Dance with Your Fears

Previous issues

INITIATIVES
Academic Commandos

RESEARCH
Open Research Day
Dealing With Stress, the Natural Way
Setting the Computer's Sights
Democracy is Not the Key to Peace in the Middle East
Islam and Christianity
Punctuating Mozart
Reshaping Distance Education

TECHNOLOGY
E-reader
Hybrid Books

GRADUATES
Prof. Gidi Gross: Cancer Researcher
Israel Adam: From Slum Alcoholic to Honors Student and a Master's Degree
All Doors Opened to Elishai Ezra
The Open University as His Greatest Challenge in Life: Sharli Afanger

STUDENTS
Walking in Their Footsteps in Ashdod
University Student Since 8th Grade

MILESTONES
Prof. Hagit Messer-Yaron
Prof. Ron Weidberg
Dr. Yuval Eylon
Dr. Adia Mendelsohn-Maoz
Prof. Aviva Halamish
Dr. Ophir Munz-Manor
Dr. Baruch Ziv
Dr. Milly Perry
Dr. Yoav Yair
SuperBrand University

EVENTS
Dance with Your Fears
Heavens Above

EVENTS
Dance with Your Fears Coping with Crisis ...continued from previous page. Busses Blowing Up, Homes Under Missile Attack Israel is an ideal laboratory for analyzing anxiety, trauma and stress. With more than its fair share of terrorism, missile attacks, and obligatory military service, one could easily understand why someone might be afraid of revisiting the site of a terrorist incident, or returning home, or resist being called up for duty. Yet, in most cases, this doesn’t happen in Israel. Why? "For Israelis, anxiety is probably at a higher level than among other peoples. Yet, the irony of this, or maybe it's not irony, it's proof of what I've been discussing here, the realism of our lives makes us more resilient," Eran expounds. "We know we can't escape, so we learn to live with it." The proverbial, "what doesn’t kill you actually makes you stronger" finds expression in Israeli society. For the children of Sderot, there was a continuous barrage of missiles, so their situation was slightly different. They lived in fear, and their fear was based on a real threat of danger. Yet, paradoxically, most of the children are not suffering from trauma or anxiety. Why? "Once an individual comes to the conclusion that there is nothing to do, then he can relax." How many Israelis, during the Persian Gulf war, climbed up to their rooftops to observe the Scud missile attacks? And, how many more Israelis will walk along Ben-Yehuda Street in Jerusalem or Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv, in spite of the terrorist attacks that have taken place there over the years? Stress Is on the Rise While technology has proven a boon for just about every industry and every individual – from cellular phones to Ipad – the technological era has also helped to raise the level of stress in our lives. "Before the era of mobile phones, we were actually much calmer," says Eran. "We learned that we could not control our family every moment and so we learned to live with that notion quite calmly. I've treated patients who have suffered severe anxiety whenever they could not reach their relatives on their cellphones, and have gotten into a pattern of incessant calling." Avoid Avoidance While avoidance may be a natural reaction, and in fact, is strongly embedded in our individual psyches, avoidance does not advance our growth or development in any way. Instead, Eran's advice is to "hit your fear head-on." First, distinguish between fears/anxieties/stresses and genuinely dangerous situations. An exaggerated example of this principle at work is people who practice extreme sports. These are people who are attracted to fear, and once they deliberately face the fear, then they learn not to fear when, in fact, they should fear. Accordingly, in order to learn to fear again, they have to increase the level of fear and by doing so, at some point they are endangering their lives. Similarly, a person at gunpoint is in a situation of actual danger and has reason to be afraid. But, most fearful situations are not of this nature. For most ordinary people, it would be wise to first distinguish between fearful and dangerous situations. It is worthwhile to confront the situation and the fear one is feeling to learn how to become more resilient. Next, acknowledge that you can be afraid, but you are afraid not because the situation poses danger, but rather because you are stressed, you are fearful, you are anxious. It is your reaction, your inner feeling that is causing you to be anxious, rather than the factual aspect of the situation. Once you see that there is no difference between escaping or avoiding the situation and confronting it, then you will quickly see that it is okay for you to remain and meet the issue head-on. So, whatever your fears or anxieties, we urge you to analyze them, digest them, and finally confront them. You will most assuredly become stronger. Page: 1 2 3

EVENTS

Dance with Your Fears

Coping with Crisis

...continued from previous page.

Busses Blowing Up, Homes Under Missile Attack

Israel is an ideal laboratory for analyzing anxiety, trauma and stress. With more than its fair share of terrorism, missile attacks, and obligatory military service, one could easily understand why someone might be afraid of revisiting the site of a terrorist incident, or returning home, or resist being called up for duty.

Yet, in most cases, this doesn’t happen in Israel. Why?

"For Israelis, anxiety is probably at a higher level than among other peoples. Yet, the irony of this, or maybe it's not irony, it's proof of what I've been discussing here, the realism of our lives makes us more resilient," Eran expounds. "We know we can't escape, so we learn to live with it." The proverbial, "what doesn’t kill you actually makes you stronger" finds expression in Israeli society.

For the children of Sderot, there was a continuous barrage of missiles, so their situation was slightly different. They lived in fear, and their fear was based on a real threat of danger. Yet, paradoxically, most of the children are not suffering from trauma or anxiety. Why? "Once an individual comes to the conclusion that there is nothing to do, then he can relax." How many Israelis, during the Persian Gulf war, climbed up to their rooftops to observe the Scud missile attacks? And, how many more Israelis will walk along Ben-Yehuda Street in Jerusalem or Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv, in spite of the terrorist attacks that have taken place there over the years?

Stress Is on the Rise

While technology has proven a boon for just about every industry and every individual – from cellular phones to Ipad – the technological era has also helped to raise the level of stress in our lives.

"Before the era of mobile phones, we were actually much calmer," says Eran. "We learned that we could not control our family every moment and so we learned to live with that notion quite calmly. I've treated patients who have suffered severe anxiety whenever they could not reach their relatives on their cellphones, and have gotten into a pattern of incessant calling."

Avoid Avoidance

While avoidance may be a natural reaction, and in fact, is strongly embedded in our individual psyches, avoidance does not advance our growth or development in any way. Instead, Eran's advice is to "hit your fear head-on."

First, distinguish between fears/anxieties/stresses and genuinely dangerous situations. An exaggerated example of this principle at work is people who practice extreme sports. These are people who are attracted to fear, and once they deliberately face the fear, then they learn not to fear when, in fact, they should fear. Accordingly, in order to learn to fear again, they have to increase the level of fear and by doing so, at some point they are endangering their lives. Similarly, a person at gunpoint is in a situation of actual danger and has reason to be afraid. But, most fearful situations are not of this nature.

For most ordinary people, it would be wise to first distinguish between fearful and dangerous situations. It is worthwhile to confront the situation and the fear one is feeling to learn how to become more resilient.

Next, acknowledge that you can be afraid, but you are afraid not because the situation poses danger, but rather because you are stressed, you are fearful, you are anxious. It is your reaction, your inner feeling that is causing you to be anxious, rather than the factual aspect of the situation.

Once you see that there is no difference between escaping or avoiding the situation and confronting it, then you will quickly see that it is okay for you to remain and meet the issue head-on.

So, whatever your fears or anxieties, we urge you to analyze them, digest them, and finally confront them. You will most assuredly become stronger.

Page: 1 2 3