Staying Happy and Healthy in the Legal Profession

Last week, we learned about a recently published study that found that the prevalence and severity of depression, anxiety, stress, and risky/hazardous drinking were significantly higher among women than among men. The study also found that 25% of women contemplated leaving the profession due to these mental health concerns and that they find work-family conflict to be the biggest contributor to such thoughts. This information is alarming and we need to find ways to keep ourselves and women like us happy and healthy in the legal profession. This week, we’ll discuss 5 strategies to stay happy and healthy as a legal professional!

1.  Create a dedicated workspace in your home that makes you feel like working!

Whether it’s a whole room in your house or a small corner of your studio apartment, set up a space that is solely used for working. If you like to work on a minimalist, clean, organized desk, set up your workstation with just a desk and the bare essentials needed. If you like to have a ton of stationery, pictures of loved ones, and little trinkets in you work space, set it up as such. This will give you a place to “go to work” everyday, and might even make going to work bearable, if not enjoyable!

2.  Ask for help and communicate with your supervisors.

Oftentimes we might feel like our bosses will think less of us if we discuss with them problems in our personal lives that might affect our work. So, we try to hide those problems and pretend that everything is okay. In such situations, our mental energy is used up in thinking about the problem, in thinking about how best to hide the problem, in thinking about how we have limited capacity to concentrate on work. The result is mediocre at best work product, disgruntled bosses, and discouraged you. Our supervisors are people too, and more likely than not will understand that personal issues affect work. They are likely to appreciate your honesty and find some way to alleviate your workload, and even if they don’t at least they can attribute your less-than-best work to those problems and not to you professional capabilities.

3.  Stay hydrated.

The wondrous effects of water cannot be emphasized enough. A 1.5% water loss leads to fatigue, difficulty concentrating, headaches, and impaired memory—all things that would make the already exhausting tasks of lawyering even more challenging. The daily recommended intake of water is 8 cups. If drinking that much water seems unattainable to you, start with less and work your way up to 8 cups a day. Maybe buy a super cute water bottle you love having around!

4.  Make time to do something you enjoy at least once a week.

Being a legal professional is often associated with long work hours and little time for much else besides work. Add familial responsibilities like cooking, cleaning, childcare, etc., it seems impossible to have even a moment to breathe. This can lead to feeling like what is the point of all this work if I can’t do anything I enjoy? Over a long period of time, those feelings build up to a point where we feel like we need to quit. To avoid this buildup of feelings, plan to do something you love every single week. It can be anything—trying a new brunch place, getting a pedicure, or going to a yoga class. It’s critical that you give yourself something to look forward to every week!

5.  Set boundaries at work and in your personal/family relationships.

People struggle with setting boundaries at work, with friends, with family, and really anywhere.  Getting over this initial struggle will save you a LOT of time and mental energy in the future. At work, work on saying no or asking for help when you are struggling to keep up. There is often plenty of people willing to help if we just ask. At home, try to communicate with your partner about chores and childcare, or with parents about your time and energy availability throughout the week. Communicating these boundaries with the people around you will make everyone feel better in the long run, even though it might be a little uncomfortable for all parties involved initially.