Advocates were taught how to distinguish fatigue from exhaustion

Mental health is a topic that still sounds abstract to many people. But in the legal profession, it is a daily reality: stress, high workloads, responsibility for other people's lives.

As part of a project to support the mental health of lawyers during the war, the Ukrainian National Bar Association, with the support of the International Bar Association (IBA), held a webinar entitled «Am I OK?» dedicated to practical self-help tools.

The speaker at the event, practical psychologist and Gestalt therapist Kristina Lugovska, focused on three key areas: how to recognize the signs of mental exhaustion, who to turn to for help, and what you can do on your own without waiting for a crisis to hit.

At the beginning, participants were asked to take a quick diagnostic test consisting of ten short self-assessment statements about fatigue, irritability, sleep problems, loss of joy or motivation. If the assessment results for the last two months exceeded 15 points, this is a sign of anxiety or psycho-emotional exhaustion. 25–30 points is already a critical indicator, when professional help is needed.

Often, people do not seek help because they do not know where to find it. K. Lugovska explained the difference:

• A psychologist is a specialist with psychological training who can provide support, conduct diagnostics, and help you understand your emotions. They are suitable for counseling in crisis situations when short-term (up to ten sessions) help is needed.
• A psychotherapist is a specialist who has undergone many years of training in one of the fields of psychotherapy (e.g., Gestalt, CBT, psychoanalysis). They work with trauma, repetitive life patterns, and deep emotional states.
• Psychiatrist — a doctor with medical training who is authorized to diagnose and prescribe medication. They should be consulted if symptoms are intense and persistent, such as insomnia, panic attacks, PTSD, depression, or eating disorders.

The speaker emphasized that seeing a psychiatrist is not a death sentence. Hospitalization is only used with consent or in acute cases. In most cases, outpatient support is provided.

The psychologist also explained how to distinguish between a state and a disorder. A state is a temporary reaction to a stressful situation. It has a clear beginning and end and passes after rest or changes in life. A disorder is a disruption of daily functioning that lasts more than two months and affects all areas of life. For example, a person with burnout does not recover after a vacation, and with depression, favorite activities cease to bring joy. If anger, anxiety, or apathy become the backdrop for weeks and months, this is a signal that the psyche is not coping on its own.

In the final part of the webinar, participants performed two practical exercises. The first was metaphorical: they had to describe their state using an image, color, or scene. This helps to bypass the protective mechanisms of the mind and see one's emotional background more objectively. The second exercise was a brief analysis of emotional reactions: what exactly did I feel in a specific situation, what did I think, what did I want, how did I react, and what could I have done differently? This method allows you to gradually change destructive reaction patterns and regain control.

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