This has been a pretty grueling week, and I’m definitely ready to unwind.

Unfortunately, when I’m stressed, I automatically turn to food. Not only is that pretty unhealthy, but that’s not a real option during Ramadan. My second option is usually watching some mindless TV, which is probably not that productive in Ramadan, either.

I wish I was one of those people who could just relax with a warm bath and a candle, but I’m not much of an aromatherapy person. I’m also not a big fan of massages, though I know people love them.

I think I just have a hard time letting my mind relax. If I have nothing to concentrate on, my brain goes back to what I’m trying to escape from. And then of course I have to start making lists and checking off items that I have to get done.

I know that the best option to relieve stress is physical activity. That always makes me feel better, and the weather is cooling down enough to take a walk and not sweat every ounce of water saved up from suhoor.

But I always get lazier the more stressed out I get, which is never a good thing.
What do you guys do to relieve stress? I need some new tips and ideas for weeks like this past one!

Pop Culture Hijabi is a weekly column by Nadia Malik. Malik is a former newspaper reporter based in Chicago who’s now making her way as a freelancer. She spends entirely too much time watching TV and reading pop culture, fashion and TV blogs. She also occasionally consumes serious books and news. No, really. You can reach her at info@hijabtrendz.com with “pop culture hijabi” in the subject line, follow her at www.twitter.com/nadiamalik or simply leave a comment below.

If you haven’t already been watching, one show I MUST recommend is “Friday Night Lights”. Based on its ratings, not many people ARE watching, which is a shame. Not to worry, though, because ABC Family just picked up the NBC series and will be airing it every day at 6 p.m. Eastern time.

It’s one of those shows that is nearly perfect in every way. Sure, it’s centered around a high school football team, but there’s not much you need to know (or like) about the game to love the show.

The show is set in a small town (Dillon) in Texas where football is the religion. Everyone is obsessed with the high school team, and there’s a lot of pressure on those teenagers to win a state championship every year.

That’s where the beauty of the show lies: Not in the actual game but in how people react to the pressures put on them and how characters survive in a town that has boxed them in.

I would say give yourself an early Eid present and start watching when the show re-airs starting on Sept. 7.

I already saw the first season when it first aired on NBC, and I’m still excited to re-watch it.

I’ve always had a soft spot for shows set in high school, which is odd because I hated that time of my life. But I think those years offer a lot for story. There are tensions with the opposite gender, trying to figure out what to do with your life, rebelling against the rules your parents have set for you.
Plus, I never grew up in a small town, so it’s nice to be given insight into it.

I don’t want to oversell the show. No TV series is perfect. I love this one because it’s simply about life. This is a look into one town that really could be like a town that exists. It’s a mirror to what we could be going through ourselves. The stories are poignant and told in a simple way.
I hope anyone who watches falls in love with “Friday Night Lights” the same way I did.

Pop Culture Hijabi is a weekly column by Nadia Malik. Malik is a former newspaper reporter based in Chicago who’s now making her way as a freelancer. She spends entirely too much time watching TV and reading pop culture, fashion and TV blogs. She also occasionally consumes serious books and news. No, really. You can reach her at info@hijabtrendz.com with “pop culture hijabi” in the subject line, follow her at www.twitter.com/nadiamalik or simply leave a comment below.

Every year, I try to set goals for myself during Ramadan, and most of them end up not having anything to do with Islam.
Sure, I have my usual religious goals: Read more Quran, learn more Surahs, learn more about Islam in general, etc. I also try not to listen to any music or watch superfluous movies or TV during this month, not for any other reason than I should probably be doing something better with my time.

But many of my goals are simply related to my life. I think Ramadan is a good time for that. It’s a month of self-reflection. I think it gives us some time to step back from our daily hustle and bustle and really think about what we want to do.

I have some personal, private goals, of course, but there are others that are very general.

I need to become more organized, and I’ve resolved to do that in small increments this month and the following months so that  I can make things simpler on myself. Part of this includes doing a massive cleaning, getting rid of things that I no longer use. I plan on tackling that starting this weekend, doing a few items at a time so that I don’t get overwhelmed and give up.

I also want to write more, just for myself, so that I can improve my skills and push myself beyond what I’m comfortable with.

In a way, Ramadan is a time to revisit those New Year’s resolutions that many of us make. Usually, I have some vague notions stuck in my head, but, this year, I wrote down my goals and resolutions. I put them next to my bed so that I could see them before I go to sleep every night.

