As part of our winter break wind-down, students at digiTIES recently participated in a guided learning experience focused on emotional awareness, self-regulation, and faith-based coping strategies. This meaningful discussion supports our commitment to whole-child education, combining academic growth with social-emotional learning (SEL) and Islamic values.

        Using selected scenes from a movie as a reflective starting point, teachers guided students in exploring how emotions such as anxiety and anger can strongly influence thoughts, behavior, and decision-making. Students learned that while emotions are natural, how we respond to them is a skill that can be practiced, strengthened, and guided by faith.

Students reflected on how anxiety often begins quietly but can quickly become overwhelming if left unmanaged. Together, they discussed moments when they feel worried, unprepared, or unsure, and identified practical strategies for responding in healthy ways. Drawing from prior health lessons, students emphasized breathing techniques, pausing before reacting, and thinking calmly as essential first steps. Teachers reinforced that slowing down helps the brain and body regain balance.

        From an Islamic perspective, students were reminded that faith offers powerful tools for emotional regulation. Practices such as making duʿāʾ (supplication), reciting Qur’an, and engaging in dhikr (remembrance of Allah) were highlighted as sources of comfort, grounding, and resilience. Simple, age-appropriate habits—reciting Al-Fātiḥah before a test, saying bismillah when feeling upset, or asking Allah for help—were presented as accessible ways students can manage emotions throughout daily life.

        Anger management was also explored thoughtfully. Students examined how losing control can negatively affect both themselves and others. Teachers connected this discussion to Prophetic guidance, encouraging students to calm down, make wudu, change physical positions (from standing to sitting, or sitting to lying down), and remember the hereafter—strategies that help cool both the body and the heart.

        Equally important was a reminder about respect, kindness, and obedience toward parents. Students reflected on how words spoken in frustration can cause harm, and how responding with patience—even when tasks feel difficult—is a core Islamic value and an essential life skill.

        The discussion concluded with a powerful reminder: emotions change, but Allah does not. Students are not defined by what they feel, but by how they choose to respond. They were encouraged to seek help, trust their families and teachers, support one another, and use faith as a guide through every emotional moment.

Reading Surahs Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, and An-Nas properly (following the rules of Tajweed) is an important habit to get into. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  guided his nationt to recite these surahs daily – when a person wakes up and in the evening. The times for recitation is at fajir and up to three hours after, and at sunset (Maghrib) and up to three hours after. These Surahs act as a shield, as was narrated in the hadith: