Credit: @chikumof

the color of trees

clouds and how they look different throughout the day

the different colors the mornings can have. sometimes it's an orange hue and sometimes pink and sometimes it's too misty to tell

pretty color schemes in random places (the trees and your neighbors wooden patio and the color of their car)

the states of the vehicles passing you by, dents and scratches and the different trinkets suspended from their rearview mirrors

the sound of silence

the shadows the lights cast in your home, like how sunset looks different than sunrise, and the shadows the sun casts look different than those of your lamps and candles

pretty details in buildings and houses like certain types of windows or doorknobs or archways

‎:ويسألونك عن الحياة قل

‎هي بجمال يوسف وحزن أبيه و غدر إخوته

‎It contains the beauty of Yusuf;

‎the sorrow of his father;

- Who has more wealth

- Who is more “attractive”

- Who is married

- Who has more wealth

- Who is more “attractive”

- Who is married

no, your friend probably has not noticed they cut you off four times in this conversation. 

no, your brother didn’t realize his music was that loud while you were studying. 

no, your bff or S.O. doesn’t remember that you’re on a tight deadline right now.

no, no one else is paying attention to the four power dynamics at play in your friend group right now.  

a habit of abused kids, especially kids with unstable parents, is the tendency to notice every little detail. We magnify small nuances into major things, largely because small nuances quickly became breaking points for parents. Managing moods, reading the room, perceiving danger in the order of words, the shift of body weight….it’s all a natural outgrowth of trying to manage unstable parents from a young age. 

Here’s the thing: most people don’t do that. I’m not saying everyone else is oblivious, I’m saying the over analysis of minor nuances is a habit of abuse. 

I have a rule: I do not respond to subtext. This includes guilt tripping, silent treatments, passive aggressive behavior, etc. I see it. I notice it. I even sometimes have to analyze it and take a deep breath and CHOOSE not to respond. Because whether it’s really there or just me over-reading things that actually don’t mean anything, the habit of lending credence to the part of me that sees danger in the wrong shift of body weight…that’s toxic for me. And dangerous to my relationships. 

begin the day with fajr and read surah yaseen every morning so your day goes smoothly.

for important quizzes, presentations, assignments, exams, etc, keep reciting this duaa: Rabbi yassir, wala tu’assir, watammim bil-khayr. o Allah, make this easy for me, and do not make it difficult, and allow me to complete it well.

sit towards the front of the class so you can hear the teacher clearly, be less distracted by your surroundings, and ask questions easily.

adopt an alert posture. when you’re slouching, your brain assumes you’re uninterested so your information processing is slow. just adopting the right posture goes a long way in helping you concentrate.

drink lots of water. LOTS of it. during class, in between class, during exams, after exams, you get the idea. you need to stay hydrated to stay focused and mentally alert. 

keep your phone out of your visual field. contrary to popular belief, human beings are not equipped to be able to focus 100% on more than one thing a time. so decide which is more important - your grades or your social media notifications that’ll still be there by the end of the lecture? 

download and use the myhomework app. it has saved my life grades more than once. 

combine all of your reading material and create brief notes, mindmaps, and flowcharts for every topic at least a week before your finals, and just memorize those. you’ll retain information better, you’ll stay calm because suddenly 50 pages of readings got reduced to one page of notes, and you’ll be able to attempt your question paper better.

get 8 hours of sleep every night. yes, every night. you’re human and 8 hours of sleep will ensure that you function at your emotional and mental best throughout the day. the ideal thing to do after revising is to sleep because that allows you to retain what you’ve learned. the more sleep-deprived you are during exams season, the more likely you are to forget everything you learned in the panic of the moment. (fun psych fact: the most rapid forgetting happens during the first 9 hours after learning something, and the most effective way to retain maximum information is to SLEEP.)

avoid (or at least decrease) caffeine. i know, another impossibility. but really, getting a full night’s rest and avoiding caffeine go hand in hand. when you’re well-rested, you can focus better, and you can stay on top of things without having to drink 20 cups of coffee. 

hard work and discipline > intelligence. hard work is everything. discipline is everything. intelligence means nothing if you can’t couple it with the hard work and discipline needed to keep your priorities straight and keep going despite any setback in your path because you know what you’re striving for is worth it.

and the one thing that works miracles - doesn’t matter how poor or great your revision is for your exam, do wudu, pray two nafl, and make duaa before your exam. i was on a one-month leave this past semester and still got a 4.0 gpa, alhumdulillah, and i place the credit for that solely on this practice. i’m mentioning this not to boast but to motivate y’all to trust me on this one: it really works.

میں کیسے مان جاؤں وہ دور جا کے رویا

When he walked past me, he didn't even bother to ask how I'm. How can I believe when he was away from me that he cried for me.

– Parveen Shakir

تیرے پاس سے جو گزرے تو جنون میں تھے فراز

جب دور جا کے سوچا تو زار زار روئے

When I walked past you I was drunk in your love. When I realized I was away from you, I cried my heart out.

begin the day with fajr and read surah yaseen every morning so your day goes smoothly.

for important quizzes, presentations, assignments, exams, etc, keep reciting this duaa: Rabbi yassir, wala tu’assir, watammim bil-khayr. o Allah, make this easy for me, and do not make it difficult, and allow me to complete it well.

sit towards the front of the class so you can hear the teacher clearly, be less distracted by your surroundings, and ask questions easily.

adopt an alert posture. when you’re slouching, your brain assumes you’re uninterested so your information processing is slow. just adopting the right posture goes a long way in helping you concentrate.

drink lots of water. LOTS of it. during class, in between class, during exams, after exams, you get the idea. you need to stay hydrated to stay focused and mentally alert. 

keep your phone out of your visual field. contrary to popular belief, human beings are not equipped to be able to focus 100% on more than one thing a time. so decide which is more important - your grades or your social media notifications that’ll still be there by the end of the lecture? 

download and use the myhomework app. it has saved my life grades more than once. 

combine all of your reading material and create brief notes, mindmaps, and flowcharts for every topic at least a week before your finals, and just memorize those. you’ll retain information better, you’ll stay calm because suddenly 50 pages of readings got reduced to one page of notes, and you’ll be able to attempt your question paper better.

get 8 hours of sleep every night. yes, every night. you’re human and 8 hours of sleep will ensure that you function at your emotional and mental best throughout the day. the ideal thing to do after revising is to sleep because that allows you to retain what you’ve learned. the more sleep-deprived you are during exams season, the more likely you are to forget everything you learned in the panic of the moment. (fun psych fact: the most rapid forgetting happens during the first 9 hours after learning something, and the most effective way to retain maximum information is to SLEEP.)

avoid (or at least decrease) caffeine. i know, another impossibility. but really, getting a full night’s rest and avoiding caffeine go hand in hand. when you’re well-rested, you can focus better, and you can stay on top of things without having to drink 20 cups of coffee. 

hard work and discipline > intelligence. hard work is everything. discipline is everything. intelligence means nothing if you can’t couple it with the hard work and discipline needed to keep your priorities straight and keep going despite any setback in your path because you know what you’re striving for is worth it.

and the one thing that works miracles - doesn’t matter how poor or great your revision is for your exam, do wudu, pray two nafl, and make duaa before your exam. i was on a one-month leave this past semester and still got a 4.0 gpa, alhumdulillah, and i place the credit for that solely on this practice. i’m mentioning this not to boast but to motivate y’all to trust me on this one: it really works.