Episode 4 Heal It Up
Watch Level Up with Ziyaad, Nabihah, and Isa Plaatjes on Radio Islam International MW 1548
Episode 4: Heal It Up
Sunday 28th September 2025 / 05th Rabi al Thani 1447AH 14h00 - 15h00 (CAT)
Listen to Level Up with Ziyaad, Nabihah, and Isa Plaatjes on Radio Islam International MW 1548
Episode 4: Heal It Up
Sunday 28th September 2025 / 05th Rabi al Thani 1447AH 14h00 - 15h00 (CAT)
Transcript
To dear listeners, it's just past 2:00 on this 5th day of Rabi Alani 14:47 ah
which corresponds to Sunday 28th September 2025.
I'm Zad Plachies and with me are my co-hosts Nabia and Issa Plachis. this
afternoon. Welcome to Level Up, where we listen, learn, and grow, inshallah, with
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's guidance, and we break down the week's news and talk about what really matters to young
Muslims today. Our WhatsApp line is open. The number is 0727861548
or you can call in on 01-854702.
I think just before we start um small side note, right? Okay. Firstly, um
you'll notice that we're not in studio. Uh it's I think the holiday period now.
Yes, we can call it the holiday period. We actually don't really go on holiday because Issa is not in like a formal
school. Um but we took a very spontaneous trip. We're not going to say where. Um
listeners can guess. uh they probably think that they'll see it on social media but you you might see it in 6
months time so or next year knowing us. Um but actually on the side note that I actually wanted
to talk about was I mentioned the date today right and on radio Islam
international's website it says Rabi Alani right then is it Rabi Alani Rabi
Ulani Rabi Uani or Rabi Alir um I want to hear from the listeners
right so what's the voice note um or whatever it is but I I know when I was
growing up, we were taught it was Rabiel Aer Nabia. Uh, yes. Yes. I also learned Rabiel Aer for
all of my schooling years. So, so when did it change? I mean, uh,
what did you learn in Madras? Isa, uh, Rabiani. Rabiani. Okay. Whenever I hear
Rabythani, all all I think about is these are the months of Islam. At least you would know the months of
Islam then. So, so, so maybe it is Rabythani. Um but
yeah, but that actually came out after we were like uh much older that that these are
the months of Islam. Yeah. Well, there's a lot of things that have changed over the years. I mean, we
grew up saying Jamaat Kana and now it's Malah. Uh we grew up saying mosque but
it's mass but which is actually correct. the correct word is and we should actually say mazjid and mah you know and
um yeah for many things there's a lot of things that have changed um even you
know hijab hijab is actually not just you know a person who a woman who wears
a scarf it's um an actual dressing or not just women actually men also need to
be in hijab so but now when um you see someone on social media they say
hijabies and then they actually referring to a person who wears a scarf but yeah talking about you know the
months and all of this a lot has changed and a lot of words have changed over the years some some um are good like we say
you know masid is a better word to say um and others we we're not so sure about um you know
we have to know more about it and being more knowledgeable in in terms of you know whether that was a good change or
not you know judging with it was a good change but no things have changed so we
have to also see did they change for the better is it a better word to say is it
yeah I I think it's also the the culture of the soke culture now and I I think it's
more the fact that we have access to more information so people can actually
see okay well this is actually the correct way of saying something or doing
something there was duas that we grew up learning and apparently
you know you actually touched on that there was another time yeah there was things that that we weren't supposed to say or we
added on and we weren't supposed to add on or whatever it is but like you say um another time another time uh today Issa what what are
we talking about today we are talking about mental health and lifestyle
yes mental health and lifestyle okay so the past few weeks we've been building
up to this topic or theme, right? So, we covered various topics each week where
we discussed a few things and touched on a few issues, right? So like the first
week we spoke about education and student and work life where we also
spoke to a talent acquisition specialist and from there we see that on the one
side there's the stress of being unemployed and trying to get your foot in the door and chugging sending your CV
out to many many many places being rejected going on multiple interviews as
well as trying to make ends meet constantly whilst handling the rejection. ction and then on the other
side you have this um you know this situation where you're employed alhamdulillah but the work environment
is extremely stressful and there's just no other option but handling things like
being ill and still making deadlines and then if you're client facing or people
facing in terms of like a teacher at the school or a receptionist and then client facing like you need to go out and meet
clients or even in sales in a retail store, right? There's all this underlying stress that you have to go
through. Plus, you still have to put on a show or a face if you must, right?
