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Samia Quddus | Fully Qualified Therapist & Lecturer

@taqdeerlife

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Fully Qualified Therapist Accred MBACP PGDip & Lecturer 🎓🇬🇧
Alhamdulillah always
TaqdeerLife est17 UK’s 1st Islamic psychospiritual gratitude journal👇🏼

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Alhamdulillah...mashallah ⭕️ I’ve just entered my third year as postgraduate diploma tutor teaching academic counselling and psychotherapy and it’s made me reflect on a path I never really planned or thought possible.

After almost 15 years working in primary education, I made the decision to retrain as a therapist and at the time, I simply hoped to develop the knowledge and skills to support people in a different way, never imagining that some years later I’d find myself teaching on the very programme that helped shape me.

Looking back, I can see how much of the journey wasn’t something I had planned, but something He had written for me. Sometimes we take a step without knowing where it will lead, trusting that Allah knows what we can’t yet see and what feels like an unexpected turn in the moment can, with hindsight, become part of a much bigger plan.

More than anything, I remember the experience of being a student and while the academic training was invaluable, it was also a deeply personal journey because my faith and beliefs are central to who I am and the entire journey was a period of growth that extended far beyond what I expected.

I’m forever grateful for the tutors who invested in us, the friendships that were formed and the colleagues who continue to inspire me today.

Whenever I step into my teaching shoes, I think back to the version of myself who sat in these same rooms years ago, trying to make sense of new ideas whilst learning more about herself in the process.

Alhamdulillah for the people, opportunities and unexpected turns along the way.

Samia 🤍

#therapistsofig #southasiantherapist #alhamdulillahalways #mentalhealthprofessionals #academiclife @reiss @gap @mango

counselling psychology, muslim therapist, therapist training, counselling education, mental health education, psychotherapy training, career change, future therapists, mental health matters, professional journey, lifelong learning by @taqdeerlife

Parents, Educators and Young People, this is a reel to Save + Share.

What's one thing you've learnt about your emotions through social media?

Here’s a segment snippet exploring the effects of social media on adolescent girls’ wellbeing and mental health with host Naeem Raza on @islamchannel #thetodayshow.

Where #socialmediacontent was once a place to share pretty pictures of places visited, the platform has become a place of everything, and more recently is described as the new media.

I'm sure we can agree having felt overwhelmed, angered, saddened and even inadequate at some point whilst scrolling through social media content.

For young adolescent women, social media can cultivate unrealistic ideals, comparison with others and the need to appear happy in their life.

With Metaverse in action, it's important we prepare young people’s #emotionalwellbeing by becoming conscious social media users achieved via paying attention to our felt emotions when we choose to actively scroll.

Research states that on average we spend 85% of our time on social media, and in my opinion that is 85% of our time that we can use to find out about ourselves, especially our emotions.

👇🏼 So have a go at this:

#becurious and take 1-2 minutes of momentary reflection at the end of every scroll session.

• Identify and name your emotions

• Which posts elicited these felt-states?

• What might this be telling you about yourself?

📱I’d love to know if you give this a go!

Taqdeer Life creator, Samia Quddus, is a qualified psychotherapeutic Integrative Therapist (MBACP) and primary school teacher. She has a specialism in social, emotional and mental health (SEMH), and child, young people (CYP) and adult counselling.

#socialmediaadvice #consciousparent #consciousparenting #knowyourstuff #selfawarenessjourney #selfaware #smartphoneonly #youngpeoplematter #youngpeople #childrensmentalhealthmatters #childrensmentalhealth #selfdevelopmentgoals #emotionsmatter #psychologytoday #mentalhealthprofessional #psychotherapists #tvtalk #adviceoftheday #tvshowedit #tvinterview #thetodayshow #therapistsofinstagram #lookafteryourself #beconscious #taqdeerlife #psychologicalhealth #london by @taqdeerlife

As a therapist, I love how nature and autumn serve as a powerful metaphor, gently reminding us that release isn’t loss, it’s part of growth, Alhamdulillah. 🧡

The leaves don’t cling to branches out of fear of what comes next. They let go when it’s time, trusting that letting go creates space for something new.

From a therapeutic perspective, healing often begins with acceptance and not forcing ourselves to move on before we’re ready, but gently acknowledging what no longer serves us and allowing ourselves permission to release it.

Just like the trees, you don’t have to force the process. Trust that some things are meant to fall away and that shedding what is no longer needed can be an act of healing.

