Episode 6 – Overcoming Anxiety and Depression with Jerome Doraisamy
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Welcome to the sixth episode of Happy Lawyer Happy Life. My guest in this week’s show is someone who’s doing really important work in raising awareness on depression and anxiety in the legal profession. His name’s Jerome Doraisamy and he’s personally struggled with these issues and has since gone about tackling the problem head on with his public speaking, consulting, and releasing a book on the subject, The Wellness Doctrines.
Having suffered a breakdown not long before finishing university, Jerome began rebuilding himself and turning the devastating experience into an amazing opportunity. In this conversation, he tells me about the impact of his breakdown and what he’s done since to change his life and reassess his priorities.
I was so pleased to speak with Jerome because his story is truly inspirational. He talks with openness and honesty, and offers practical advice on an area that is often overlooked in the legal industry.
In this episode we talk about…
- The moment when Jerome first realised he was struggling with depression
- Identifying the signs that show you need to slow down
- How we all experience stress and anxiety to some degree
- Putting in place parameters to manage the natural stresses and anxieties that will occur in everyday life
- Jerome’s advice on what law students can do to overcome pressure
- Why marks and grades are sometimes irrelevant for your future career and employers
- Asking ourselves human questions and connecting with people
- How big law firms are bringing Jerome in to manage and identify issues such as depression
- The importance of simply having someone in your life who can listen
- The difference we can all make to another person’s life
- Learning how to better manage expectations
- Taking a holistic approach to personal and professional development
- Why you need to be a happy, healthy person to succeed in any profession, not just law
- The Tristan Jepson Memorial Foundation
- Identifying those things that help to achieve a balance in your life… and making those things non-negotiable
- Different markers and pathways to success
- Jerome’s happiness challenge