“Undoubtedly the greatest cure for anxiety is faith,” said the famous American philosopher William James. There is no alternative to religion in curing mental illness. Religious practices are very necessary for peace of mind. Wealth and social status alone cannot ensure peace of mind, good life and sustainable development. Rather, they gradually make people luxurious.
Sometimes luxury reaches extreme luxury. As a result, many suffer from various mental illnesses. That’s when people start misusing wealth and position. But man is restrained by the sincere worship of God. It inculcates morals and values in people. Besides, religious practice restrains people from committing injustice.
It is said in every religion that one can know oneself through the worship of God. There is no substitute for religion to save society and awaken humanity. American psychologist Henry C. Link in a research book after 73,000 experiments on 10,000 people gave the result, “those who regularly go to the prayer hall and sincerely practice religion, they have more personality than the non-religious (atheist) and live a life of spiritual peace and stability. .” Then those who have religion can work to eradicate the degradation of society as well as humanity.
The main source of the values we are talking about is religion. All ideals of life are mentioned in religion. And within that religious practice it is possible to achieve excellence in life. Right and wrong are known through religious practice. There are clear guidelines for these in the religious rules. But people especially the present generation are far away from that. There is less tendency to practice religion in the society, as a result the sense of justice is slowly moving away from the society. So the American writer Dela Carnegie in his book Dr. Brail comments, “A truly religious person can never suffer from mental illness.”
The progress of the society cannot be made possible by those who throw away the sense of justice. The sense of justice that is mentioned in the religious teachings to control people is the greatest power. That is, if religious practice is weak, then that sense of justice will also be weak. Then it will become a cause of serious damage to the society or personal life.
If we notice one thing, we will know that the mental stress among people has increased after Corona in different countries of the world. Because after covid-19 many have moved away from religious practice. A study in Bangladesh found rates of depression among students in the northern region to be 49.6%, anxiety 53.2% and stress 26.4%. However, various studies have also shown that medical students are under the most stress in Bangladesh. A 2017 study found that 54.3% of medical students experience depression, 64.8% experience anxiety and 59% experience stress.
Besides, stress is more noticeable in different countries of the world. As a result, suicide is gradually increasing among people. According to the World Population Report, Lesotho in South Africa has a suicide rate of 72.4%, followed by Guyana in South America, Swaziland and South Korea in 3rd and 4th positions. In that direction, Bangladesh has 3.7% of suicides per thousand. Suicide rates are very low in countries where religious practices are followed. Because suicide is a grave sin in religious law, they stay away from this sin. Suicide rates are also lower among those who are deeply religious.
What can we do for peace of mind? In these cases only some attempt can be made to control the issues arising. In such a situation, everyone has to be a proactive role to prevent social degradation or moral degradation. State, society and family have important roles to play here. First, children should be taught religious practices, religious rules and ethics from the family. Every religion has told people about humanity. But many misinterpret that religion, they put some sayings before people which they do not have proper knowledge of the relationship. Many people misinterpret religion by worshiping it.
One should seek out the Creator by studying one’s own holy scriptures. Then you will find yourself. Through religious practice, we know the truth as well as ourselves. Preachers of all religions have spoken of humanity. Through religious practice, one should connect the soul with the Creator, then one will get mental peace. So more personal worship is needed. In addition, meditation and exercise release brain chemicals called dopamine and serotonin, which help relieve mental fatigue and bring peace to the mind. Finally, religious discipline and morality can remove all mental fatigue.
