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I HAVE MODERATE ANXIETY AND SOCIAL ANXIETY. I WAS WONDERING IF IT ROOTS FROM A LACK OF BITOCHON (TRUST IN G-D)
No it roots from an using an inordinate amount of caps.
I’ve had anxiety for a long time and learned to cope with it. So can you!
i don’t think it results from a bitachon deficiency, but it could be that taking a daily dose of bitachon over a period of many years could aid in achieving wellness. I know someone with anxiety very well and trust me he has no less bitachon than anyone else.
He says he believes that if there was a bad middah of his which caused his anxiety, it would likely have been gaava. He believes he had been setting expectations for himself which were unrealistic (at least in the short term, maybe also in the long-term) and the root of that mistake was gaava.
He also cautioned that for other people, it could be an excess of anivus which causes anxiety; and that just improving other middos isn’t a complete solution, since anxiety itself can be a negative middah which must be worked on with its own tools.
Hatzlacha rabba!
A moderate amount of anxiety is a healthy thing; it keeps you from being too careless.
In this context anxiety refers to the condition of being constantly anxious or being anxious where there is no reason.
I don’t know if your anxiety stems from a lack of bitachon, but why shouldn’t it be possible? When I find myself feeling worried or anxious, the best antidote is to remember that Hashem is in charge, and I am not in control. Worrying won’t help. Surrendering your problems to Hashem works!
Susceptibility to anxiety is to a large degree caused by genes (are any of your parents or grandparents anxious?) and environment (did you suffer from traumatic experiences, drink a lot of coffee, use marijuana, etc.) I wouldn’t say you could necessarily blame it on a particular midah like bitachon.
By all means, you should work on your emuna/bitachon, as should pretty much everyone. Read R’ Shalom Arush’s seforim, other related seforim, daven at length in your own words for greater bitachon, etc. Avoid any disputes or arguments with other people, even on the Internet, because this will cause worry.
But you should also do things that are generally recommended for anxiety.
For example, stop drinking caffeine for a while, even dark chocolate (or at least switch from coffee to green tea). Engage in a few minutes of (kosher) meditation daily to calm your mind (there are tons of studies on how effective this is), or better yet make your davening meditative. Do some exercise in the morning or mid-day, especially aerobic exercise.
If you are worrying a lot, try to stop yourself by reassuring yourself that everything will be for the best, and by starting to think about something else. There are many books (secular as well as Jewish) about how to stop such thinking patterns.
Also, try not to put yourself in anxiety-provoking situations.
Finally, I know from friends’ experiences that Chinese medicine (ie, acupuncture, acupressure, etc.) is extremely effective for anxiety. Hatzlacha!
You may have an anxiety disorder. It has nothing to do with bitachon. Our body’s are supposed to feel anxious from time to time. Without any any anxiety, we couldn’t live productive lives.
What happens to many people is that their brain has some chemical malfunction which causes them to feel unnecessary and irrational anxiety. This is not uncommon, and can be treated in several ways (benzodaizepines, SSRIs, talk therapy).
pills
maybe you shouldnt be so involved in music, its not good to be too engrossed as it turns from an means to an end (connection to hashem) to an end in and of itself
See a qualified psychologist
SSRIs are overrated. Be careful.
Advice from anonymous posters is overrated. Speak to a professional for health advice.
Rock out, I’m not very knowledgable in these areas, but the way I understand it, there is no way to permanently fix anxiety with one dose of medication. You either have to go to therapy to learn how to deal with the symptoms, or permanently be on mess. Sometimes you even need both.
Did I get that right?
Here is some background: We all have a natural instinct to feel fright. It is only supposed to come when we are in a situation that warrants it. Anxiety is when fright appears in our regular normal daily lives. Its NOT a lack of bitachon. Don’t let anyone tell that to you.
There are different ways to attack it.
1. Therapy where you find out why you feel anxiety. Did you experience a trauma? Talking about it will help.
2. Work on relaxation exercises. When you feel anxiety use these to relax.
3. CBT. Understand that you are in charge of your thoughts and you can decide how you react to situations. Think about your anxiety; do you really think that it might happen? No! What’s the worst that can happen? Nothing really. So relax.
4. Mindfulness. Get in touch with your feelings. Think about what exactly is stressing you and learn to accept it.
5. Medication.
I gave you the background…now you need to figure out how bad your anxiety is and which road you would like to take to fix it.
I don’t think this type of anxiety is rooted in lack of bitachon.
It totally stems form bitachon! the roots are bitachon, but on a day to day basis, once you have anxiety, there can be other factors that contribute to it.
It makes so much sense. If you realized its all Hashem, and your not in control, then you’d relax.
Hatzlacha
Do physical disorders also come from a lack of bitachon, or just mental ones?
Everything that hasn’t affected my life so far comes from a lack of bitachon.
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