Because you know, you're the front line of the company or the business. You're you're the one the people who interact with, right? So, there's that. Then the
second week, we spoke about tech. All about tech, right? And then uh Issa also
shared with us his tips on how to reduce screen time and even detox.
And we touch on the fact that you could watch a very traumatic video where
someone is taking their last breath and then 2 seconds later you're laughing at
a funny cat video having not processed the first video properly and you just
keep on scrolling. you know, you continue to the next and the next without unpacking it. Then last week we
spoke about the global Sumud flotilla and there's just so many sides to it.
There's this ongoing concern for the people of Palestine and
us wanting to do something for them. There's the concern for the people currently on the voyage of the global
Summud flotilla that they reach safely inshallah. M and then there's those um
there's those who are on board or even their families who are worried about the drone attacks and it's just a stressful
time for all I think which uh brings us to mental health and
of course well-being right sure like you said like just
it's a lot a lot and just in just those just just that three weeks that you've just spoken about
topics not even anything else nothing extra and and that's just that's basically our
life. There's nothing the there's not just those things. There's a lot more. But yet those three things already, you
know, can can um cause a a huge amount of stress and trauma in our lives as
well as everything above that, you know, we're going through. Anyway, um what is
mental health? Isa, do you know what mental health is? Something to do with emotions and your
brain. Oh, that's a that's quite a good guess, I think. Um, so in a nutshell, I think
mental health uh encompasses your emotional, psychological, and social
well-being influencing how you think, feel, and act. Right? Not just it's not
just the absence of a mental disorder, but a complex continuum that varies for
everyone, involving your ability to cope with stress, connect with others, and
contribute to your community. Maintaining good mental health is vital
for overall health and quality of life and can be supported through self-care
practices like exercise, a healthy diet, and prioritizing sleep. I think that
that's very important that we need to not only look at the issues or the
problems the disorders um from mental health but also how can we deal with it
how can we better ourselves how can we cope with it I mean it's you you can't
say you just deal with it or you just the it's it's not a overnight process
it's not it's not something that you can just switch on and switch off you know Like one minute you're stressed and then
the next minute you not stressed, right? It doesn't work that way. There's
no switch. Yeah. You can't just tell someone, "Oh, snap out of it." Oh, it's all in your head. Yes. Mental does mean
in your head, but whatever happens to one part of your body also affects other
parts of the body. We know this. We know this. So why are you shying away
from you know um sorting that out and it's an ongoing process like you
said. Yes. And people store stress in different ways in different parts of the body as well.
Yeah. And and and there's always this thing and people just are like you know like get over it you know like get over
yourself move forward or you know it's and it's not that simple. And I think
you you know like you say you should treat it with kid gloves and um every
everybody reacts differently and it's very difficult because you don't know
what the next person is going through. Exactly. And you don't know how they cope with it
and um you know it it could be the last thing you say to them.
Exactly. You must always always think about that. Is that the last thing that
um I said to this person? Yeah. So, it's it's it's something that that needs to be spoken about and yeah,
that's that's that's why we're bringing it and and also now that you are aware of
it, it needs to be, you know, like we said, it's an ongoing process. You can't just think now I did something now today
I'm going to be fine. Or I was good to this person today they're fine now. um I can be anyhow to them any other time.
No, you need to it's an ongoing process. Um people's emotions are ongoing process. You know, there's those signs
all around um I've seen in Jober. I don't know if any other city in in South Africa where they say be kind.
It's so strange for me to see because it's like why I why do people need that
reminder? But the thing is I mean not why do they need a reminder? you know, they do need this reminder obviously,
but it's like we have to actually put up a sign and it it's those big signs.
