Are you OK today? Mindful Muslim is asking

Are you OK today? Mindful Muslim is asking | I hope your day is going great so far and in days to come too!

How healthy is your mental health at the moment? Have you ever wonder about that? And no, we're not just talking about 'crazy' as there many more other mental health issues, some that we as a society might overlook.

Remember those lines in the movies where the actors say 'just close your eyes and imagine the paradise/ somewhere happy/ where unicorns and flowers aplenty or think happy thoughts... so you'll be happy and feel loved.'

Has that ever work for you?

There were times when I felt that it was the end of the world and I don't have anyone or anywhere to look for help/ assistance and I tried imagining all those things that the actors mentioned so casually.

Nada. Nothing.

No matter how hard I tried - it seems that my trouble at that time won't budge. Not even by a speck of dust it seems to lighten at that time.

I remembered crying. Of course, I did all these alone, with no one around. Then amidst the tears, I remembered my ustaz saying these words to me:

And He found you lost and guided [you] | Surah Ad-Dhuha Ayat 7

I performed sholat and my tears dried, the problem doesn't look or feel as heavy. And days later, an aid came and assisted me with my problem.

Of late, especially now that we are in total lockdown, I realised that my sleep pattern changed, despite having to stay at home for quite a long time. The non-stop virtual meetings and the job-related messages on all platforms make me restless at night and I become giddy during the day. 

I have to admit, even the notification sound of an email or a Whatsapp message sends an uncomfortable ripple effect inside me - at times I have to just steady myself before answering those calls. Is this what they call anxiety?

Now, more than ever, I believe that many need a calm sensation while facing global pandemic challenges. And I know many are looking for that calming sensation.

A few months back, I was browsing through the FB (like all yáll are doing right now) and I came across Aplikasi Rohani by Rosdan Mazalan on Sinar Harian. 

Intrigued, I clicked the link, gave the write-up a read through and downloaded the Mindful Muslim app and decided to give it a try. 

Is this THE app for the mind? I have nothing to lose - just download an app, listen to whatever is on the app and decide for myself later. 

As the app launches, a calming wave sound will greet you. A very good first impression.

And when the introduction vanishes, this beautiful view greets you. Even the menu layout calms and soothes my eyes. That alone has won me over and enticed me to keep on exploring the apps.

Over time, I come to love listening to the talk-downs in the apps. And listening to the talks become a habit, every morning before I start my work and every night before I go to sleep. 

As a revert, I am still learning to recite Quran and I am so glad that Mindful Muslim have the translation and the readings in English. It helps me so much to understand the verses better and take all readings and teachings into the heart.

Mindful Muslim: The Beginning

A young fellow looking for ways to calm his nerves after hours of solving problems at work and to stay sane for the next working day, Mr Mohamad Akhtaar Abdul Ghani, the creator and CEO of Mindful Muslim, couldn't find one mindfulness app that could assist him according to Islamic principles. 

Kinda frustrated that he couldn't find one amongst thousands available online, he decided to develop one and alhamdulilah, he managed to launch the app, Mindful Muslim in March 2020. 

Inspired by the fact that meditation apps acquired USD$195 million in 2020, Mohd Akhtar gathered a group of friends and started the development of the app. The app won the Supreme Prize during the Auckland University of Technology Competition X Challenge in 2020. And later, the team secured an investment offer of USD$1.6 million to further build and translate the app.

"Mindful Muslim was developed to help Muslims improve their emotional and mental wellbeing through guided sleep talk downs of Islamic stories."

Psst. Mohd Akhtar is the producer of Motivation Moments 500 by Mufti Menk.

What's in Mindful Muslim

Within a year of the launch, the app has 47,000 users from all over the world and is getting 10,000 new members monthly, world wide.  The apps which uses English as the main language, can be downloaded via Google Play Store and has 4.8 rating (out of 5) with over 1.5K reviews. 

As stated above based on my own experience, the features such as the guided talk downs, the duas, the recitations, the night Quran and the background sounds has already won me over. And as a revert who is currently making my way, albeit slowly in learning to read and understand Quran, I play and learn the duas at my own pace. 

I just realised that you can also choose a reciter's voice over for the readings. For now I noticed there is an unknown reciter, Osama Abdulghani and Abdelrahman's.

I have yet to use the Sleep Diary feature in the app as I have no difficulty in falling asleep and able to sleep beautifully through the night, alhamdulilah - even though the sleep pattern changed. As mentioned, my morning and nightly routine is now enhanced by listening to the talk downs, the night Quran and whenever my heart and soul needs it, listening to the recitation of stories and duas that has been categorised to certain feelings such as Stress, Anxiety, Hope and Fear. 

And now I have a playlist of talk downs that I will play before I go to sleep and before I start my day working from home.  

To Mindful Muslim, the background sounds are certainly calming! Thanks for the sounds and I love slow drizzle the most!

What's Next for Mindful Muslim?

I have had the pleasure to have a virtual session with the genius mind behind Mindful Muslim and asked him some things that kept popping up in my mind.

1. Will Mindful Muslim be translated into other languages soon as the pool of subscribers grow bigger? The translation to other languages is in the phase two of the app development stage. Soon there will be more language options to cater for the masses from all over the world.
   
2. Will Mindful Muslim be able to detect, track and recommend the right duas/ stories based on one's routine? This feature is also in the phase two of the app development stage.
   
3. Will there be a counseling feature too as the app is to promote mental health awareness? Not yet and will be taken into consideration.
   
4. Is it children friendly? This feature will be in the phase three of the  app development stage.
   
5. Do we have to subscribe to the app? The app is free for now.

 

My Experience Using Mindful Muslim

I am so thankful that I clicked the link, downloaded the app and gave the app a go. The app is my 'go to me place' whenever I feel not at ease with certain matters/ a problem arises in my life. I will listen to the stories/ duas/ recitations based on my feeling at the moment, perhaps take a short nap and insyaAllah and alhamdulilah, the problem does not seem so troubling after that.

I have Mindful Muslim on my iPad and I play it while resting in bed every night

And the app also make me realise that a Muslim with mental health issues is not a bad Muslim. It is about health and one needs assistance and treatment if one is facing a mental health issue. 

And I urge that if we have a friend who looks gloomy or seems to be in trouble, promote to them the Mindful Muslim and tell them to give it a try. As in my experience, it does helps with easing and calming the mind and heart. 

And now, Mohd Akhtar is calling for writers to collaborate with him for the next stage of Mindful Muslim. He is contactable via his LinkedIn to discuss further on the collaboration.  

And if you are member of Mindful Muslim and would love to participate in the 1 to 1 interviews, contact Mohd Akhbar via LinkedIn and you'll get a $30 Amazon voucher upon a successful interview session.   

Mindful Muslim Web

Mindful Muslim FB 

Mindful Muslim IG

Interested to know more about the world's first Islamic mindfulness app that is helping 1.8 billion Muslims to improve their emotional and mental well-being through gentle guided audio talk-downs of Islamic stories? You may download the apps via Google Play and App Store too. Just type Mindful Muslim and you'll be directed to properly download the app.

Enjoy it and remember, a sound mind is a healthy mind, and a healthy mind keeps the body healthy too. 

Treat your mind good and it will return the favor.

Allah grants wisdom to whoever He wills. And whoever is granted wisdom is certainly blessed with great privilege| Al-Baqarah 2:269 

 #MYMindfulMuslim #MYMindfulMuslimStory #MentalHealth #HealthbyRawlins #RawlinsLifestyle #RawlinsGLAM