All the Tests Came Back Normal—So What’s Happening to Me? Part One

Reut, 39, woke up and, like every morning, prayed and made coffee for herself and her husband. They drank it on the balcony, chatted the way they always do, and she headed to work. So far, so normal—the routine she loves. Her workday went well, just a bit more intense than usual. One important meeting, lots of calls, the usual. At the end of the day she left the office. "Today was an especially busy day; I hope my boss liked the presentation I prepared"... She took the elevator and felt a bit off, a little dizzy. She walked toward her car and sighed with relief that the workday was over. On the way to the car, she started to feel weak and dizzy. Her heartbeat shot into a gallop, followed by shortness of breath and the sense that she wasn’t really there—disconnected. She felt she absolutely had to sit down or she would faint. She sat on a bench near her workplace, sipped some water, and after about fifteen minutes the sensations vanished as if they’d never been there. She continued to the car and drove home—but she got home very shaken. That evening, resting on the couch, she felt the dizziness again and immediately tensed up. In that exact moment, the racing pulse returned, the weakness, all the same symptoms she’d had that afternoon. After a few minutes, it passed. That’s when genuine terror set in. Over the next few weeks, Reut had recurring waves of anxiety. Not only did they come back, they intensified and spread into all kinds of areas—money worries, health worries, and more. She began to notice physical twinges and immediately translated them into illness, God forbid. Her quality of life declined more and more; she withdrew into herself, pulled away from her husband and kids, stayed in bed a lot, and it seemed like her condition was getting worse. On her husband’s advice, she made an appointment with her primary care doctor. She went through a range of tests, including cardiac workups. *Baruch Hashem*, everything was normal. The doctor called her into the office and told her that, *Baruch Hashem*, all her tests were fine, and apparently... she was dealing with panic attacks. She couldn’t believe it. Panic attacks? Only "crazy" people have anxiety. Why me? Am I crazy too? And that’s where her journey began. What Is Anxiety? "Anxiety" is a big word. What does it really mean? Anxiety is not a mental illness. Anxiety is, in fact, a signal—a message a person is hiding from themselves. Anxiety doesn’t always arrive because of one specific trigger. It can show up consciously, after difficult thoughts, but it can also surprise you out of nowhere, with no warning. That’s why people who struggle with anxiety are not only worried about what’s happening now—they’re also anxious about future attacks. They try to avoid anything that reminds them of what they felt during an attack, but that’s a vicious cycle: the more they try to be careful, the more the brain gets the message that danger is near—"Be careful not to feel dizzy and weak," and so on. It’s a bit like walking through a minefield, not knowing where to step or if—and when—a mine will explode. Unlike fear, which responds to a real, external danger, anxiety is a negative emotion that isn’t tied to an existing external reality or a true threat. It’s a worry about something that might happen. That’s why the body’s reaction to anxiety often feels like helplessness—a surge of panic when there doesn’t seem to be anything you can do. Anxiety has emotional, physical, and thought components. Reut experienced anxiety that seemed to come out of nowhere. Physically, she felt a rapid heartbeat, dizziness, and weakness. These were very real sensations—and yet, all her tests were normal. The takeaway: the sensations were physical, but their source was emotional. Emotionally, she felt panic at how intense the symptoms were. In her thoughts, she was flooded with worries that something terrible was happening: maybe a heart attack, maybe something that wouldn’t go away, fears about her body and herself, etc. She felt genuinely endangered. On the face of it, Reut had no obvious reason for anxiety. She grew up in a happy, loving home, had a joyful childhood and adolescence, is married to a husband she loves, and has children she adores. A calm life. So where did this come from? What was she afraid of? On her doctor’s recommendation, she booked a session with Michal, a highly recommended emotional therapist, and began a process that even surprised her. It’s important to note: in the therapist–client relationship, the connection, rapport, and trust between them are crucial to treatment success. More on effective treatment for panic attacks—in the next article, *b’ezrat Hashem*. Anat Doron is a psychotherapist and a clinician in the *Nafshi B’she’elati* department. Struggling with depression, anxiety, or feeling emotionally low? Contact the *Nafshi B’she’elati* department at *Hidabroot*. For a consultation, call 073-3333331 or email [email protected].