You've seen it, right? The ones there by outside Rosebank, outside Santon, the one that we always pass on that in
what's that N3? Yeah. It says in big be kind. Yes.
Because people are not being kind. They're not being kind. They're not being kind to others. They're not being
kind to themselves. Yeah. No, you have you have that you have to have that constant reminder.
Unfortunately, it needs to be like in front of you. And I I think as Muslims,
we're supposed to know there's certain things that we're supposed to do and there's certain sunnas that we're supposed to follow the prophet Muhammad
sallallahu alaihi wasallam. But I don't know, sometimes we just forget. We just, you know, like um
overlook it, you know, like a simple thing about being considerate. We It's a age-old thing where
people block other people in at the mid, you know, or they park in other people's
driveways or whatever. And we keep on talking about it. They talk about it in the masids. They talk about it on radio,
you know, like we hear about it and people don't even act on it. And and we
need to make sure because it could be an emergency. Exactly. Someone could be needing to
leave immediately maybe to go to um a janaza, maybe to go to the hospital,
maybe to give birth, you know, and then you block the person in. Oh, and you can't just say m you can't
just say maf and then that's it. That person needs to go immediately. Yeah. So, so that small little thing
and you cannot wait for a person to come to ask you you know you know you cannot
have that mindset. So in that in that way you need to be considerate be
considerate of others. I've actually always talk about something called
you know you guys always hear me say that it's your duty to Allah and
is your duty to mankind and that's you know part of our teachings we ha we have
a duty to mankind yes we have to be considerate of others we have to be helpful in the same way yes
obviously you know obviously most importantly to Allah to ourselves elves be kind to ourselves but also be
considerate of others. Be kind to others. Realize that you know um there's
other people in the world that's you know living with us. So we have to take
in account uh the way our tone towards them or like you say parking you know
something as simple as as that. No. Well, you see the thing is like I said,
sometimes we forget. I mean, we're human and we forget the simple teachings of the prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi
wasallam. He always made sure that he made it easier for the next person.
And if you make it easier for the next person, the p that person's going to have less stress in their life. You're
going to have less stress. have this ripple effect because if they if they can have less stress in their life,
hopefully we would hope that they would also be kind and considerate to think of the next person. And that's actually
what it is. If you if you think of the next person and you thinking of the next person and each person's thinking of the
next person to be kind and considerate to others, imagine this ripple effect of kindness and goodness.
You know what I mean? Yes. Well, you know, you always I know Issa rolls his eyes every time I say it.
The banana the banana peel story. No, the problem was would remove the banana
peel so that it wasn't in somebody's path so they wouldn't slip. Exactly. So if we have that mindset,
just that simple mindset, you know, like pick up your dirt. Um don't park in
somebody, you know, park considerately. Um you know, move a brick. If you see some, you know,
like a obstacle on the road or something, move it away. Yeah. There's a there's a a nail on on
the floor and someone could puncture their tire. Move it away. Throw it in the bin. You know, like simple things.
If we each do those things like you know
how clean the place cities would be and and then how much
easier everybody else's life life would be. But we we're moving away. Um so
so in preparation for mental health awareness month which is next month October actually October is in just a
few days right it is we're going to be exploring some mental health issues and how we can cope with
them. And then later on in the program Issa will be telling us about how he deals with stress.
