My name is Nayeemah Hussain, and I am currently in my penultimate year of my LLB degree at Queen Mary University of London. I have a passion to spread mental health awareness alongside a goal to pursue a career within the legal industry. This is mainly due to the idea of how real mental health issues are in the context of everyday life – whether you are a student, professional or not. It is so important to understand the lengths you can push yourself without reaching the brink of losing yourself completely, and in order to do so, mental health should be valued just as much as physical health.

I was diagnosed with anxiety in late 2021, and it took a lot of courage to finally confide in my GP to take the next steps to start feeling better. Although I was diagnosed recently, I have been suffering from anxiety for almost 10 years. The very earliest signs began to show after grieving the loss of my dear Grandfather. His death was so difficult to accept as I was incredibly close to him, and to this day, it is challenging to accept. The grievance journey was an ugly process, and it all started with a total loss of appetite and sleep, to losing interest in activities that brought me joy. At this point in my life, I was not aware that I had been experiencing symptoms of anxiety but during the summer of 2018, I had researched into it – which brought to my knowledge that I was suffering from anxiety. My journey with anxiety has been an unpleasant rollercoaster as a series of life events have impacted me in various ways, which explains why I advocate for anxiety and mental health awareness.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is an emotion everyone feels, it is natural and healthy to experience it throughout life events. We often feel anxious within situations that cause us to feel challenged or pressured, and examples of situations where this may be triggered include exams or interviews (very relevant examples for us law students!). However, anxiety becomes a concern when this feeling of anxiety acts as a barrier in being able to enjoy life. Once the experience of anxiety is an ongoing occurrence, it begins to feel like having to confront a constant mental battle to simply make it through the day.

Impacts of Anxiety:

The general symptoms of anxiety include an increased heart rate, tightened chest which makes it difficult to breath, restlessness, loss of sleep/appetite, nausea, panic attacks, light-headedness, and migraines. Although anxiety can lead to you feeling alienated and wanting to isolate from friends and family, it is important to remember that more than one in 20 of us suffer from an anxiety disorder, and that there are ways to improve your experience.

Unfortunately, within the BAME community, there is a stigma around mental health which often deters individuals from speaking to their families about their experience. Not only does it make it harder to battle due to the lack of validation, but it also leads to the men of our community feeling unsafe to express their mental strains. This is something that ought to be tackled so that generational barriers can be broken, and mental health is no longer a taboo subject to address. Mental health is mental health; therefore, just as your body requires medicine to fight off an illness, your mind requires therapy and attention to overcome mental illness.

Impacts on Student livelihood:

There are a range of effects anxiety can have on the life of student. Coming from a student herself, some days are way heavier than others. It can start off with finding it very difficult to concentrate or retain information because your body is constantly in a state of worry, to physically being unable to attend seminars and complete assignments on time. As aforementioned, the feeling of anxiety is a natural emotion, but where it becomes a concern is when it begins to interfere with your ability to get through the day.

Not only could anxiety impact a student’s academic journey, but also their social life. We can all collectively agree that COVID-19 ruined our educational experience with the shift it brought to online learning. I started my degree in 2021 and my first year was very unpleasant because of personal circumstances. The nature of an online learning platform caused me to struggle with making friends, and this made the experience of first year very lonely. Despite the well appreciated change back to being on campus for my second year of study, anxiety continues to control my relationships. It is a very challenging ordeal to come into terms with as it has an impact on all areas of life in one way or another. It is an incredibly draining journey when you are having to fight your own mind every second of the day.

What Helps?

As cliché as it sounds, talking helps – whether you speak to loved ones, a total stranger, or a mental health professional. However, sometimes talking is not enough, or is simply too difficult to do, so I often release my emotions through writing or creating art. These activities include expression, and it is an effective way to release all the tensions that may be too sensitive to express to someone in person. I have always found that creating art with a written extract allows me to share my thoughts on paper. It is often the essence and beauty of art, as those who tend to understand the meaning of an art piece are also likely to resonate with the struggles you are experiencing.

Most importantly, prayer is the best medicine when things feel too overwhelming. Allah tests those He loves the most, and these trials never go unnoticed in the eyes of our Lord. Every life occurrence is from The Lord, and each has its own lesson, and although it may be hard to hear sometimes, Allah tests those He loves the most. It does feel as though each struggle is everlasting, but what will it be when compared to being able to experience everlasting happiness in the eternal existence of Jannah? Reminding myself of the temporariness of this life and its dealings often brings my anxiety to ease. God calls for us to get closer to Him through the struggles he puts us through; and sometimes God rids us from things that bring us happiness to help us refocus on Him and our sole purpose in this life.  

Life is full of a cycle of waves. Sometimes we will find ourselves cornered by a frequency of high tides, where it feels like there is no escape, but relief will always be near with the remembrance of God. Although Allah teaches us to be patient with the journey, sabr is not a linear process, self-discipline can be a tough journey. I know the struggles may be heavy to bear on your shoulders, but it does not mean that you must deal with it alone. Allah never burdens a soul beyond which they can bear, and every trial will eventually reach an end. Every day is a fresh blank page awaiting a story to be illustrated, and this concludes in a book containing 365 stories. Remember that with every hardship, there is ease, and with Allah, relief will always be nearby.