I recently read Running for Judge (you can read my review on Goodreads), which is his honest account of struggling with anxiety during a crucial election campaign. I’ve wrestled with depression and anxiety at various phases in my life, a fact I have sometimes felt pressured to hide. Successful people don’t have those feelings, and people of faith most certainly don’t … or so we often hear. That’s why I appreciated Tim’s transparency in sharing his story and his commitment to encouraging those who deal with mental health issues.
Tim, thank you so much for joining me on the blog today. How have you and your loved ones fared during recent events?
Liz and I are doing well physically, as far as not getting a virus goes. There’s still the stress of finding ways to handle the situation we’re all in right now, and that takes a physical toll as well as a mental one. Still, we’re healthy otherwise, as are our son, daughter and son-in-law. I am going in to work every day since the courts are considered essential, while the rest of the family are in jobs that can be done from home in this temporary distancing time.
It's good that you are all well and productive, but as you've pointed out, that doesn't insulate you from the stress of the situation.
In the Preface, you call Running for Judge “a mental health memoir even more than a memoir of a judicial election.” The election that serves as context for this broader memoir occurred in 2008. What prompted you to share the story now?
More people are advocating for mental health as a common concern than ever before, yet there is still a great stigma about it. I’ve had enough distance from that 2008 re-election campaign that I thought I could now write on it both personally and with perspective that others could relate to. I’m hoping readers who haven’t had anxiety or depression will come away with a better understanding of what their friends and family are experiencing. I also hope they appreciate the humor in some of the stories I tell along the way.
Yes, the numerous anecdotes were quite entertaining.
Your description of how anxiety caused your mind and body to respond to the stress of your reelection campaign really resonated with me. I’ve experienced some of these things over the years. The first instance was in the gap year before I went to college. At the time, I didn’t understand what was happening to me, so I downplayed it and dealt with it as best as I could.
I won’t ask you to go into all the details, since they are in the book, but what would you say was the most significant clue that what you were experiencing was more than simple nerves?
My skin crawled for hours at a time, and I kept shouting at myself in my head to just get a grip. That went way beyond mere nerves that I’d ever had before. Stress and anxiety truly do have physical manifestations. Happily, I found good help, as I go into detail about in the book,
As you mention more than once in the book, even if we never face mental health challenges ourselves, there is more than a good chance that someone we know and love will. It’s important to know how to be supportive and understanding.
You discuss how various people around you helped you navigate the stress of your situation, most notably your wife. Can you describe one or two significant ways people showed support during this period?
There were a few friends who offered important help I didn’t even know I needed. They showed great insight, and I consider those offers evidence of God’s providence in my troubles. One example I give in the book is the friend form church who set me up with the person who eventually became my campaign manager. I’d have never thought to ask that friend for guidance on this since I didn’t know he knew anyone who ran campaigns professionally.
It's definitely a gift to have supportive friends to help us when we simply don't know what to do next.
In addition to family and friend relationships, you talk about the role your faith played during this difficult time in your life. I imagine your existing practices such as daily early morning prayer served as spiritual anchors. Have any new practices emerged from your experience in 2008?
I would say that my practices found reinforcement in that campaign and those have lasted now over the years.
It sounds like persistence and consistency in spiritual discipline has been crucial.
Near the end of the book, you mention how your experience with anxiety has made you more sensitive to the mental health struggles of those around you. Could you give us an example of what that looks like, either in the courtroom or in your community life?
When someone is showing an inability to concentrate or follow the proceedings, I now wonder if it might be that they are under a lot of stress that interferes with their cognitive functions. I will pause and ask if they’d like time to gather their thoughts or consult with their attorney before we proceed. Sometimes a short break is all the person needs.
I imagine a short break is a good balm for all of us sometimes.
For a minute, let’s focus on the last part of Running for Judge’s subtitle: “Overwhelming Success.” We can understand this as professional success. (I don’t think it’s a spoiler to point out that you were reelected; we already said you were a judge, after all.) But with mental health being part of the conversation, how do you define success?
Success includes overcoming the mental health issues, learning how to address them so that I could still function at a high level. That’s what people expect and deserve form their judges. Anxiety does not have to be a barrier to getting the job done well.
What is one thing about mental health that you would like readers or those who engage with you through social media or your blog to walk away with?
Mental health is health, just like any other health issue. A lot of people will find themselves battling anxiety or depression, just as many will have to manage diabetes, high blood pressure, skin cancer, or weight issues. Let’s drop the stigma and help everyone be as healthy as possible.
"Drop the stigma and help everyone be as healthy as possible." That sounds like a worthy goal to me.
Thank you again for your time. In closing, I always like to ask my guests, is there something my readers and I can pray for you about today?
The courts are operating, but under great restrictions during this pandemic. That means many people with criminal, civil, family, juvenile, traffic and probate cases are having their hearings and trial delayed. Also, court staff are here trying to manage the paperwork that continues to come in, and to be ready to gear things up when we can return to full capacity for trial and hearings. Prayer for making sure everyone is able to get their matters heard at the right time, and that staff will be able to do their jobs safely, would be appreciated.
Readers, I hope you will consider getting a copy of Running for Judge, which is available in hard cover, paperback, and e-book on Amazon and the publisher’s website. (The audiobook is coming soon.) You can also read about and follow Tim Fall on his website, Facebook, and Twitter, which is how I found out about him and the book in the first place.
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