How would you cope with the prospect of going to jail?

[fragiledude]

That's it in a nutshell. My physical and mental health has not been good for a long time, but recently a chain of events led to me being potentially in a lot of trouble. The worst part right now, is the fact that I must wait for months for the various stages of the legal process. The uncertainty crippling, as the range of punishments I may receive is huge. Aside from that, the prospect of prison with frail health is unbearable.

Is it possible to not worry about something bad that's definitely coming?!

Any advice greatly appreciated. Right now I'm just trying to distract myself, but at night I sweat a lot and sleep a little.

[Kirk]

I have health anxiety and the prospect of going to jail would scare the crap out of me and I would be in the same
state as you are most likely. The only thing I can think of would be to get some counseling and maybe some medicine
to help yourself out. I hope eveything works out best for you.

[Anne1221]

Anything you can do now, that will be helpful to you in the future, you should start doing. For example, start a good exercise program and stick with it. Learn how to do meditation to calm you down. Start doing good stuff like volunteering, helping older people, working, etc so your lawyer can put that forth in front of a judge.

[fragiledude]

Thanks for the replies. Doc put me on Effexor. After the first night I was borderline suicidal so I don't want to touch medication ever again. Hoping to start counselling ASAP. I need to rewire my brain urgently to see prison as an opportunity for a clean sheet, but what lies ahead is so messy.

[gypsylee]

Hey there,

Mindfulness would help you, I think, and any spiritual practices you lean towards. I have no clue where you stand on that so I can't really recommend anything. But mindfulness just means focusing on the present moment and accepting things as they are.

Jail is a heavy thing to deal with, no doubt about it, but people are extremely adaptable. Seeing it as an opportunity for a clean sheet is a good mindset :)

Take it easy,
Gypsy x

[Teafrenzy]

That's it in a nutshell. My physical and mental health has not been good for a long time, but recently a chain of events led to me being potentially in a lot of trouble. The worst part right now, is the fact that I must wait for months for the various stages of the legal process. The uncertainty crippling, as the range of punishments I may receive is huge. Aside from that, the prospect of prison with frail health is unbearable.

Is it possible to not worry about something bad that's definitely coming?!

Any advice greatly appreciated. Right now I'm just trying to distract myself, but at night I sweat a lot and sleep a little.


Well for one thing I would see if you can prove you have an anxiety disorder, so maybe they will give you house arrest?

Jail scares the hell out of me because from time to time, I also suffer from claustrophobia. So those small cells and possible solitary confinement scare me bad.

[The Intolerable Kid]

If it was me I would do everything I could to get in the best physical shape possible. Good luck to you.