Why so Anxious!?

Don’t ask US for help.

Get help from a professional therapist. He or she can get you to manage your anxiety and live life stress-free.

Also, check out some breathing exercises you can do if you feel the anxiety builing up.

Best of luck.

Anxiety is an extremely common problem, and there are many ways to deal with it. Many books have been written for anxiety sufferers. Psychiatrists will give you meds for it, but I recommend against it if you can avoid it (since there are side effects and you can become dependent on them). Some recommendations:

1) Stop all caffeine (tea, coffee, soft drinks).

2) Avoid all illegal drugs like the plague (shouldn’t have to say that one, but it’s important because many of them cause severe and long-lasting anxiety.)

3) Get some exercise, either long brisk walks or aerobic exercise daily or several times a week.

4) Get enough sleep.

5) Work on your emuna/bitachon. Constantly remind yourself that everything is for the best and there’s no reason to worry. Read books on the subject (such as those by Rav Shalom Arush).

6) Meditate. This helps to calm and settle your mind. There are many kosher ways to meditate which you can find out about online. Set a timer for 5 minutes, close your eyes, remove everyday thoughts from your mind, and focus on a concept (like feeling love for Hashem, being in awe of Hashem’s greatness and goodness, yearning for Hashem, feeling His love, feeling thankful, etc.) Do this everyday and it can make a big impact on how you feel.

7) Do hitbodedus. Spend at least 15 minutes a day walking alone in nature with no cell phone, thanking Hashem, praying that your anxiety gets better and asking Hashem for guidance on this issue and anything else you or others may need.

8) Think of people you know who also suffer from anxiety or other problems (like depression or serious mental illness or chronic pain). Daven for them a few minutes every day. It is taught that if you pray for others first, your prayers for yourself are more likely to be answered.

9) Pray some tehillim each day. Say a brief prayer in your own words before and afterward, asking for improvement in your anxiety.

10) If you want to go to a doctor, consider going to an acupuncturist first, rather than a psychiatrist. I know someone whose anxiety was helped a ton through acupuncture.

Just some thoughts! Let us know if any of it helps.