1Breaking the Chains of Anxiety

“And do not despair of the mercy of God. Indeed, none despairs of the mercy of God except the disbelieving people.” (Yusuf, 12:87)

In a remote city lived a young man named Fawzooz. He had always dreamed of a bright future full of success, but over time he began to face problems and challenges he had not expected. Whenever he thought about the future he felt intense anxiety and feared his dreams would fail, so he began avoiding going out and missing the joy of the present moment. He felt anxiety was stealing the taste of life from him.

“He thought being alone would protect him, but the opposite was true.”

To escape these feelings, he chose to isolate himself. He spent his time alone in his room, scrolling his phone for hours and avoiding friends and family, and his loneliness and sadness only grew. He thought being alone would protect him from painful situations, but the opposite was true. Instead of facing his problems he ignored them, pushed away those who tried to help, and then wore himself out trying to please others, slipping into unhealthy relationships.

Fawzooz began to neglect himself; sometimes he overate and sometimes he barely ate, his health suffered, and his sense of shame deepened. Whenever he faced a hard situation, he surrendered to the pain instead of looking for a way through.

In time he realised he needed to change. He decided to ask for help, and sent a first message to an old friend. With the support of his friends and family, he was able to overcome these feelings and began living a calmer, steadier life.

In short

This story portrays self-harming behaviour driven by anxiety and fear. Isolation, avoidance, self-neglect and people-pleasing were all Fawzooz’s attempts to cope, but they made things worse. These behaviours are common when we are overwhelmed, and they often create a cycle of negative feelings and actions.

Small steps

Face your fears. Avoidance makes fear stronger. Start with a small challenge.

Acknowledge your feelings. Don’t ignore your anxiety; acknowledging it is the first step to treating it.

Seek support. Talk to a friend you trust, your family, or a professional. You don’t have to face this alone.

Be kind to yourself. You are doing what you can, and it’s all right to make mistakes.

One step. Don’t try to change everything at once; focus on one or two changes.

Set boundaries. Learn to say “no” to what drains your energy, including long hours on screens.