Isa do you have stress? Yes I do. You might think of it as a joke, but 11 year olds do also get
stressed. You know that that's very true. Every like we said um everyone deals with
daily stress no matter how old you are. And if we don't cope cope with it well,
it could lead to conditions like high blood pressure or even depression. Um which brings us to this week's news. Uh
some of you might have seen the story on social media. It's very tragic, very sad. Um there was a young man who had
taken his last leap of the spaghetti junction bridge. Um and we ask why and
we say that there are alternatives. um you know the you know he could have seek help or whatever but we don't know
what what was really happening right and and sometimes people think that that's
the the only only option the person in it going through it think Islamically we know that that's not the
answer but at the same time we've seen recently a rise in the number of teen and youth
suicides in the community may Allah guide and protect us all and I
think it's very important No matter how many times we hear it at the school, Madressa, Masid or even on the radio,
but we need to keep on talking about, we need to keep on raising awareness about these mental health disorders and how we
can assist those who are not coping and how we ourselves can alleviate some of
the the stress that we deal with on a daily basis. So, I saw this post on social media. I
always talk about social media because it's it's the easiest way to get information
and articles are also shared on there. Yeah, you get your news from and and and I think it's the easiest
format for most people to to share information and no, yeah, to to consume
content, we'll say, right? So, there was this picture. So, picture this. It's got a caption. It says,
"Sleeping next to someone you love helps to fall asleep faster, reduce
depression, and helps you to live longer." Then, you know, it has that me Yeah. with the colon. Yeah. And then it
has a picture underneath that of a person lying in the bed next to their
cat. Right. So now it's obviously supposed to be a funny post like a meme,
right? Uh but Islamically and medically cats are known to be called to to be let's
call them unpaid therapists. Oh although you do pay for them and
their food and Yeah. But I mean not as much as you would pay a therapist. That's true. And you don't need
medication. They they the full package, you know. So cats can actually offer
significant therapeutic benefits for individuals experience depress experiencing depression and anxiety.
And we know that in Islam, not only are we allowed to have cats as pets because of their cleanliness, but also there are
various hadith about how the prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam emphasized the compassion and care for
these animals. Subhan Allah. Subhan Allah. Islamically, cats are viewed as respected and beloved
creatures, and the physical and emotional benefits derived from interacting with them can include
reduced stress, improved mood, and a sense of companionship that combats
feeling of loneliness, thereby supporting mental well-being.
So, I did a bit of research about how do cats actually help with mental health.
after this this post actually um sparked your research about this. Yeah. Because I wanted to know like I
know we know from an Islamic perspective a little bit about why we should do certain things and why like for example
why we should keep a cat as a pet right but medically I mean I'm not a doctor you're
not we're not doctors so you know like medically what what do
this the the research or the studies come up with so there's a few points that I'll just touch on. Um, so one,
like I said, is reduce stress and anxiety. Okay, so scientific studies and anecdotal evidence show that interacting
with cats can lower stress levels and blood pressure. Okay. I mean, just having a cat can lower your
your blood pressure. You should go out now and get one if you're not allergic to it.
Yeah, that's true. Um or if you're not scared. I I do know some people who are actually scared of cats. So, if you're not um allergic or
scared of cats, then yes, maybe I can I can already picture people with cats sitting with them on their lap and
stroking them and saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, we knew this." But um yeah, for
us, is that your your way to say we should get a cat? We need a cat. Hey, both of you. Do you agree?
Do you agree, Lisa? Okay. So, the other thing is combat loneliness. So, like this post showed,
um, for individuals struggling with depression or living alone, a cat provides a source of companionship and
can fill an emotional void, making them feel less isolated. So those who have had cats, we've had a cat,
alhamdulillah. And um even though we as humans are around that you sometimes you
just need to um you know like break away and you just sit with a cat and it's it
is very therapeutic. It's it's something you don't need to go you know like to a therapist or um you know somewhere else
to to feel calm. You can just sit and and stroke it or just let it sit on your
lap and just relax, you know, and then once you let it sit on your lap, you can't move until it wants to
move. Then you get pins and needles. But but it promotes healthy routines. Um so
caring for a cat requires a regular routine because you need to obviously feed it. Um you know, you need to make
sure that that there's certain things
that need to be done for it. And this can help individuals establish healthier
daily habits and and it's a benefit for those dealing with depression. Right.
I think that was the sound of a cat. It's like, "Yeah, I'm coming towards you." Yeah. So, um it also provides emotional
support, right? So the simple act of cuddling a cat, petting it or observing
its playful behavior can have a calming effect and improve an individual's overall mood.
