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3 Top tips to Combat Ramadan Burn Out

The uncomfortable grips of Ramadan burn out, have hit, we have almost reached the middle of this month, it feels like it is swimming by, and at times exhausting. It is very easy to feel motivated when something is new and fresh, but what about when it starts to become a habit? We often start the month with an almost supernatural burning fire to carry out all the spiritual tasks we have set for ourselves! What about when we have been carrying out those tasks to reach our daily spiritual goals, again, and again, and again, day, after day, after day for 15 days? How do we maintain consistency when all we want to do is sleep it off for the next week? Keeping up with daily tasks, especially when they become an obligation, feels demotivating and draining. The last thing we want is for our deeds not to be accepted because the intention wasn’t there. If you look into all the gurus, business, athletes, and finance managers, the thing they seem to always reference is setting the intention. Intention, how does that manifest? What does that look or feel like for us?

 

“Our intention creates our reality” Wayne Ryer

“an inch of movement will bring you closer to your goals than a mile of intention”- Dr Steve Maroboli.

 

We have set up a few tips for you to steer your Ramadan back on course. First, take a large inhale in and exhale out…How do you feel?

1) Mobility

Body mobility is a fantastic way to rediscover your purpose and vitality. Keeping your body, supple, and your blood flowing is a tip you hear often when you want to find optimum motivation whilst studying. A 10-minute yoga session is far more effective than a large cup of coffee in the morning. Research shows it combats stress, In 2013, researchers looked at studies spanning 619 participants who struggled with depression. They found moderate evidence that yoga was effective for providing a short-term boost. Research also suggests it reduces anxiety and combats inflammation in the body.

More than this, the feeling of inspiration normally hits when you’re feeling your best, your senses heightened, your muscles suppler and less tense, therefore welcoming of free-flowing thoughts. Logging in to just 1 session of Muay Thai can be a great way to get you back on track with your Juz a day! We often don’t even see taking care of our bodies, as a good deed, and something that will be rewarded, as a healthy body is a healthy believer. A healthy body is a revitalised mind, and even though you may have told yourself that movement in Ramadan is a no go. It is time to try this out!

2) Breathe

One of the most underrated components when it comes to the mind is breathe work, guided mediation, and breathing exercises have been proven to sharpen senses, making us more aware of the world, colours, tastes, and sounds around us. It brings us to the present, therefore, slowing down racing thoughts, and enables us to take on larger tasks. Breathing isn’t just about letting the space between your lungs fill with the air from outside, it requires focus and discipline. This leads to mindfulness, and mindfulness actually helps us to understand our thoughts and feelings more, by detaching ourselves from them, and understanding them from afar, instead of allowing them to engulf and overwhelm us. Breathing with mindfulness allows us to anchor our thoughts and breathe, and use this as a technique when negative thinking can override us.

A lot of us don’t even know, that we have lost the ability to ‘breathe properly’.  As we have gotten older, we were exposed to more stress and anxiety causing us to go into fight or flight with our breathing, we started taking shorter, sharper breaths to get by. The very fact that we are taking short, sharp breaths indicates that we are only using the top third of our lungs. It means that we are no longer using our abdomen to breathe. This can make us feel as though we are hyperventilating, the sharp breaths, therefore, leading to a poor exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide (CO2) in our bloodstream, deprives the body of these vital gasses. That major lack of Oxygen can rob our organs and muscles of proper blood flow, and the reduction in CO2 can lead to dizziness, fatigue and even insomnia.

A great guided breathing guru on Youtube to work with is Wim Hoff, his methods, although known to be quite extreme, at times, actually bring about an extreme response In the body, and a radical feeling of rejuvenation. He always mentions the importance of finding assistance when trying breathing exercises like his. Here is a mini starter pack into Wim Hoff breathing.

3) Change your environment

We know what you’re thinking, that’s pretty hard to do, when we are stuck in Quarantine. Going back to our intention is a great starting point to pulling us out of this mind standstill. Relearning your reasoning as to why you set the goal and intention, to begin with, will bring some tingling of inspiration back. But sometimes, when we get settled into a routine, it can feel like we are stuck in the mud. Nothing changes or moves especially when the intention is spiritually connected. The feeling you want to achieve perhaps has taken its time to reach you, perhaps you were looking for spiritual awakening, contentment, revitalisation, a burning motivation to read the Quran with more zeal.  When these feelings don’t hit us, we feel like it never will, our brains start to play tricks on us, and tells us half-truths about our current situation. Especially when it comes to our connection with Allah (swt) matters of the heart are very sensitive, a change in its condition, therefore, won’t occur as we plan it to, or think it will. That part is up to Allah (swt), all we can do, is our part, do the work, whatever that looks like for you, it can be daily affirmations, dhikr, a page of Quran, a spiritual video, a yoga session. The work is all you can control, the inspiration comes from Allah (swt) and know and trust that even that being delayed has some wisdom in it. Don’t let it stop you from doing the work.

Often when we feel uninspired, we take ourselves out from the place that is making us feel dull. This can look like a walk In the park and a marvel at nature. Spring is in full bloom and there is so much to look at. It can be stumbling upon new artists, or poems that elicit a new emotion, or reading new literature. When we learn something new, we are giving space in our minds for more thoughts, which reduces stagnancy and gives a boost of motivation. If you can’t physically change your environment by stepping out of it, why not change it by moving it around. Room renovation, even changing your sheets, or moving your cupboard, painting the walls, buying plants are all great ways to rediscover the love of the space you’re in.  When you’re in a happy, calm, serene, environment your thoughts will free flow into positivity and inspiration will hit, you just have to be patient.

