Please readThis is a community space for sharing personal experience — it is not legal advice, and posts here are not from Lawma or your attorney. We strongly encourage you to post under an anonymous handle, keep questions general, and avoid posting private details of your active case. For advice about your own situation, message your attorney.

Can't eat, can't sleep — the case is destroying me

CAstarting_over_20261 month ago

Custody hearing in two weeks. Stomach won't keep food down. Sleeping 3 hours a night. Anyone been here?

3 replies

j_ramos1 month ago

Yes. The night before my hearing I couldn't keep water down. Two things that helped: (1) Wrote my closing line ahead of time and rehearsed it in the mirror. The fear of forgetting what to say was 60% of the anxiety. (2) A short walk RIGHT before the hearing. The body has to move some of the cortisol out.

newleaf20261 month ago

Please talk to your doctor. Pre-hearing anxiety is something they see all the time and there are short-term tools that help (short course of meds, breathing exercises, etc.) without you having to commit to anything long-term.

Lawma Moderator1 month ago

If you're in crisis or having thoughts of self-harm, 988 is the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text. Free, confidential, 24/7.

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Please readThis is a community space for sharing personal experience — it is not legal advice, and posts here are not from Lawma or your attorney. We strongly encourage you to post under an anonymous handle, keep questions general, and avoid posting private details of your active case. For advice about your own situation, message your attorney.