The Methods for Controlling Stress in Islam's View

Stress, or psychological pressure, which leads to tension and unhappiness in human, erupts more or less in all human beings. Accordingly, various views have presented some techniques for preventing and curing it. These can be effective in reducing or controlling stress. Islam also has presented some techniques based on its own parameters and methods of psychological education. One of the original Islamic principles for overcoming mental stresses is paying attention to monotheistic culture. In Islam, the actions and characters of monotheist persons have a certain, predefined and controllable structure; that is, all their instincts, sensual tendencies, and volitional behaviors are controllable according to the divine rules. This care and control is formed in an organized frame,using different cognitive, behavioral, and affective-spiritual methods for facing with tensions and adapting to difficulties. Thus, in the present article, we have tried to define and explain stress according to Islamic bases; then, we will study Islamic techniques for preventing and facing with stress in three sections entitled 'cognitive methods', behavioral methods', and 'affective-spiritual' method. By cognitive methods, we mean those methods pertaining to the individual's cognition, thoughts and beliefs; in the first section of the article, we have dealt with this in detail. In the second section, we will discuss the behavioral methods, practical instructions and recommendations, such as the manners of mutual interaction and their effect on facing with difficulties. The third section has been devoted to the individual's affective-spiritual methods (i.e. his worships), which is a kind of affective relationship with God and religious leaders, and leads to strengthening the possibility of facing with difficulties and solving them.