![\"winter](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Winter-Blues-or-Something-Else.jpg?resize=770%2C495&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
Blues vs. Depression: Be Alert for the Signs<\/h2>\n
Studies find that lawyers suffer depression significantly more often than the general population\u2014about 3.6 times more often.\u00a0Depression is a serious illness that can have a tremendous impact on your professional and personal life. And unlike the winter blues, depression stays with you, no matter the temperature and amount of sunlight outside.\u00a0Please look over the following signs of depression. Are you experiencing any of these?<\/p>\n
- \n
- Inability to concentrate<\/li>\n
- Finding previously easy tasks difficult<\/li>\n
- Sleep changes, which can mean too little or too much sleep<\/li>\n
- Feeling hopeless and helpless<\/li>\n
- Loss of interest in daily activities<\/li>\n
- Inability to control negative thoughts despite great effort<\/li>\n
- Appetite or weight changes<\/li>\n
- Irritability or restlessness<\/li>\n
- Unexplained aches or pains<\/li>\n
- Loss of energy<\/li>\n
- Thoughts that life is not worth living<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
All of us have experienced at least some of these in our lifetime, but when such feelings seem overwhelming or\u00a0last for an extended time, they are the red flags of clinical depression. Depression is an insidious disease: It can creep up slowly, and you may not realize that you suffer from it. Be aware, too, that alcohol and substance abuse often accompany depression because the abuse\u00a0seems to\u00a0provide a form of self-medication.<\/p>\n
If you do recognize that you have depression, take action.\u00a0First, know that it is okay to ask for help\u2014actually, it is very wise and intelligent to do so.\u00a0Second, be assured that help does\u00a0<\/em>exist\u2014and<\/em>\u00a0you are not alone.<\/em>\u00a0Many, many lawyers currently experience or have already overcome the same thing.<\/p>\n
Where to Start<\/h2>\n
It may feel awful and like it will never end, but with assistance, what you feel now will go away. You can have a satisfying life, enjoying daily activities and interpersonal relationships again. Here\u2019s where to start looking for help:<\/p>\n
- \n
- A major resource for all lawyers is your state or local bar association\u2019s lawyer assistance program. The ABA has a directory of state programs here<\/a>.)<\/li>\n
- Your personal physician can also be a tremendous help and refer you to psychiatrists and therapists who can help you.<\/li>\n
- If you have just begun to feel depressed, exercise can greatly help reduce depression symptoms. (See WebMD.com<\/a>\u00a0for more pointers.<\/li>\n
- If you have just begun to feel depressed, exercise can greatly help reduce depression symptoms.<\/li>\n
- If your employer has an employee assistance program, you have a ready resource as one of your standard benefits.<\/li>\n
- Find a trusted friend or relative and share how you feel. Having someone to talk openly with will help you feel less anxious and alone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Most of all, should depression and other related issues such as alcohol or substance abuse affect you, know that professional assistance can make a very positive impact on your life, and the lives of those you love.<\/p>\n
Related Articles on Depression and Anxiety<\/h2>\n
- \n
- Depression: A Lawyer Pandemic: Interview With Dan Lukasik<\/a><\/li>\n
- Cautionary Tales of Personal Burnout<\/a><\/li>\n
- Five Ways for Law Firms to Support Health and Wellness<\/a><\/li>\n
- Five Steps to Confront Burnout, Addiction and Depression<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Image \u00a9 iStockPhoto.com. <\/p>\n
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Photo by\u00a0Kacper Szczechla<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Depression is a serious illness and\u2014unlike the winter blues\u2014it stays with you, no matter the temperature and amount of sunlight outside. The post Is It the Winter Blues or Something More? appeared first on Articles, Tips and Tech for Law Firms and Lawyers. I don\u2019t know about you, but this time of year makes me […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-legal_matters"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101085\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Cautionary Tales of Personal Burnout<\/a><\/li>\n
- A major resource for all lawyers is your state or local bar association\u2019s lawyer assistance program. The ABA has a directory of state programs here<\/a>.)<\/li>\n