Samia 🍂 🍁

#lettinggoquotes #lifetransitions #autumnreflections #healinginprogress therapistthought by @taqdeerlife

A therapist’s reminder...a person may kneel a thousand times in prayer and still rise with cruelty in their heart because true transformation requires more than repetition...it requires honesty.

Prayer can bring us into the presence of Allah, but only humility, self-awareness, accountability and sincere inner work can soften the parts of us that continue to harm others...the measure of prayer isn’t simply how often we bow, but who we become because of it.

One of the greatest deceptions of the nafs (ego) is convincing us that religious activity is the same as spiritual growth, however true closeness to Allah is seen not only in how long we stand before Him, but in how we treat those around us after we leave the prayer mat.

A heart that genuinely bows before Allah finds it difficult to look down on His creation.

Samia 🤍

#therapistthoughts #hearthealing #tazkiyah #spiritualgrowthjourney #islamicpsychology by @taqdeerlife

As a therapist and woman to woman, let’s talk about the pressure we put on Muslim female influencers with a platform 🤍

I believe we’ve seriously underestimated how much pressure we place on Muslim women who have inspired us through their faith, especially when their personal choices begin to change to the point where we become so attached to the version of a woman who first inspired us that we forget she is a human being too.

This is when inspiration can turn into expectation.

So when her choices change, we feel disappointed, perhaps even betrayed. We question her intentions, scrutinise her decisions and wonder how someone who once inspired us could do something different.

But here’s a hard truth…her journey with Allah was never a promise to remain the same person for our comfort.

Perhaps we need to stop treating Muslim female influencers as though they are representatives of our personal expectations of what a Muslim woman should look like.

You can appreciate the good someone brought into your life without demanding that she remain unchanged for the rest of yours.

Samia 🤍

#muslimwoman #therapistthoughts #muslimah #hijabiblogger #islamicremindersdaily

Muslimwomen with a platform, Muslim influencers,Islamic reminders, modesty in Islam, Muslimsisterhood, accountability and compassion, navigating faith as a Muslim woman by @taqdeerlife

A Therapist’s reminder… Women moralising other women’s choices is mean woman energy. A Muslim woman’s relationship with her hijab and faith is personal and we rarely know what someone is navigating privately.

You can…

a) believe hijab is an obligation in Islam without publicly shaming women who struggle with it or choose differently.

b) value modesty without policing another woman’s appearance.

c) believe in religious principles without using them to question another woman’s character.

and d) ask why you need to question her sincerity and intentions as she changes and figures things out.

If your concern is the commercialisation of modest fashion, address the commercialisation of modest fashion.

We don’t have to agree with every woman’s choices to treat her with compassion and we don’t need to turn her journey with faith into an opportunity to feel morally superior.

Women supporting women means extending compassion even when we don’t make the same choices.

Samia 🤍

#hijab #muslimwomen #womensupportingwomen❤️ #hijabjourney #islamicremindersdaily by @taqdeerlife

For many Brown women, people-pleasing isn’t simply about struggling to say no, lacking boundaries or being afraid of disappointing others.

It’s often rooted in the systems we’re raised in, the cultures that shape us and the communities we seek to belong to because these communities form an integral part of our identity.

And so, people-pleasing can become more than a habit…it can become a way of staying connected, feeling safe and navigating the systems and relationships that shape our sense of belonging.

When we tell Brown women to simply stop people-pleasing, we risk overlooking the very real emotional, relational and cultural complexities behind it and this is why as a Brown therapist, I believe we need to approach people-pleasing with curiosity and rather than asking you to abandon the parts of yourself that have helped you navigate your world.

Simply put, I want to help you understand them.

Sometimes healing isn’t about becoming less accommodating, but about being more intentional about what you accommodate, why you do it and what it costs you.

This is what it means to work with cultural competence…recognising the influence of collectivist cultures and understanding the deeper meanings behind the ways we learn to relate, belong and survive.

Samia 🤍

#therapistsofig #southasiantherapist #peoplepleasingrecovery #selfabandonment #southasianwomen

people pleasing in brown women, brown therapist, South Asian mental health, cultural conditioning, good daughter syndrome, eldest daughter syndrome, family expectations, setting boundaries, cultural identity, emotional wellbeing by @taqdeerlife

It’s easy to assume that mental health looks like having it all together and “instatherapy” has definitely played a role in promoting the idea that healing means reaching a point where you no longer get triggered, but here’s a truth we don’t talk about enough…emotional health is rarely that tidy.

Sometimes, the real signs of healing are much quieter.

They look like allowing yourself to feel triggered without immediately interpreting it as a sign that you haven’t healed and instead, you learn to become curious about what’s happening within you.

