Here at Law Answered we tend to be very private. We don’t attribute our guides to any writers and the same is true of our blogs. But for this one I’m going to step out of the shadows. I want to write about mental health and to say that it’s ok if you struggle and that it’s good to talk about it and to be part of a dialogue which accepts and understands that most of us will suffer some period of mental illness in our lives.
So, it’s Claire writing this and my daily battle is with anxiety. I can’t ever remember a time when I wasn’t anxious. When I was a child I was always afraid that my parents would die, every set of exams I ever sat had my heart pounding and my fingers wet with perspiration as I tried to grip the pen. When I went for interviews I always convinced myself in advance that I wouldn’t get the job and at work my imposter syndrome led me to work long hours driven to provide my clients with the very best possible service. I had to be better than anyone else to convince myself that I was any good at all!
This doesn’t go away but I have learnt to manage it and to live with it. Part of my coping strategy is to use breathing techniques when the going gets really tough. Here’s an exercise to try if you’ve not come across it before. Take your index finger and slowly mark a square on your leg, or the desk, or somewhere else unobtrusive. Breathe in for the count of 5 as you run your finger from left to right across the top of your square, hold that breath for 5 as you go down the right side of your square. Breathe out for 5 as your finger moves across the bottom and wait for 5 before breathing in again as you run your finger up to the starting point. Keep going. Doing it once won’t have any impact at all! It should help you to get control of your breathing and to start to feel calmer. It’s so easy to do this without anyone noticing. Try it while you’re waiting for an exam to start, or while you’re sitting outside an interview room, or if you can’t get to sleep.
I hope this helps, even just a little! Remember it’s ok to say that you’re not ok at home, at university or at work. Don’t struggle on in silence. Be kind to yourself and look out for others too!