Waves of devastation have rocked our world throughout eternity. People have lived through tremendous obstacles and thrived again after loss, sickness, and desolation. Beginning with the expulsion from the Garden of Eden to the Great Flood to World Wars to epidemic plagues and all the personal tragedies in between – people have continued on. The world has absorbed these tragedies but people – ultimately – have survived.

Given the economic situation we are currently facing, the rise of untimely deaths due to cancer and other environmental dis-ease, and the rash of “bad things” that seem to be hitting everywhere, I thought I’d take a look at stress management in the realm of Jewish vision.

We’ve all heard about the power of positive thinking and many of us have probably tried to change our thinking patterns. It’s pretty easy to do – especially during the good times! And, experts tell us that having a hobby is a great outlet from stress and an avenue to relaxation. But, who has time to carve out a hobby with our harsher workdays, overscheduled family agendas, and extended household responsibilities?

If you’ve done any exploration in the field of stress management, you know that setting aside the time to take care of yourself – no matter how ‘stressed out’ about it you are – will have positive benefits on your life. If you take the time to exercise, for example, you will most likely discover that you have more energy and are getting more accomplished during your workday. In the pre-flight instructions we receive before airplanes take off, parents are told to put their own oxygen masks on prior to putting on the masks of their children. This example is used constantly in stress management classes – and especially in workshops about moms and self-care.

It is essential to have outlets and avenues of release, especially as the world we live in becomes more volatile and unpredictable. Self-care is hardly a new concept. In the ancient texts of Judaism, one can find countless sources dictating the necessity of remaining “healthy”. Most of our G-d given commandments can be broken in order to save a life. Caring for ourselves physically and spiritually is a path of sanctification, of holiness, bringing us closer to G-d. Halachically (according to Jewish Law), it is not permitted to harm oneself or to commit suicide. G-d tells us specifically in Deuteronomy to “take heed and watch yourselves very carefully” (4:9).

Jewish-specific means of stress management have been around for years and new modes are popping up all over the place. You can take a Kosher yoga class – yoga without the Hindu-focused chanting and expressions. You can even find classes that study Torah before the physical exercise begins. There are countless Jewish meditation centers and classes throughout the world. And, if you are in a remote area, there are many Jewish meditation books available. Biofeedback is a method of relaxation management where technology is used to assist the individual as they master physical processes within, such as heart rate and blood pressure. There are Jewish biofeedback practitioners all over, and there is even a Jewish artist who uses biofeedback to create artistic images.

Whether your outlet from the world – or rather your outlet to the spiritual world – is yoga, meditation, walking or painting, some distraction from the mundane of our physical world is essential to our mental, physical and emotional health – all of which are declared to be protected by the Almighty.

And, speaking of the Almighty, engaging in Torah study is another clear path to transcending the everyday stress of our physical world.