visualizing what you are saying and instructions you are giving your body. Here is the process:

1. Find a time of day when you can get some time to yourself without noise. Shut off the phone. It can be when you are in bed at night or just before getting up in the morning.
2. Lie in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
3. Empty your mind of everything and start taking deep breaths – visualizing the pure oxygen entering your head, going into your face, into your lungs, heart, body, and covering your legs and spine. Imagine that this oxygen has to touch every part of you inside and out.
4. You start saying (quietly or loudly as you wish):

I am so calm. I feel so relaxed. I love myself and accept myself. I love this world. This world loves me. I love myself. Everyone loves me. I love my life. I am so happy. I feel pure and calm. I feel beautiful and at peace. Thank you Allah. I am so blessed. Life is so amazing! I am so healthy. I am so happy.

You can add more to this but remember to visualize your body accepting these words and each part, cell, organ feeling these emotions. Enjoy the process and do it daily until you will notice that your body starts relaxing even when you have started the first sentences.

Once you have mastered this and notice the change in mood, start using similar words with your spouse and children. Tell them how this helps you.

I am going to tell you a secret..After years of this, I can sometimes tell my body to be strong, energetic, or digest my food and I see the results instantly. Needless to say, its not a permanent fix because outside factors are always there to contaminate our minds and moods and if those factors are stronger then your affirmations might need time or outside intervention.

But its an easy habit to have and an amazing way to live! Happy Affirmations everyone!

*to purchase my book The Perfect Muslim Child please click here