u/Professional-Ant9829

I'm a family lawyer. I always wanted to do family and I still find it interesting and sometimes very rewarding but I also feel like I'm absolutely losing my mind some days. It's all I've ever done.

I'm starting to get really worn down by the erratic clients, like I can only fire so many of them before I start to wonder whether it's me that's the problem. I feel so overwhelmed sometimes because I have no idea where the truth lies and I have trouble trusting a lot of my clients. Then some of them just straight up don't listen to my instructions or blatantly disregard court orders. I'm often not sure if I'm justified in firing them so I often don't and then I inevitably regret it later.

I worry so often that I am hurting people, especially kids, by feeling like I'm helping someone who isn't a good parent or an abuser, because it's often not clear to me who is "in the wrong". I spend way too much time worrying that other lawyers or judges think I'm a terrible lawyer or that I don't know how to control my clients. I get good feedback I guess but then other lawyers talk shit about each other behind their backs so I assume it's happening to me too. I'm also just really non-confrontational unless absolutely necessary and I'm really sick of opposing counsel who just seem to want to pick a fight or get way too enmeshed with their clients.

I'm also really burnt out by helping people all the time and listening to the horrible things they've gone through and the vicarious trauma of it all. I have nightmares all the time about things my clients tell me or incidents I read about in files. I keep really strict hours but I feel like I can't enjoy my time off because I'm thinking about these things all the time.

I write all this out because I desperately need to figure out where to go from here because it is not feeling sustainable for me. I'm a 2 year call so people keep saying to just stick it out and it will get easier. But then a lot of more senior lawyers I know seem really miserable too. Can anyone who felt similar tell me that it does get better? Or if it didn't get better and you left, what did you pivot to? I don't really want to pursue another type of litigation but otherwise I'm pretty open, including to non-lawyer roles. I've been considering mediation and report writing training but I'm not sure if it's possible to make a full-time practice out of that, especially at my year of call.

My 3 year old neutered indoor cat has been totally healthy until two days ago. He started meowing very urgently, which was quite out of character for him, he's not usually very vocal. He would meow forcefully like 20 times in quick succession and then stop. That happened a couple more times that day. Then later that night he had one of these meowing episodes, he was drooling, and he peed a small amount on the couch. Then this happened a couple of hours later, and he peed a small amount under the bed at the same time. So the next day (yesterday) I took him to the vet and they did a urine test and exam and everything was normal. She gave us some pain meds because at first they thought his bladder may be inflamed. So I've given him those since yesterday afternoon. He seemed fine, eating, drinking, using the litter. Then I came home today after being out for about an hour and he'd peed by the front door. He seemed otherwise fine until a few minutes ago where he had an episode of drooling a lot and shaking his head around because of it, and then he ran under the bed and peed again. Then I also found pee right after under the bed in a different spot, so that must have happened earlier too.

I'm going to call the vet in the morning but I'm quite confused. Could this be purely behavioural, like territorial marking? There's been a lot of construction on our building lately that's stressed him out, and also I spent time with new dogs who were all over me the night before this happened and I'm concerned me bringing their scent into the house could have triggered him? Just because the timing lines up well, and my other cat wouldn't let me touch him until I washed my hands after coming home from the dogs. I'm just really worried my vet won't be able to figure it out and I'm curious if these episodes sound familiar to anyone. I'm concerned it's something neurological.

I went to an optometrist today, just to try and get a new glasses prescription and a general eye exam. I experience no dry eye symptoms whatsoever. I did stop wearing contacts maybe 8 years ago because my eyes started feeling a bit dry from them, but also I just didn't feel like dealing with the upkeep of them anymore. Ever since I haven't really felt any dry eye issues.

This optometrist told me I have a "very severe" case of MGD and ocular rosacea and that if I didn't do a $3500+ round of treatment (Lumecca and Forma I believe?) through their connected medspa, I would could have significant vision loss within 6-12 months. I'm pretty sure it's IPL and radio frequency treatment, if those brand names aren't familiar. There was a very clearly routinized sales system that they had at this office, and it had a very predatory vibe to me. They tried to get me to buy very expensive products to treat symptoms I do not have, and they were very very pushy about getting me to sign up for this expensive treatment. I really had to stand my ground to resist it. Two hours after I left the office they called me to "follow up on my treatment plan" and then when I told them I would be seeking a second opinion from an ophthalmologist, she had the audacity to tell me to "have fun with that".

I felt so many red flags from this place so I just paid for my exam and left. I'm considering doing the at home recommended treatment - omega-3 supplements, a sleeping mask, and a heated eye mask/massaging the lids.

Should I seriously be considering this $3500 treatment they offered? She made me feel like I could go blind if I didn't do it. I don't have that kind of money at all so I simply cannot justify paying $3500 at a medspa to treat symptoms I don't even have. Plus I am trying to get pregnant and they told me I would need to hold off on trying if I did this treatment and that would honestly be devastating for me. I'm kind of just in shock over it and I don't know what to believe.

Just wondering if I could get a vibe check on these treatments and whether it is actually possible for me to have significant vision loss from this if I don't even have any symptoms? Thank you so much in advance for any experiences you can share, totally understand no one here can give me any medical advice, so I'm more seeking other's personal experiences I guess.

ok my apologies for the title sounding like some kind of humble brag, that's not my intention. i'm a daily user, have been for 7-8 years on and off, i'm really wanting to quit because I'm trying to conceive and I don't want to be quitting and experiencing the first trimester at the same time. I'm just struggling to implement this right now while the prospect of getting pregnant still feels a bit abstract.

a lot of the posts in this sub seem to be about regaining productivity or effectiveness or participation in your life. I got two degrees, including a law degree, passed the bar, got married, started my own business, and I make good money and socialize plenty, all while using weed daily. i've quit for periods of time before and didn't really feel that different.

i'm hoping that someone who did lead a full and busy life while using daily could tell me about the benefits you saw after quitting? i'm just really in need of some motivation to quit entirely and the posts about moving your life forward more aren't working for me because most people tell me i need to actually slow down at this point in my life 😂 help