Finding yourself being accused of a crime is devastating. This is even more true when the accusation is false, because to the people around you, the effect is often the same. You might find yourself being judged by people, or that there’s a change in how people behave around you. Naturally, the reaction to, a false accusation is to get angry and defend yourself, perhaps even aggressively. This is not the best way to handle the situation though.
Acting out of anger can backfire massively on you and leave you in an even worse position – even if the accusation is later proven false anyway. The best thing to do is to remain calm and seek legal advice. People such as the McCoy Law Firm are able to offer you accurate, independent legal advice on how to deal with your accusation. In the right situation, they may even be able to represent you in court (if needed). To help you stay calm and composed you can make use of a service like this, we have put together a few tips.
1. Use Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of being totally and completely in the moment. At first this might sound bad if you haven’t experienced mindfulness, because it means you’re in the moment of the accusation. This isn’t actually how it works though. See, most of our stresses come from our thoughts and perceptions. We are worried about what other people are thinking or doing, or we are worrying about past events or future possibilities. With mindfulness, you learn that none of these things are real. You cannot control or create the past, future or the thoughts/feelings/actions of other people. This is why it’s best to let go of each and every one of these things, focusing only on now.
In practice, when accused and practicing mindfulness, you would accept it as a simple false statement in the moment, deny it, and leave it at that. There’s no need for any emotion or anything else. Some people will respond by trying to press you and cause a reaction in other ways. The less you react the more frustrated THEY become, until they give up and leave, looking foolish. Meanwhile, you’ve remained calm and composed and also come out on top.
2. Be Prepared
If you are going in to an interview, court date or other situation where you know you’re going to face accusations or hostile questioning, be prepared. Visualize and go through the process in your head. Imagine how the other side will try to cause a reaction from you. Being prepared in this way takes the shock and sting out of many tactics that could be used against you.
3. Ask for Support
It’s always helpful to have a close friend or family member on hand for emotional support. Even in court you can at least look across to your friend and take comfort from their support. This can be a big help, even if it’s only to have a different focus than your accuser for a little while.