And then of course we know the purr the I'm not going to even attempt it.
So there's those are actually therapeutic purr. Oh, so the frequency of a cat's purr has
been shown to fall within a range that may promote healing and the release of endorphins which are linked to stress
reduction in humans. Sure. That's adorable. That is That is too adorable. I definitely want one now.
I also want one. Yeah. So So again, people that have cats are sitting there now stoking them and
just saying, you know, we we know we know all this and this is why we love our cats. But alhamdulillah, these are
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's creations which we take for granted and don't realize what an important part they play
in our lives. And there's there's cities like in Istanbul where you can just walk
around and there's cats. It's like their city, you know. So you imagine the energy, the vibe
that's there because of this. Yeah. And then of course, you know, like
I said, if there's those who are allergic or don't like or then I suppose
maybe another pet or emotional supportive human, but like you said,
this whole post came from, you know, making sure that you have someone someone or some animal as a support.
Yeah. No, definitely. But before we unpack anymore, cuz I think we we still
got quite a lot to, let's go for an ad break. And when we return, we will continue our discussion of this mental
health. And later on in the program, Issa will share how he deals with stress as an 11year-old.
And welcome back to Level Up. If you've just tuned in, we have been talking all
about mental health. Later on I will be sharing tips of how to deal with stress
but right now we are continuing our discussion of mental health issues. Our
WhatsApp line is open. The number is 0727861548
or you can call in on 011854722 if you have anything you would like to
share with us. So we're talking all about mental health awareness month which the South African
government has declared in October. According to the National Department of Health, the month of October has been
declared mental health awareness month with the objective of not only educating
the public about mental health but also to reduce the stigma and discrimination
that people with mental illness are often subjected to.
Uh mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and financial work and unemployment
stress are all common affecting individuals, their families, co-workers
and the broader community. In addition, they have a direct impact
on workplaces and this is all type of workplaces, right? So including remote
working as well. And so they have this direct impact through reduced
productivity, increased absenteeism and increased costs.
Now according to some statistics, very few South Africans seek treatment for
their mental disorders. Mental illnesses can be treated at your nearest clinic, hospital, or health care
provider. Mental health problems are the result of a complex interplay between biological
psy physi psychological sorry psychological social and environmental
factors. There's increasing evidence that both the content and context of work can play
a role in the development of a mental health of mental health problems in the
workplace. And this is every type of workplace not just in the office of an
established company. It can be um workplaces of any type where work is taking place you know like domestic
environments, school environments and such. So the key factors include
workload, both excessive and insufficient work,
lack of participation and control in the workplace, monotonous or unpleasant tasks,
role ambiguity or conflict, lack of recognition at work,
inequity, poor interpersonal relationships, poor working conditions,
poor leadership and communication, conflicting home and work demands.
Right? So, whilst the workplace can contribute positively to a person's mental health, it may also exaggerate an
existing problem or it may contribute to the development of a mental health problem.
and employees should put in place um programs to promote the mental health of workers and to ensure that mental health
problems are recognized early and they're treated effectively. Ju just before you carry on Nabia um you said
employees should put in place programs and there are quite a few I know corporate companies that have gone
through the links where they have like a dedicated line um where people can actually call to
you know like to talk about like anonymously about their mental health uh
issues that they're facing at the workplace. Okay, that's good. And um I think like
you're saying more places should obviously put certain these type of programs in. Um but the ones that do
have it, I know that it does help quite a lot. Um you know, there's there's
people that that can speak about the stress that they're dealing with, financial, emotional, you know, what
whatever it is. and um they have like counselors on the other line that
actually help them through some of some of these problems. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. Okay, that's good. So,
more this should actually be then a standard thing. They should have that because talking about your problems,
talking about um not just problems, but talking about things that happen really
helps, you know. Yeah. Well, well, talking about it to anybody. Um
Okay. Actually, you shouldn't really just go out there and talk about it. No, no, no. I mean, like, you know, they
say like getting something off your chest also helps a bit to to take the
weight off. So, I mean, it can even be your um emotional support pet like your cat,
just coming home and talking to it and telling about the uh daily problems that
you face with your co-workers who are very inconsiderate. um that that you know that could help.
