{"id":20898,"date":"2020-11-24T14:52:54","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T14:52:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jewishaction.com\/?p=20898"},"modified":"2020-11-25T14:48:24","modified_gmt":"2020-11-25T14:48:24","slug":"perspectives-on-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jewishaction.com\/health\/perspectives-on-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Perspectives on Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anxiety: How Much Is Too Much?<\/strong>
\nWhile anxiety is a normal emotion, there are times when serious intervention is necessary. When anxiety is severe, such as when it begins to interfere with one\u2019s daily life, one should seek professional help.<\/em><\/p>\n

At age nineteen, college student Ahuva (not her real name) began experiencing anxiety attacks. There were days when she was nauseous and tearful, and just wanted to stay in bed. \u201cI couldn\u2019t identify a trigger,\u201d she says, although she admits to having been bullied relentlessly during elementary school. Ahuva realized she needed help. She entered therapy and was eventually prescribed medication by a psychiatrist. It was a rocky adjustment until the dosages were fine-tuned. When things began to stabilize, her best friend got married and left town. Then her aunt died after a battle with cancer. \u201cAfter that, I had a breakdown,\u201d she says. \u201cI couldn\u2019t get out of bed, had no appetite and cried all day. My therapist thought I should consider going to a facility, because on a twenty-point scale of anxiety, I was a nineteen.\u201d Ultimately, Ahuva was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Her medication dose was increased, and she attended more frequent therapy sessions. She also joined a support group for people who suffer from anxiety disorders. \u201cYour life is not over after you get diagnosed,\u201d she says. \u201cWith anxiety you go up and down, but I\u2019m in a good place now.\u201d\u00a0This\u00a0fall,\u00a0she started a master\u2019s program\u00a0in mental health counseling.<\/p>\n

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Giving Up Control<\/strong>
\nOne way to alleviate anxiety is giving up your need for control and strengthening your belief that God is in control. \u201cNowadays we can predict markets, the weather, et cetera,\u201d explains Dr. David\u202fH. Rosmarin, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and founder of the Center for Anxiety in New York. \u201cWe\u2019re obsessed with control. We don\u2019t realize that emotional fluctuations, unpredictability and failure are normal parts of life. We\u2019ve lost tolerance for\u00a0uncertainty and\u00a0feel anxious when we can\u2019t control every outcome.\u201d Remarkably, clinical science points to the importance of giving up control and \u201caccepting the uncertainty of life as the foremost antidote to anxiety,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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When Your Child Is Feeling Anxious<\/strong>
\nBy David H. Rosmarin<\/em><\/p>\n

If your child doesn\u2019t want to go to school or take a test, for example, due to his anxiety:<\/p>\n