Did the JW life, cause anxiety?

by JH 10 Replies latest jw friends

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  JH

  Often I heard the elders say, "When a person is physically sick, they should go see a doctor, and in the same way, when you're spiritually sick you should go see the elders". So, they compare themselves to doctors...

  So, for the sake of it, let's say a JW went to see a doctor and complained about anxiety due to JW meetings and their way of life, and being stressed because the Watchtower asks too much.

  Now lets say the doctor would say, the cause of your problems is your religion, stop going and you'll feel better !

  So, you go tell the elders that the root of your anxiety is the meetings and field service and all the stress related to the JW religion. So, you tell the elder, didn't you tell us to go see a doctor if we don't feel well?

  When I was an active JW, the meetings and field service and giving talks got me nervous. I felt lousy, just knowing I had to give a talk even if it was a month away. I'm sure if I would have went to see a doctor, they would have told me to quit being a JW.
• 

  poppers

  "I felt lousy, just knowing I had to give a talk even if it was a month away." Living with this sort of anxiety over an extended period of time has to take its toll in some way. It's logical that the root of physical or emotional problems must be dealt with otherwise you are only putting a coat of paint over the problem. JWs, of course, don't see it that way - and that's unfortunate.
• 

  fullofdoubtnow

  So, you go tell the elders that the root of your anxiety is the meetings and field service and all the stress related to the JW religion

  I'd think if you told an elder that, he'd secretly agree with you, but publicly he'd probably tell you to pray more and study harder, then you'd feel better.

  A lot of jws in the hall I attended sufferred from stress - related illnesses, including me for a while. I think it's all the rules that are imposed on jws, and the feeling of worthlessness they experience if they can't match up to them, that is a big cause of it. It is, after all, a fear - inducing religion - fear of dying at armageddon because you haven't quite matched up to requirements to get into the new system being one of the most stressful aspects of it.

  I never realised how stressful it was being a jw until I stopped being one.
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  Mysterious

  I got stressed on "meeting" nights even after I left and I still unconsciously associate tuesdays and thursdays as "ick" in my head even though they have not been filled with any more of a workload than any other day now.
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  monkeyshine

  We had our book study on Tuesday nights and the Ministry School on Thursday nights. Both of those days were very depressing and gloomy. It always seemed to be cloudy those days and even now, (I've been gone for 12 years) Tue. and Thur. will still feel like that sometimes.
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  aoxo

  i definately had a lot of stress trying to study for the meetings after work when i was very tired. even on saturday nights i spent way too much time studying the watchtower when i could have been relaxing. it seemed that the WS was on my mind all day until i finaly did it. and then that stressed me out because i could never understand what or how the WTS got the conclusions that they did. i would go over the watchtower article like 3 times before i gave up and just accepted their conclusion. i think that this affected the way i study my school books even now. my thinking is a little odd sometimes and i have all those years of studying to thank for that.
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  c5

  Meetings were bearable because of the social aspect mainly. Field serivce is what stressed me out! Straight door to door was the worst. I recall gettings stomach problems from the stress before almost every door, especially when I knew how they reacted the last time we called on them. Return visits and studies were not so bad.
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  jaguarbass

  I'm sure if I would have went to see a doctor, they would have told me to quit being a JW.

  Especially if you went to see a psychiatrist.
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  mama1119

  I had several doctors tell me to quit because of the stress and strain it put on me. They were right, and I did. I feel muuuccchhhh better!
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  girasole

  I think most devout JWs will always attribute the stress not to their beloved religion but to trying to be a "faithful christian" in this system of things. Satan, they say, is making it hard on them.
  
  I was surprised recently when my mother acknowledged that work coupled with responsibilities at the meetings to be the cause of my father's stress and anxiety. She also admitted that this could have an adverse affect on his health. She said that sometimes there's one night per week that they can just relax but sometimes they don't even have that. But instead of being proactive about making changes she instead said that things would get better when he could retire.
  
  I also think that JWs are good at convincing themselves and others that they *love* what they're doing. When really they know that they are *supposed* to love what they're doing so they convince themselves that they really do.
  
  girasole