That's actually a nice uh I'm I'm picturing something and it's actually a good I think there's something I could
do. Um yes, some more and more reasons to once you have a pet to to talk to and
that you know sometimes um other people you live with or people you know also don't want to hear your problem. not
problems, but maybe they're going through their own stress and their own stuff and um you know like listening to
you in your day and how you and how you're going through stress maybe piles
on to their stress. So I suppose talking to a pet is actually a bit better in that case. Well, the thing is, um, I
don't think you Islamically or anything should be going around hugging your
therapist, but at least with the with a cat, the cat will actually picks up on on on your energy and your, you know,
your mood and would actually come up first to you and, you know, rub itself
against you and stuff. So, cuddling with it, you know, you there's lots of benefits. But again, we
going off topic. Yeah, it's actually not off topic, but yeah. No, it's not off topic. It's it's also
it's just more um on the lines of um we should really get a pet. Okay. But now
this is according to some information that I've read, right? They say that mental illness can be treated and
prevented and if you suspect that you may have a type of mental illness, visit
your nearest clinic or doctor. And they go on to say that an estimated 400
million people worldwide suffer from mental or neurological disorders or from
psycho psychosocial problems. I I think that number is is reduced. 400
million is is not a lot. We are 8 billion people in the world and I think
most people suffer from uh you think it's just maybe not um um
diagnosed. It's not Yeah, it's not diagnosed. It's not documented. I mean the thing is we could be living
with certain um mental health disorders but because we haven't gone to the
doctor or we haven't seen a specialist, we don't know that, you know, we're
dealing with it. M. And this is why, like I said, there's those reminders that say, "Be kind. Be kind." Because
you really, really, really need to realize this. You have to be kind. You have no idea what someone else is going
through. You have no idea. No. And and you can't only um like be kind or be compassionate to a
person if they diagnosed you know like you can't say only you can't say oh oh
now because they diagnosed now we should act differently towards them. No everybody doesn't matter whether they
diagnosed or not they could be going through something. Yeah that's true. So like physical
disorders, mental and brain disorders vary in severity. Okay? So there's those that
are transient like acute stress disorder, periodic like bipolar disorder
is characterized by periods of exaggerated elation and then followed by periods of depression.
Sure. Longlasting and progressive. So that's like Alzheimer's disease. And then
there's other in conditions which include schizophrenia, dementia, depressive disorder, obsessivecompulsive
disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder. Sure, there's like so so many that we
have to go through. And once again, I don't think like we'll get through everything this week. um because there's
a lot to unpack and I think maybe we we should make a more concerted
effort to when we are talking about mental health and and lifestyle just
touch on one of these disorders even if it's something brief it's it's some sort of awareness
and um you know like we also learning I mean we've learned quite a bit today.
Yeah that's true. Okay. So I know there are actual days which are observed to create awareness for some of these
things. Yes. World Mental Health Day is on the
10th of October and World Trauma Day is on the 17th October and World Suicide
Prevention Day was observed on the 10th of September. So well the suicide day
prevention day suicide prevention day. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. We actually don't realize
how much awareness is needed. Excuse me. And I think um like you said there's a
lot to unpack but maybe first we should look at workplace stress. Yeah. So we like we started our first
episode we we you know like started with the workplace getting your career started and I think workplace stress is
is quite a significant issue in South Africa. I saw a study again I did some
some research. Um there was a Gallup study revealing that 36% of South
African workers experience excessive daily stress and over 71%
are disengaged at work. That's that's a a big number. Yeah. Then there was
another IPSA survey that indicates that 85% of South Africans struggle with
stress and many feel they are lucky to have a job given high employment.
Unemployment I mean unemployment and they leading them to stay in stressful situations.
So you know like you it's like a catch 22 situation. Do you leave or do you stay because you need the money
because then you have another other stress that you don't have money to pay for whatever you need to.
