Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan reminded that the current Ramadan month coincides with the global Covid-19 pandemic this year and said that this situation brings some difficulties.
Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan reminded that this year we are observing Ramadan in the atmosphere of the global Covid-19 pandemic and said that this Ramadan is more lonely and closed compared to others. Noting that this situation also brings anger control to the agenda, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan pointed out that negative emotions such as anger, hatred, jealousy and hostility can be controlled by fasting during Ramadan.
Ramadan is an opportunity to learn how to control emotions
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, who stated that people may become more irritable while in social isolation and at the same time with fasting, said, "Research shows that anger control decreases with the decrease in fasting blood sugar. Anger is a condition that occurs when a person is blocked against resistance. When the person's hunger blood sugar drops, he wants to eat something, when he cannot eat, he is blocked, some people tolerate this at such times, but some people cannot manage anger, in such cases, the focus of attention needs to be changed. The person can tolerate and manage their anger by saying, 'This is a test for me and it is also a training in patience and tolerance'. However, some may not be able to convince themselves while fasting or may have impulse control problems."
Anger should be extinguished immediately
Noting that people with impulse control problems cannot manage anger when they feel frustration, Tarhan said, "Anger is such an emotion that it is like a fire, we can liken it to a fire inside us, a fire in our brain. What is done in case of a fire? First the fire is extinguished, then it is cooled and then the cause is investigated. When the feeling of anger comes, if you think about why it came, why there is this hunger, you fuel the fire even more. However, it is necessary to extinguish the anger urgently at that moment. When people get angry while fasting, we advise them to immediately change the focus of attention."
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that negative emotions such as anger, hatred and stress can be controlled by fasting during Ramadan and said that this period is important in terms of stress control and gaining the ability to delay satisfaction. Tarhan said, "Satisfaction postponement skill is one of the basic skills of psychological resilience."
Some emotions should be fasted during Ramadan
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that negative emotions should be restrained during Ramadan and said, "Psychological resilience is a sense of resilience. Fighting hunger and thirst during Ramadan gives us this feeling. In Ramadan, it is not only about controlling our physical impulses such as eating and drinking, but we also have other emotions that we will fast from. Anger, for example, is one of them. Grudges, anger, jealousy, enmity, all these emotions need to be fasted. Ramadan is important as a time to educate ourselves against the malicious feelings we have about people by saying 'You have no right to harm others'. Ramadan is a month of sharing, a kind of social worship. By doing good to others, we have the opportunity to correct many unjust feelings and thoughts. Mother Teresa has a beautiful saying. They ask 'How can the world be livable? Her answer was "Doing good one on one". Ramadan is an opportunity to do good one-on-one."
Ramadan is the month to train our egos
Emphasizing that the best method of fighting anger is to do good to people, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said
"When you do good even to a person you don't know at all, or when you do good to a person with whom you have a cold relationship, the negative feelings on the other side decrease. When you do good deeds, people's negative feelings towards you decrease, so the reason that makes you angry also decreases. Therefore, it is necessary to be generous. Generosity is glorified as a high value in all religions. Our ancestors used to say that a person who gives zakat at a rate of 1 in 40 is a miser. Wealthy people owe money to the poor. Powerful states also owe debts to poor states. If a person says, 'At home, first me and then my children, first me and then my wife'; if a boss says, 'First me and then my employees', these people have little pity and compassion, and at the same time they have a high ego. Ramadan is the month to train our egos. It is possible to train ourselves in anger control, emotion control and resilience skills. Our nafs has some impulses. It is important to be able to control our desires and impulses. In fact, freedom is not about doing whatever you want, whatever you feel like doing. Freedom is also being free from your desires and impulses. In order to learn desire-impulse control, anger control, emotion control, one needs to educate oneself. This is an internal discipline. Ramadan is an opportunity to ensure internal discipline."
