THIS IS A TEST SITE
Mental health concerns in the context of faith:
A Jewish Perspective
Meet Debra:
Debra is Jewish and lives with anxiety and an eating disorder. Debra moved to this community around five years ago. In her previous community she felt welcomed and supported, there was always a familiar smiling face to meet her when she came to services in her local synagogue. She knew that every Shabbat she would go to the Shul and that routine gave her structure to manage her anxiety. She was plagued by thoughts of “why me? why do I have to go through life with so much anxiety?”
She was comfortable enough to share about her eating disorder just with two ladies from the congregation. They got together to study Psalms and reflect on the meaning of suffering and even helped her work out a strategy of how to handle her anxieties during Kiddish.
Debra remembers this time and shares: “I had friends, I felt loved and accepted, I had hope, my weeks had structure and rhythm, and if the week was hard I knew that I would find comfort on the Sabbath. In exploring the meaning of suffering together with other friends I found new insights. I had hope. I never felt alone although I spent many hours on my own.”
She moved to this city and the first thing was to search and find the right kind of synagogue because she knew of the benefits of a warm and supportive Jewish community. Because of her anxiety she can be a bit abrupt and short in temper, and also her physical appearance makes people uncomfortable because she is so extremely thin. She came to a Friday night service and ended up sitting all by herself the entire time. This added to her feelings of anxiety and stress so the one interaction that she did have ended up being harsh and abrupt. All people could see was that she was a woman with mental issues. Had they stopped for a moment they would have noticed her true identity, that she is a human being created in the image of God, as much as any other.
Debra now shares: “I have been living here for five years now. I have no friends in my community, just acquaintances. People talk to me but no one gets close. I haven’t been able to go to service regularly because instead of helping me with my anxiety they make me more anxious.”
How could this have been different, how could Debra also receive the benefits this community offers?
A prayer or religious blessing for the community to become aware of the needs and gifts of Susan:
May it be your will, O OUR God,
That we be allowed to stand in places of astonishing light
And not in dark places,
And may our hearts know no pain,
And may our vision not be so clouded
That we would not see all the blessings of life
That You have given us.
(Talmud Berakchot 17a, adapted by Danny Siegel)
Click here for resources for wellness and recovery in the context of spirituality:
http://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/visions/wellness-vol7/spirituality-a-resource-for-wellness-and-recovery