So this stress obviously impacts productivity and well-being with South Africa ranking poorly in global mental
health studies. You know this it's a huge problem. M
so there's obviously contributing factors right there's job security like we said versus wellbeing so there's a
high high unemployment rate in South Africa so many people are obviously
trying to hold on to their jobs and even if they're stressful they view
employment as a privilege and and it is a privilege yeah it is a privilege um because many people we know have
degrees and they you know find it difficult to find us also Okay, we have degrees and we find
it difficult but okay. But there is remuneration. So over
two-fifths of South African workers reported that their remuneration has not kept pace with inflation adding to
financial stress. Yes, this is so true. Like everything everything will go up
but the remuneration the salary will not go up. I I I
can testify to that because um this is obviously many years ago but when I used
to work for a company everything used to go up, education went up 9%, uh medical
insurance would go up 10%. Um you know like everything was going up like 8 9
10%. And then salary goes up by 2%. And they're like that's if you're lucky you should be
happy with that 2%. Okay. So, how does 2% cover that's that's if you're lucky to even
let the salary go up for 2%. Sometimes it actually stays at that rate that you
add. No, but that's why people jump jobs because they know that if uh they leave
the job, they can ask for at least 10 to 20 10 to 15% more than what they're currently getting instead of waiting for
that 2 or 4% increase. But then that actually affects and I'm sure like
talent acquisition specialists would would say that that actually affects a workplace that affects productivity.
Exactly. So So that's that's the thing. You can't be having people jumping from job to job. You know what I mean?
But it's it's causing stress because the thing is if you're not you're working
but you're not making ends meet. It's okay. Anyway,
yeah, don't go any more. Understaffing is something else. So, close to one in five respondents noted
they were doing the job of two people because employees who resigned were not replaced. Yes. No, this this we've seen in a lot
of places. In a lot of places actually you did I think in one of the companies
like five people. Yes. Not not just two people more than two people obviously where they the
company wants to save money. So instead of hiring someone else, they would
No. Or even paying the person who's doing five people's job, you just pay them a little bit higher. I
mean, you've lost, you're not paying five salaries because those people have resigned. They haven't been fired. They
haven't been retrenched. They've just left. You've got that five salaries and now you're saving that money, but you
can't even pay me half of one of the person's salary. But anyway,
lack of support. Many employees find their workplace assistance programs ineffective or are afraid to use them
due to job insecurity. So we were talking about this now. So a
lot of people you can obviously speak anonymously but
um a lot of the time it's linked to your job ID, employee ID or something.
So it's not really anonymous then they know who No, it is anonymous. There are like
lines an anonymous but sometimes you actually log that you've made a call and
people obviously feel that because it's within the workplace it could be used against them you know like if it's found
out that they have some sort of um mental disorder or something.
Okay. No, that that yeah so anyway what what are the
consequences? So there's obviously like we said reduce productivity. There's high stress and disengagement negatively
impact workforce productivity and overall business performance. There's employee burnout. Yes. I mean
that is on a high. Yeah. We we know about this. We've seen people go through it.
And I've actually just heard recently of someone I know who whose lungs collapsed, you know, because of of of uh
the burnout. Yeah. because of the the high stress that this person was put under, they had
to go to hospital. While they were in hospital, they were still thinking about messaging their boss and telling their
boss about things. I mean, that's that's the reality of many of the people in South Africa, many of the people around
the world. And and the sad thing is it's sometimes in our Muslim brothers and
sisters are running these businesses and you know because they they believe that
you know you must just continue working instead of following the sunnah. So anyway so high stress levels are a
key indicator of a significant burnout problem in the South African workforce. Then we have mental health crisis. So
the pervasive uh workplace stress contributes to a broader mental health crisis with many South Africans not
seeking the help they need. Yes. But uh that's not only in the workplace. No. True. So South Africa exhibits high
levels of stress and poor mental well-being with the Sapian Labs report ranking it as the country with the
highest percentage of distressed individuals 35.8% in 2022. The CO 19
pandemic exacerbated this causing a 56% increase in psychological distress and
leading to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Unemployment, inequality, poverty and
trauma also contributes to high rates of anxiety, depression and burnout in the South African workforce with studies
showing widespread disengagement and excessive daily stress among employees.
