What the hell am I doing?

I suffer from depression and anxiety and am medicated for these mental health conditions. I am also a practicing lawyer. In my experience, there are very few lawyers actually willing to talk about these sorts of things - whether they think it shows weakness or they believe it is embarrassing.

I attended a conference at which judges and practicing lawyers gave a presentation about mental health issues that lawyers face on a daily basis. I was hoping that they would try to remove some of the stigma associated with mental health problems in the legal field. I wanted to hear personal stories about mental health so that I felt less isolated and alone in my own struggles. Unfortunately (but also fortunately), it turned out to be a presentation about all of the bad things that will happen to you as a lawyer if you suffer from mental health problems and if your practice is affected as a result of these problems. It just served to further isolate me.

After the presentation, I spoke to two colleagues with whom I am very close. They both were as disappointed as I was. And it hit me that what we need more of is lawyers willing to talk about mental health struggles, to take away the stigma and isolation associated with mental health problems that many lawyers face but that few talk about.

This is why I started The Lawyering Life. I want you to understand that you are not alone even though it may feel that way at times. If you find yourself wishing there was someone to talk to who knows what you're going through, that is where I come in. My goal with each session is to leave you feeling less alone, less burdened, and hopefully, a little lighter. I am not a therapist and while I have been in therapy for roughly the last 15 years, I think there is room for direct connections between lawyers because that is the only thing that is going to help with the feeling of isolation.