Course Objectives & Outcomes

• Understand the basic concepts of stress and anxiety, personal triggers, including types, symptoms, and Islamic perspectives on emotional well-being.
• Learn and apply foundational relaxation techniques, including breathing, grounding, and muscle relaxation.
• Understand the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and stress, and identify common unhelpful thinking patterns.
• Adopt simple lifestyle habits that support stress reduction, including sleep, nutrition, movement, develop coping and resilience and time management.
• Create a personalized basic stress management plan and identify when stress and anxiety require professional help, and become aware of available support resources.

Who Can Join the Course

• Adults experiencing normal, daily-life stress (work, family, studies, finances).
• Anyone wanting to improve their coping skills, self-awareness, and resilience. Participants interested in Islamic perspectives on stress, balance, and emotional wellness.
• Students handling academic or exam pressure and working professionals dealing with workplace stress, deadlines, or burnout.
• Adults supporting family members or children and wanting to learn stress-safe habits to model in the home.

Course Lectures:

Lecture 1: Introduction to Stress and Anxiety

• What is stress and anxiety?
• Types of stress (good stress vs bad stress)
• Normal anxiety vs problematic anxiety
• Common physical and emotional signs
• Understanding Stress & Anxiety in Islam

Lecture 2: Causes & Triggers of Stress and Anxiety

• External triggers (work, family, environment)
• Internal triggers (thoughts, beliefs, feelings)
• Identifying personal stressors

Lecture 3: How Stress and Anxiety Affects the Body

• Fight–flight–freeze response
• Physical reactions (heart rate, breathing, muscles)
• Impact of long-term stress

Lecture 4: Understanding Thoughts & Emotions

• Relationship between thoughts, feelings, and stress
• Common unhelpful thoughts
• How to recognize emotional patterns

Lecture 5: Breathing & Relaxation Techniques

• Deep breathing basics
• Muscle relaxation basics
• Quick calming exercises and grounding techniques (5-4-3-2-1)

Lecture 6: Lifestyle Strategies for Stress Reduction

• Importance of sleep
• Basic healthy eating habits
• Movement/exercise for stress relief
• Basic time management

Lecture 7: Islamic Lifestyle Habits That Reduce Stress

• Moderation (Wasatiyyah) in daily life
• Importance of sleep, cleanliness, routine
• The Sunnah of balance between body and soul
• Quranic Healing (Shifa) and recitation for emotional ease

Lecture 8: Building Resilience

• Growth vs. fixed mindset
• Coping strategies
• Self-compassion
• Building supportive social connections
• Learning strength and compassion from prophetic character

Lecture 9: Creating a Basic Stress Management Plan

• Review of key tools from the course
• Choosing techniques that work for you
• When to seek help from a professional

Lecture 10: When to Seek Professional Help

• Signs stress/anxiety is becoming unmanageable
• Support options (counselors, psychologists, etc.)
• Reducing stigma