For man hath been created weak

It is a common observation that many people who suffer from emotional difficulties have a rigid view of the world. They have usually high standards for success and accomplishment. This can be good as it can motivate the person for further development. However, it becomes problematic is it is accompanied with feelings of incompetency. In addition for having strict criteria for success the person may feel unable to meet those same conditions.

This leaves the person with negative feelings of incompetency, a thing that can decrease his or her motivation to proceed. This can hinder self-development.

Optimally, we need to be aware of our abilities and of our limits. Then we have to accept them the way they are. Realistic goals are also important to set.

Once we have done that we can proceed to create an action plan that would make us arrive at our goals after a period.

As we go ahead working to achieve the desired outcomes, it is highly important to be open to the fact that things can go wrong at times. Maybe the pace of progression is not as fast as we wanted. Maybe there are things that we need to work on the way. At times, we may fail. Not accepting these facts can lead to emotional distress and suffering.

Sometimes, the things that we desire soon to happen are, after all, bad for us. God Almighty expresses this in one verse of chapter "the Night Journey" (Children of Israel) in the Holy Quran:

وَيَدعُ الإِنسـٰنُ بِالشَّرِّ‌ دُعاءَهُ بِالخَيرِ‌ ۖ وَكانَ الإِنسـٰنُ عَجولًا

 القرءان الكريم - سورة الإسراء ، الآيه 13

Man prayeth for evil as he prayeth for good; for man is hasty.

Source: The Holy Quran - The Night Journey 17:13, translated by John Medows Rodwell (1861)

Imagine how much pain and trouble we could have spared us for if we lived our lives by this verse. Maybe the timing is not good now. God sees that and He chooses the best for us after all.

I think also that the acknowledgment that we cannot achieve all that we desire and that we can fail at times is also very healthy.

When it comes to certain emotional difficulties such as constant anxieties, a main cause can be related to certain misconceptions. It is possible that the person who suffers from frequent and constant anxieties is actually not accepting the fact that his or her abilities are limited, that things can go sometimes the way we don't desire, that we cannot obtain all that we want or that results and solutions do not need to be perfect.

Regarding this important point, God Almighty reminds us in the very first occurence of the word "Human being" in the Holy Quran that:

يُر‌يدُ اللَّهُ أَن يُخَفِّفَ عَنكُم ۚ وَخُلِقَ الإِنسـٰنُ ضَعيفًا

 القرءان الكريم - سورة النساء ، الآيه 28

"God desireth to make your burden light: for man hath been created weak".

Source: The Holy Quran - Women 4:28, translated by John Medows Rodwell (1861)

I remember that recalling this verse helped me a lot in many occasions. There is no doubt in my heart that the Holy Quran and Earlier revelations have the answers for all human concerns and troubles.

God says right after the opening chapter in the Holy Quran:

الم ﴿١﴾ ذ‌ٰلِكَ الكِتـٰبُ لا رَ‌يبَ ۛ فيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِلمُتَّقينَ ﴿٢﴾

 القرءان الكريم - سورة البقره ، الآيه الأولى والثانيه

"ELIF. LAM. MIM. (1) That is the book! there is no doubt therein; a guide to the pious, (2)"

Source: The Holy Quran - The Heifer 2:1-2, translated by Edward Henry Palmer (1880)