Anxiety about my appeal

Like you I did my own paperwork and had to attend alone.

I was really nervous and was struggling to say what I wanted to say but the judge said he understood that it is a stressful situation.

When I got there the clerk took me through to the waiting room and  then went through what would happen and the names of the panel and their roles. He checked that I had my bundle of paperwork and asked if there was any other evidence I wanted to add to it.

The hearing room was like an office not a ‘court’.

The panel – the judge and a doctor and a disability specialist – sat in a row of desks and I sat in front of them.

The judge is taking notes so watch him / her and pause if they are writing something down.

Don’t worry if you get anxious trying to answer the questions – just take a breath and start again. Easier said than done I know...

I would recommend writing down a statement of what you want to say as I was asked if there was anything I wanted to add at the end but my brain was overloaded by that point and I couldn’t think of anything at the time. I think it would have been better if I had had something to read out to them to make sure I didn’t forget anything.

Also I wrote a list of the bundle page number for the key points in the paperwork that I thought I might need to refer to.

Plan a treat for yourself when it is all over!