I’m happy to say that I’m getting better at striving to meet my goals. I doubt that I’ll meet all of them. That would be nearly impossible in a month. But I think I’m making more progress this year than I normally do.
So do you guys have Ramadan goals? Are they always about Islam, or are they more related to your life? Do you meet them year after year?

Pop Culture Hijabi is a weekly column by Nadia Malik. Malik is a former newspaper reporter based in Chicago who’s now making her way as a freelancer. She spends entirely too much time watching TV and reading pop culture, fashion and TV blogs. She also occasionally consumes serious books and news. No, really. You can reach her at info@hijabtrendz.com with “pop culture hijabi” in the subject line, follow her at www.twitter.com/nadiamalik or simply leave a comment below.

Lately, it seems that I’ve been having many conversations with people about hijab. There are issues that come with wearing hijab  that you just don’t realize until you start doing it!

Last week’s post about how you learned to wear hijab brought out a lot of comments. I didn’t realize YouTube videos are so popular. It’s really great to hear that so many women are sharing their hijab secrets.

Soon after I had that conversation with my friend about learning to wear hijab, I spoke with another friend about what to do with old hijabs and ones I don’t wear.

I definitely have that problem. I’ve bought some scarves thinking I need that color only to find out that it doesn’t work or that I already have a similar one. Plus, I have some old scarves that have holes in the pin area because I’ve worn them so much.
So what to do with all this extra material?

I’ve heard of girls having hijab swaps, which seems like a great idea. You gather some friends and everyone brings a few superfluous hijabs that they no longer wear. It would be a great way to add to your collection while also cleaning out extras.

But, I’m not sure what to do about material that nobody wants. I could use it as a dust rag, I guess. Someone also suggested donating it to schools so they can use the cloth for dress-up or for projects. In fact, you could probably use it to make clothes for dolls, etc. One of my friends also made a tongue-in-cheek suggestion of making a quilt, but that may actually work, depending on the material.

Do you guys have any suggestions for what to do with old hijabs? Have you done anything unique to get rid of them?

Pop Culture Hijabi is a weekly column by Nadia Malik. Malik is a former newspaper reporter based in Chicago who’s now making her way as a freelancer. She spends entirely too much time watching TV and reading pop culture, fashion and TV blogs. She also occasionally consumes serious books and news. No, really. You can reach her at info@hijabtrendz.com with “pop culture hijabi” in the subject line, follow her at www.twitter.com/nadiamalik or simply leave a comment below.

A friend posed an interesting question the other day: How did you learn to wear hijab?

I’m sure that for a few years after I started wearing hijab, I probably looked rather weird. It takes some time to find your own style. Even now I don’t always have a handle on my scarf. There are bad hijab days, and that’s all there is to it.

But it seems that each girl I know who wears hijab has a very distinct style. I use two straight pins to put one flap on top of my head. It’s the easiest for me to do, and it keeps my scarf on pretty securely throughout the day. But I don’t remember when I realized that was best for me.

I also found that plain bandanas worked best for me under my scarf. The cloth, elastic umtas that are sold at hijab stores simply don’t keep my hair in place. But it took a lot of trial and error for me to figure that out. I think most of us just take notice of what other people are wearing and try out a few different things until we find what’s comfortable.

But did any of you have someone actually teach you how to wear your hijab?

I’ve never been able to get a handle on dupatta, or sheila, styles. No matter how much I try, that style just doesn’t suit. I’ve tried to have people teach me, and it still doesn’t work out. It’s a bit frustrating, since other people look so good in those hijabs, but some styles only suit certain people, I guess.

If someone asked me to help them put on hijab, I don’t know how helpful I would be either.

In fact, my sister started wearing hijab just a year after me, but she wears it in a completely different way. But I’m sure there are friends out there who help each other out with styles or sisters who teach the other one.

So where did you all learn? Is your hijab style still changing after many years? Or are you comfortable with the one you’ve found?

Pop Culture Hijabi is a weekly column by Nadia Malik. Malik is a former newspaper reporter based in Chicago who’s now making her way as a freelancer. She spends entirely too much time watching TV and reading pop culture, fashion and TV blogs. She also occasionally consumes serious books and news. No, really. You can reach her at info@hijabtrendz.com with “pop culture hijabi” in the subject line, follow her at www.twitter.com/nadiamalik or simply leave a comment below.