Unknown artist, all rights credited

 

Nadiya Sultana, 26, a registered junior Doctor working in the emergency department at Wexham Park Hospital, Slough “the ups feel like you’ve conquered the highest peak; exhausted and breathless but with the clearest view whereas the downs are equally deep and obscure.

Three weeks in isolation, and a lot of us are struggling with burn out, Instagram lives, Tiktoks, Netflix, and overeating. The first few days, to a week, have felt like coming to grips with a loss, a type of grieving of sorts, trying to come to terms with the life we once knew we had, that can’t be lived anymore. David Kessler, world’s foremost expert on grief
working for a decade in a three-hospital system in LA, describes it to the Harvard Business Review, as a ‘collective anticipatory grieving’, something we have spent a few weeks coming to terms with. A global grieving of the life we once built up and had. Knowing it will never be the same. We have also seen interesting trends arise in the online space, where people from all walks of life have awoken to new hobbies, talents, and skills we didn’t know they possessed. It has been overwhelming, to say the least, we are collectively experiencing loss together, and processing it all in different ways. We have seen how when anything that isn’t man-made is left alone, it has remarkable abilities to heal. The earth is healing as our bodies fight this disease and build immunity, the smog is clearing up, the flowers and trees are
swaying and dancing, as the earth lets out a sigh of relief. It is mandatory, to wake up and journal about the things you are grateful for every day during this tough season of collective grieving and healing.

Now more than ever is a time to monitor and protect your mental health and ensure you are putting in the work when it comes to self-care of the mind, body, and spirit.  According to the Office for National Statistics, over a 12 month period, in the UK, three-quarters of registered deaths were suicide among men with over 6,507 suicides registered in the UK. Rates among under 25 s have increased in recent years, particularly 10 to 24-year-old females. With this in mind, we are committed to ensuring those who struggle with abuse, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and any other difficulty, are given a safe, fun, healthy outlet to connect with others who are in the same boat. With our online classes for men, women, youth, and children every day, weekly, everyone is given the opportunity to train with our instructors, battle loneliness, keep up their fitness goals, ensure Serotonin (the happy hormone) is circulating around the body, whilst checking in with friends, all from the comfort of your living room. During this particularly difficult time, there are still those amongst us, waking up early, staying late, clocking in shifts in the hospitals, around the clock, putting their lives at risk every day to fight the Covid 19 pandemic.

Our Heroes, in the NHS have always been on the front lines nurturing, healing, and building our nation back up. Nadiya Sultana, 26, a registered junior Doctor working in the emergency department at Wexham Park hospital, Slough said,
“the ups feel like you’ve conquered the highest peak; exhausted and breathless but with the clearest view whereas the downs are equally deep and obscure. With the pandemic the waits become longer, the staff shortage worrying, decision making cumbersome, who do we send home? Who do we admit? Who Is for full escalation? Who do we think won’t survive this? I couldn’t have foreseen the magnitude of this when it started. The helplessness caused severe anxiety”.

Heba Mimouni, 25 a Midwife at Northwick Park Hospital told us,
“Some days I cope well, and I feel ok, other days I feel stressed and anxious as the number of cases increase. It has been a wake-up call to humanity, it has brought people together Maternity care has seen changes; women are now only allowed 1 birthing partner, now that Covid 19 cases have increased, women are unable to have
anyone with them during birth, often women feel scared, anxious, and ambivalent about their pregnancies. This puts on more pressure as we have to fill the void of their loved ones, as they transition into motherhood. We don’t even know if pregnant women are more at risk from this disease, we do know that for a percentage of women, pregnancy can alter how your body handles severe viral infections. Despite the shortage of staff, we will continue to make women feel and know their inner strength, and provide the levels of care and support to each and every one of them.
There has also been new guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect us and the patients, this puts me at ease. So I know I am protecting myself and my family with these precautions.”

With all this, we felt it was time for us to give back, Safari MMA is offering 50% off on all online classes for NHS workers to gain a little bit of normalcy back to their day, and maintain strong immunity and mental wellbeing. Fatima Omrani, 25, a registered pharmacist at Guys and St Thomas in London said,

“Working in the NHS can be intense and tiring, but I always try to fit in some me-time. Especially now, with the pandemic, morale is low, and stress is high with the work load, exercise has always been essential as it keeps my mind clear and body feeling good. Even if it is one HIIT class before a nightshift, these days with the madness, I can take the time out to have a moment to improve my mental and physical health. I always share great online classes I find with my colleagues to boost morale and to do something fun together, to burn off snacks and stress”.

Heba Mimouni mentioned, “Due to the nature of my work, I have always tried to fit in fitness, I would go on weekly 5-6k runs, and make sure I keep up at the gym. Now more than ever exercising has been keeping me sane.” Nadiya Sultana too echoed, “The helplessness made me block off the news, I used this time for rehabilitation I used to go on 5k runs every week to help me escape from stress and discover new potentials within myself, now I use online classes, I turned to Yoga for grounding, in times of uncertainty a constant, to ground you so you are not blown away with uncertainty, is so important. The constant need to be productive, paired with an indefinite amount of time really works against us. Online classes are survival for us”.

From all of us at Safari to everyone at the NHS: we applaud, deeply respect, and thank you for using your hands, and risking your lives, to heal us.

 

We also offer 20% off for our in person classes across London, Milton Keynes and Birmingham.