Robyn's Story

I’ve experienced a tremendous amount of anxiety in my life. I think some of this emanated from my family. My mom is an anxious person, and my family’s expectations for me were high growing up. Generally, I was able to manage these expectations. I excelled at most endeavors and even played a musical instrument semi-professionally. I thought I was managing my anxiety well, even when I decided to return to school to obtain a law degree. 

During law school, I developed different ways to cope with my anxiety. Some of these coping mechanisms were successful, others were not. But, generally, I felt like things in my life were under control. After law school, I started my practice. Legal practice alone can make one anxious. But, during one summer, the circumstances of my life on top of legal practice produced a situation that was too much to bear. 

Roughly seven years into my practice, a cascading series of events occurred in my personal and professional life creating anxiety I could no longer manage alone. My daughter had a molar (tumor) pregnancy that required chemotherapy. Then, both of my parents had complicated health diagnoses that required them to be in and out of the hospital (sometimes at the same time). During that time period, my legal practice required me to navigate a complex human resource matter that surfaced some of my own traumatic experiences as a child and young woman, experiences I had long suppressed in my memory.  Finally, a paralegal in my legal practice had also left a few months earlier, causing me to carry the work of two people for most of that year. 

It was all too much. I felt the joy drain from my life, and I was anxious about everything. I finally reached a breaking point shortly after all of these events where my anxiety was so extreme that I was having trouble functioning. Making decisions was becoming more and more difficult, both personally and professionally. With the encouragement of a very good friend, I reached out for help from a medical professional and a counselor. I received the help I needed to regain equilibrium in my life. Though my path has not been easy, it has been restorative. I still deal with anxiety, but I’m now able to ask for help more easily and realize I don’t have to handle my circumstances alone. 

You may need professional help like me. If so, please reach out to a professional. In other cases, you may simply need a friend to walk beside you. Right now is the time to take the first step by joining an Issues Lawyers Face support group where other members of the legal profession can walk beside you as friends. 

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