They look like learning to sit with difficult emotions rather than trying to escape them and gradually developing a greater capacity to respond to emotional pain with compassion, wisdom and self-awareness.

As Muslims, we’re not asked to become emotionally invulnerable, so remember, your triggers don’t necessarily mean you’ve gone backwards and the fact that some wounds still ache doesn’t invalidate the healing that has already taken place.

One of the greatest signs of emotional and spiritual maturity is that you begin to approach yourself with curiosity instead of criticism.

You learn to recognise that being triggered is not the same as being back where you started and you begin to trust that Allah can continue to work through the very places you wish were already healed.

This too, is growth 🌱

Samia 🤍

#growthmindset🌱 #emotionalmaturity #healingjourneys #therapistthoughts #selfworthquotes by @taqdeerlife

“I’ll forever be the soul who finds beauty in the little things and feels grateful to experience them.”

There’s something beautiful about learning to slow down, being present to recognise the blessings He has placed in the smallest moments of our everyday lives because when life gets busy, it can be so easy to overlook those ‘Alhamdulillah moments’ that surround us.

The more I embrace gratitude, the more I realise it’s about learning to see the extraordinary in what we already have.

This is one of the reasons why I created Taqdeer Life, my Islamic psychospiritual gratitude journal…to offer a space to pause, reconnect with myself, reflect on my experiences and nurture a deeper awareness of Allah’s blessings in my life.

Taqdeer Life is an invitation to make space for this journey, one page at a time. 🖤

Our spiritual well-being isn’t nurtured only through the big milestones in life, but also through the little moments of remembrance, reflection and appreciation that we choose to honour each day.

“If you are grateful, I will surely increase you in favour.”
14:7 ✨

May Allah allow us to be among those who recognise His blessings, find beauty in the ordinary, remain grounded through life’s uncertainties and live with hearts that continually return to gratitude, Ameen.

Samia 🤍

🔗 Journal link in bio | Available at taqdeer.life

#gratitudepractice #gratitudejournal #begratefuleveryday #muslimmentalhealth #islamicpsychology

Islamic psychology, psycho spiritual, self development, muslimah wellness, alhamdulillah always, m muslim lifestyle, Islamic reflection, daily gratitude, finding beauty in the little things, taqdeerlife by @taqdeerlife

A therapist’s reminder 🤍 It’s easy to scroll through social media and start measuring your life against someone else’s highlights and while there is nothing wrong with celebrating success, remember that achievement is not identity and your value was never meant to be measured by what you’ve accomplished or what others can see....

Your worth comes from the One who created you.

From an emotional and spiritual perspective, constantly seeking external validation can leave us feeling as though our value is conditional, as though we have to keep proving ourselves to be enough, but your worth was never something to earn because Allah gave you inherent value long before you achieved anything.

The recognition of people may come and go, some seasons will be filled with visible achievements while others will be spent growing quietly behind the scenes...both have value.

So celebrate others without comparing yourself and remember that no title, accolade, qualification or milestone can replace the value Allah has already placed within you.

You are more than your achievements and you are more than what you post online.

Samia 🤍

#muslimmindset #islamicremindersdaily #selfworthjourney #healingjourneys #personalgrowthtips by @taqdeerlife

Rich in life, purpose and the privilege of making a difference alhamdulillah mashallah ✨

My psychotherapy training specialised in child and adolescent development and therapy. One of the greatest privileges of the various hats I wear in the therapy field is the opportunity to walk alongside young people during one of the most important stages of their development, supporting them as they navigate the complexities of adolescence.

Being a teenager in today’s world comes with its own unique challenges, which is why working with this age group means so much to me as therapy isn’t about fixing young people or expecting them to have everything figured out…

It’s about creating a space where they can explore their emotions without fear of judgement, develop a deeper understanding of themselves, build emotional resilience and discover healthier ways to navigate life’s challenges.

It’s also about reminding them that their feelings are valid, their experiences matter and they don’t have to navigate everything alone.

Adolescence isn’t simply a phase to get through, it’s a crucial period of emotional, psychological and social development that can shape how young people see themselves, relate to others and approach the world around them.

While this work comes with its challenges, there is something incredibly fulfilling about witnessing a young person gradually find their voice, recognise their strengths, develop confidence and begin to see themselves with greater compassion.

And if my work allows even one young person to feel a little less alone, a little more understood and a little more hopeful about who they are becoming, then that is a richness I will never take for granted.

Alhamdulillah always,

Samia 🤍

#teenmentalhealth #therapistsofig #therapistlife #childdevelopmentspecialist #southasiantherapist by @taqdeerlife