{"id":184097,"date":"2025-06-05T23:39:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T23:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=184097"},"modified":"2025-06-05T23:39:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T23:39:57","slug":"soulsync-from-stressed-to-blessed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=184097","title":{"rendered":"SoulSync: From feeling stressed to feeling blessed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><em>By, Saffiyyah Alisha<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PAGOH, 16 May 2025:\u00a0<em>SoulSync<\/em>, a mental wellness programme organised by students of SCSH 3164 (Usrah in Action 2), Section 514, was designed to serve as a safe space for emotional healing and self-expression. Held over two days, the programme gathered 40 students from Kolej Vokasional Pagoh for an immersive journey of creativity, reflection, and connection. With activities rooted in art therapy and group challenges,\u00a0<em>SoulSync<\/em>\u00a0aimed to promote mental well-being and strengthen participants\u2019 sense of self-worth. All modules were based on published research and delivered through interactive, hands-on experiences which aligned with IIUM\u2019s Tawhidic Epistemology, which integrates revealed knowledge (<em>naqli<\/em>) with empirical understanding (<em>aqli<\/em>) to promote holistic human development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first evening introduced the\u00a0<em>Serenity Studio<\/em>, an immersive art therapy workshop featuring three creative stations: colouring, origami, and bookmark making. Guided by facilitators, each station offered a calm and supportive environment for students to express emotions, relieve stress, and enhance focus and creativity. A key emotional highlight was the\u00a0<em>Heart-to-Heart<\/em> session, which provided a safe space for participants to share personal experiences, traumas, and thoughts. Many took this rare opportunity to speak openly, resulting in emotional breakthroughs and a strong sense of solidarity. Some participants were visibly moved to tears as they listened to stories of struggle from peers, stories they had never expected to hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second day began with a&nbsp;<em>Breezewalk<\/em>&nbsp;session, encouraging participants to reconnect with nature. The scenic surroundings of Kolej Vokasional Pagoh served as the ideal backdrop for mindfulness and reflection, allowing participants to appreciate the tranquillity of the natural environment as a manifestation of His perfect creation. This spiritual connection reflects the Tawhidic worldview, where every aspect of life including emotional and mental well-being is understood as part of our servitude to Allah SWT. The day continued with&nbsp;<em>The Soul Quest Explorace<\/em>, a dynamic six-checkpoint group activity combining physical movement with emotional exploration. The challenges, including gratitude storytelling, emotional puzzles, collaborative games, and self-affirmation exercises, fostered self-awareness, resilience, and peer support. Participants were actively engaged throughout the session, demonstrating teamwork and enthusiasm in completing every task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of its sustainability efforts, the\u00a0<em>SoulSync<\/em>\u00a0team is preparing to publish a digital e-book documenting the programme\u2019s methodology, activities, and participant reflections. This initiative aims to extend the programme\u2019s impact, allowing it to be replicated or adapted for future mental health and well-being efforts thus embodying Ummatic Excellence by contributing to the well-being of society in line with Islamic values and social responsibility. The success of\u00a0<em>SoulSync<\/em> was further recognised when it received the Gold Award and was named \u201cMost Impactful Project,\u201d at the 7th\u00a0<em>University in Action Symposium<\/em>\u00a0on 23 May 2025 in Pagoh Campus. This shows the affirmation of its emotional depth and long-term potential in supporting student well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through this initiative, the organising team hopes to contribute meaningfully to a culture of care, compassion, and emotional growth. By aligning with IIUM\u2019s mission to produce balanced individuals who serve as agents of mercy (<em>rahmatan lil \u2018alamin<\/em>),&nbsp;<em>SoulSync<\/em>&nbsp;exemplifies the integration of knowledge, faith, and action. May this small effort inspire lasting change for the benefit of future generations.***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"677\" data-id=\"184098\" src=\"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2273-1024x677.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-184098\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2273-1024x677.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2273-300x198.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2273-768x507.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2273.jpeg 1418w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" data-id=\"184099\" src=\"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2274-1024x680.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-184099\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2274-1024x680.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2274-300x199.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2274-768x510.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2274-1536x1020.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2274.jpeg 1572w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"675\" data-id=\"184100\" src=\"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2275-1024x675.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-184100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2275-1024x675.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2275-300x198.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2275-768x507.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2275-1536x1013.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2275.jpeg 1639w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By, Saffiyyah Alisha PAGOH, 16 May 2025:\u00a0SoulSync, a mental wellness programme organised by students of SCSH 3164 (Usrah in Action 2), Section 514, was designed&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":239,"featured_media":184101,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,4,3],"tags":[],"nelio_content":{"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"followers":[257,239],"suggestedReferences":[],"efiUrl":"","efiAlt":"","highlights":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_2272.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184097"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/239"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=184097"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":184418,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184097\/revisions\/184418"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/184101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=184097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=184097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=184097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}