Prevalence of distress and disorders. So the the global ranking South Africa was
ranked lowest out of 71 countries with a mental health quotient of 50 in the
mental state of the world report 2022. Unemployment many South Africans experience excessive daily stress and
are disengaged or actively disengaged at work and a sign of burnout.
Anxiety and depression. There's Vitz University study found 25.7% of South
Africans are depressed with a significant portion not seeking help. And then we just spoke about burnout.
Studies suggest up to 2/3 of South Africans have experienced burnout is 2/3.
Yeah. A state of emotional and physical exhaustion from prolonged stress. And a lot of people also you know they
hear the word oh burnout. Oh, I was burned out and they think nothing of it. You know, they think if someone else was burned out,
they think nothing of No, it's like an achievement, you know, like it's something to be proud of. Yeah.
No, it's it's it's it's actually that I I've also seen something about that about this culture,
you know, where um we we um congratulate or we celebrate
working, not working hard, what is the word like hustling, you know, like doing more than your body
is capable of doing and basically burning out instead of actually looking after. And
like we keep mentioning the sunnah. The sunnah is to look after our body. Everything in moderation.
Exactly. Yeah. So factors contributing to stress. There's obviously the socioeconomic
factors, poverty, unemployment, and growing inequality are major stresses. There's trauma.
Mhm. High prevalence of violence, abuse, crime, and exposure to major events contributes to mental health challenges.
We had COVID 19 pandemic. The pandemic obviously led to increased psychological and emotional distress, job losses and
social isolation. And then we have societal pressures. So there's societal expectations, the
stigma surrounding mental health and pressures unique to women in the workplace also contribute to stress.
That's true. And then there's coping mechanisms and seeking help. So there's unhealthy
coping. So obviously following the pandemic there was a significant number of South Africans who reported turning
to unhealthy coping mechanisms and like what's unhealthy coping mechanisms but
it includes excessive unhealthy foods you know like just what do they call binge eating binge eating yes and then it's actually
you know like um it's it's regarded as you know it's okay it's something that
we do but binge eating like we just said everything in moderation so binge eating is definitely not something you And then
obviously alcohol, cigarettes and other substances and vaping.
Yeah. Well, all those things you know those are unhealthy coping mechanisms. Then there's a lack of access to support
despite widespread distress. A Vitz University study found that only a quarter of affected individuals are
seeking assistance. So 2/3 are experiencing like burnout and only a
quarter of the individuals with two/3. Well, yeah. So then there's workplace
initiatives. There's a recognition that companies are not doing enough to prevent burnout, highlighting a need for
more effective workplace support systems. So adding to that,
IPSauce is a marketing research company
and they released an infographic which was part of a survey for World
Mental Health Day and the stats are scary. These are just four questions
which were asked as part of the survey on reflections on stress depression.
First question, have you felt stressed to the point where it had an impact on
how you live your daily life? The rest of the world 62% South Africans 69%.
Second question. Have you felt stressed to the point where you felt like you
could not cope or deal with things? The rest of the world, 59% South
Africans, 71%. Third question. Have you felt depressed to the point that you felt sad or
hopeless almost every day for a couple of weeks or more? The rest of the world,
52%. South African 67%. Last question. Have you felt stressed to
the point you could not go to work for a period of time? The rest of the world
39%. South Africans 50%. Sure. So, uh besides the first question,
obviously we see that South Africans are still higher than the rest of the world. There's ex there's a significant
difference. uh we like essentially 7 to 15% more stressed than citizens of the
rest of the world. You're you know they always have this thing that they say that South Africans know
how to take a joke but truth be told there's so much sadness behind humor.
Shall we unpack that now or I think uh already this is in information overload.
So shall we take a break and then after break Isa can give us a few tips to
share on how to deal with stress inshallah.
