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Yonatan Sapir, MSc, is a psychotherapist specializing in treating anxiety. He is available to work with individuals, couples and adolescents in his Jerusalem or Beit Shemesh offices. Tackling Anxiety By Yonatan Sapir, MSc Suppose you are selected for a secret mission. What’s at stake? Only the safety of this entire planet. The task ahead requires extreme mental and physical capabilities… and you must face this challenge alone—tomorrow at noon. How do you think you’ll sleep tonight? Possible scenarios of the upcoming task will probably be running through your mind. Your thoughts might be racing and difficult to control.You willprobably be extremely distracted, finding it difficult to perform even the most mundane tasks. You might be irritable and find yourself emotionally disconnected fromyour friends and loved ones. Even your body will respond as the awesomeness of your challenge takes control of your mind—you’re sweating, your heart is racing, and you’re even shaking. And since your mission is top-secret, nobody even understands what you’re going through. If you’re like me,you’re probably saying—no, screaming—“Pick somebody else!” The symptoms I just described are commonly experienced by those who suffer from anxiety. Except they experience them when sitting in a classroom, playing ball, thinking about their finances, going on a date or even walking down the street. There is, however, a major difference between my hypothetical situation and the real-lifeexamples. A person experiencing daily anxiety sees the rest of the world engaged in the same activities—without reacting the same way. He starts to think of himself as abnormal or crazy, and that only reinforces the anxiety. Many of my clients don’t understand what is happening to them. All they know is that their mind seems on steroids, their body feels hijacked and they desperately want relief. The process of healing requires strength and perseverance