Starting Nov. 20, Rabbi Yechiel Baitelman of Chabad Richmond will be leading Worrier to Warrior, a new six-session course offered by the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI), to help people deal with life\u2019s challenges by accepting themselves and finding meaning in adversity.<\/p>\n
Participants will examine factors that prevent us from achieving a more positive outlook \u2013 guilt, shame and fear of inauthenticity \u2013 in light of the notion that a purposeful life provides the key to well-being. Like all JLI programs, this course is designed for people at all levels of knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All JLI courses are open to the public.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone faces personal challenges in life, whether physical, emotional, professional, familial, social or otherwise,\u201d said Baitelman. \u201cHow we deal with these issues is crucial for our ability to achieve lasting satisfaction in life. By finding meaning in personal challenges \u2013 that is, seeing them as opportunities \u2013 we come to accept ourselves and are emboldened to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Worrier to Warrior combines positive psychology with Jewish wisdom to explore questions such as, Is there a meaning to life that makes even our difficulties purposeful? Am I just what happens to me or do I have a deeper core? How can I get off the \u201chedonism treadmill\u201d and the sense that even life\u2019s successes ring hollow?<\/p>\n
\u201cAll too often people are thrown off their path in life by hardships that sink them into negative emotions or anxiety,\u201d explained Rabbi Naftali Silberberg of JLI\u2019s Brooklyn headquarters. \u201cIn this course, we learn to face our challenges by understanding our lives in a deeper context.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prof. Steven M. Southwick, MD, of the department of psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine has endorsed this course, saying, \u201cIt is well known that positive emotions rest at the heart of overall well-being and happiness, but how to effectively enhance positive emotion remains challenging. Worrier to Warrior approaches this challenge from an insightful perspective grounded in contemporary psychology and Jewish literature.\u201d Worrier to Warrior is accredited in British Columbia for mental health professionals seeking to fulfil their continuing education requirements.<\/p>\n
The course starts Wednesday, Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m., at Chabad Richmond. To register and for more information, call 604-277-6427. The cost is $95\/person or $160\/couple and includes textbook. Classes are 1.5 hours long.<\/p>\n
Worrier to Warrior course is also being offered at the Lubavitch Centre (604-266-1313) in Vancouver, beginning Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m., and at Chabad of Nanaimo (250-797-7877), starting Nov. 12, 7 p.m.<\/p>\n