Anxiety Megathread Forum

[Shakawkaw]

Hi friends.

I seem to have forgotten how much of an anxious lot TLSers are, since when I searched for this specifically, I got too many results, many of which were unrelated.

How do you, or how have you, dealt with anxiety in law school? In UG, I never felt anxious and thrived on high levels of stress. I've only started getting panic attacks this year - and they're a w f u l. My job is also not particularly stressful, so it's making me even more anxious thinking about how my body will react to a stressful environment like LS.

Any advice or anecdotes would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Shaka

[Capt_Beatty]

*I'm also a 0L, so any insight would be nice.

I went through a very rigorous architecture education at UC Berkeley, and the first week I thought "I'm not gonna make it, I'm going to drop out and be a fucking loser". That semester I pulled 35 all-nighters, it was stressful as shit. I know the mental rigor will be different in LS, but I fully expect that "oh shit" moment to happen.

I found that practicing mindfulness, waking up 30 minutes early to meditate, and exercising regularly really helped, plus drinking enough water. It really was the basics that helped me cope.

[theothercat]

Honest answer: medication. I'm a 0L as well with a diagnosed anxiety disorder, including panic attacks, and avoided medication because I was pretty high-functioning in undergrad and felt the anxiety was helping me more than it was hurting me. Then, the law school admissions process started and my panic attacks and intense warped thinking got a lot worse. I think for me it was the waiting/knowing that I was actually being closely judged by admissions committees. Now, I take Klonopin as needed and it helps so much. YMMV with certain types of medications though. SSRIs didn't work for me.

[Ronan]

Don't overthink law school and try not to fight the "lost" feeling. You'll feel like you're jumping headfirst into cold water, and your classmates will do everything they can to make it look like they know what's going on, but just realize that you'll eventually figure it all out. Don't overwork yourself in the first couple of months of 1L year, just try to get a feel for it all and try to enjoy the new experiences.

If you find that you're dealing with anxiety that you can't control, do not be afraid to seek help.

Practice meditating or yoga, work on breathing techniques, and if you have time (you will), try to get involved in something outside of the law school that will take your mind off things.

[Shakawkaw]

I appreciate everything that's been said so far - thank you!

I think it's really hard to consciously stop overthinking because sometimes when your mind starts, it just rolls with it. Meditating and mindfulness has been very helpful, but sometimes panic attacks can't be reasoned away. The only concern I have with medication as an option is the dependency aspect, and the possibility of a withdrawal. But I'm guessing Klonopin would be better than something like Xanax.