Dealing With The Anxiety

It seems that there are two main concerns that are consuming people.

1] Will I or those close to me die? That is SCARY. [You will and so will they, by the way. Just a matter of time. If not corona then there are many other ways people go. But READ ON!!!]

2] If we remain alive - what will life look like? This includes the questions: Will life be even worth living? Will we have food to eat? Will we lose all of our money? Will we lose our jobs and homes? Will the world economy collapse?? That is ALSO scary.

According to a news site I saw - people are dying not only from corona but from the FEAR of corona. Literally dying. רח"ל. 

I am an unpaid, undegreed, unemployed, unlicensed, psychologist. With that in mind I will tell you my thoughts on how to deal with such fears:

• Invalidate these concerns and show how they are irrational? That approach is often effective [like for people who are afraid of flying] but in this case the fears really have a strong basis. The wrong guy coughs on someone and in days he can be dead. [By the way - corona aside - people are still dying from other things too]. Over 43,000 people recorded dead in the last few weeks [I would surmise that there are a lot more who haven't been reported for various reasons]. The virus is everywhere. 

The facts on the ground? From the Washington Post about five minutes ago: 

"Hopes for a swift recovery from the coronavirus pandemic dimmed after President Trump warned of a “very painful” fight against the virus, with the White House projecting 100,000 to 240,000 U.S. deaths, even with mitigation efforts. United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said the outbreak that has sickened hundreds of thousands of people around the world and devastated the global economy is the “most challenging crisis we have faced” since World War II.

Here are some significant developments:

The United States continued to far outstrip other nations in confirmed infections. The country’s overall caseload reached 185,000, and the number of U.S. deaths neared 4,000.

U.S. stock futures and European markets fell Wednesday, pointing to a bleak start to the second quarter on Wall Street as weak global data dashed any hopes of a quick recovery in the world’s economies.

So no minimizing the seriousness of the situation. It is grave indeed. 

• Try to distract oneself, watch movies and do jigsaw puzzles? [BTW - The jigsaw puzzles have been selling like anything. People are desperate to do something to keep themselves busy and the solution for many is puzzles. That, to me, is puzzling - at least for adults, but that is another talk].    That is effective for a little while but the worrisome thoughts always return. 

• Talk about it? Great idea. Talking is often helpful and can relieve some anxiety. But that is not the complete solution.

Be proactive. Call people [like Bubby and Zeide] to lift their spirits. It'll lift yours. Learn. Say Tehillim. ALL GREAT!!

• My solution: It starts with a "B". 

Beer. 

No, just joking. 

BITACHON. 

There is a G-d. He loves us, He is bringing this upon us for reasons that NOBODY can decipher because of our limited spiritual capacity. His wisdom is beyond infinite. Our perception and wisdom are both limited and often distorted. כי לא יראני האדם וחי. In our earthly bodies we are almost completely removed from the true understanding of ANYTHING.

So LET GO. Breathe DEEPLY a few times and tell Hashem that you totally accept and submit His will. You are not in control of almost ANYTHING [except to do stupid things like go near other people when their germs can kill you]. "בידך אפקיד רוחי"!!! LORD, MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE - I ENTRUST MY SPIRIT IN YOUR HANDS. 

Period. You are almost completely out of control. Any illusions of human control have officially been shattered into pieces and the tens of thousands of corpses and hundreds of thousands [if not millions] of sick people will prove it.  

ATHEISTS - You guys are up the creek. This whole universe to you is a colossal, cosmic mistake. Now this horrible virus - another chance mistake threatens to wipe us out. Your meaningless lives lay in peril. 

MAAMINIM - GOOD NEWS!!!! There is a purpose to all of this. IT WILL BE OK!!! Hashem has a PLAN. This is part of the plan. Our 70-80 plus minus year sojourn on this planet is not the end. There are MUCH GREATER things awaiting us. In order to get there we need to overcome challenges. We overcome by staying firm in our faith and SURRENDER to the Ribbono Shel Olam. 

The main task at this time is to remain HAPPY. The source of this happiness is the knowledge that all has meaning and is intended to bring us to a MUCH BETTER PLACE than we were before. As we say in the Hagada: מאפילה לאור גדול. Not just from darkness to light but from darkness to GREAT LIGHT!! That is also why the Gemara requires מתחילים בגנות ומסיימים בשבח - We start with the "bad" part of the story: We are descended from idol worshippers - Terach and even Avraham who started out as an idol worshipper. Or [according to the other opinion] we started a low slaves in Egypt. But look at where we came!! We are the CHOSEN PEOPLE. And it could only happen because of the rough times. מסיימים בשבח!

That is why we had to leave Egypt ברכוש גדול - with many possessions. We couldn't leave as we came in. If we are in the same place we were before - then what was the POINT of the whole exercise?? We want things to be a MILLION TIMES better than it was before. 

In order for things to get better, Hashem is completely unraveling things as they are. No more work. No more sports [at least the Mets won't stink this year...]. No more going anywhere. No more ANYTHING. The world as we know it is suspended. We are all hiding in our home from a germ that is close to a billionth of a meter that we have never seen and yet is more powerful than the entire mankind combined!!! [Maharal - הפסד קודם להוויה חדשה].

WE HAVE TO STOP BELIEVING IN PEOPLE. Trump לא יושיענו. Even HE admits it. 

BITACHON BITACHON BITACHON!!!! This is just the beginning. This whole world is just a short stay in the waiting room. People in the outside world don't get it. They live as if this is all there is to it. 

Not. 

We have TREMENDOUS bracha waiting for us. As much as this was an unexpected catastrophe, there is a much, much, much greater reward waiting for everyone who lives based on the dictates of his or her Neshama. 

Look inward, connect to your Neshama, that piece of Hashem within you, observe the Hand of Hashem in the world outside of you - and wait patiently.

The Neviim promised us in the name of Hashem, a GREAT AMAZING FUTURE!!!!  

There - you should feel better already. 

If anyone wants to talk with or email me - feel free. I have nowhere to go....

Bi-ahava rabba,

Me😀