A new article from LawCare offers practical advice for solicitors experiencing anxiety.
A professional hazard
In November, LawCare has seen an increase in calls to the helpline, often due to anxiety. The law is a tough, albeit rewarding, profession, and problem-solving lawyers can find themselves more prone to anxiety.
Being anxious is to experience a feeling of uneasiness and worry about the future and the expectation of threat which, combined with the possible fear of failure, can prove exhausting. What does that do to the mind and the body? It often leads to muscular tension, restlessness, fatigue and problems focussing or concentrating. It can make you feel physically ill and heighten mental health issues.
Managing anxiety
The good news is that it can be managed through lifestyle changes such as:
- Learning to prioritise workloads.
- Exercise, even a short walk every day.
- Better nutrition.
- Practising mindfulness (try a course or an app like Headspace).
Where necessary it may involve medication and/or therapy. Therapy might take the form of counselling such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which focuses on the development of personal coping strategies that target current problems and by changing unhelpful patterns of cognition, thoughts, beliefs and attitudes. CBT is problem-focused and action-oriented, so may appeal to some lawyers.
Contact LawCare
LawCare supports and promotes good mental health and wellbeing across the legal community. Call the free, confidential and independent helpline 1800 991 801 - staffed by trained staff and volunteers there to listen to and support you. The helpline is available 365 days a year, 9am-7.30pm weekdays, 10am-4pm weekends and UK bank holidays or visit the LawCare website.
eNewsletters
This article originally appeared in the November 2017 Law Society eZine. For more information, and to subscribe, see eNewsletters.