How You Can Thrive During Lawyer Well-Being Week

Business Strategy & Development, Postali Culture

Posted On: May 4 2020 By Postali

The Postali team is excited to participate in Lawyer Well-Being Week! As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, join us to promote health and happiness among attorneys during the week of May 4th-8th.

This week we’re joining organizations such as The National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being and the American Bar Association (ABA) and focusing on ways to bring health and balance to the legal profession. There are five unique aspects of overall well-being that will be highlighted throughout the week. We understand that true growth and development requires continuous effort so we’ve collected a list of ways you can apply these best practices today, this week, and over the course of your life. (Our recommendations take into account that most law firms continue to work remotely due to COVID-19).

Starting now, you are on your way to being a better attorney, and happier, healthier person.

(Monday) Stay Strong: Physical Well-Being

While many factors contribute to your physical well-being, the fundamentals still work. Get enough sleep, exercise daily, eat healthy whole foods, and minimize substance use. These tried and true guidelines will help you feel, look and perform better.

As Anne Brafford, ABA Chairperson of Attorney Well-Being Committee said, “Healthy lawyers are more engaged and productive. They are more energized to fully contribute to their firms, colleagues, families, and communities.” A few ways to move towards physical well-being include:

• Today: Take your next call or host your next virtual meeting while standing up. Studies show that standing burns an extra .15 calories per minute opposed to sitting.
• This Week: Put yourself on a sleep schedule. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, and get at least seven hours of sleep a night to restore your body.
• Life-Habit: Introduce and stick to a fitness routine. This doesn’t have to be extreme, but your goal should be to do 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least five days per week. Find something you enjoy doing, and make it part of your lifestyle.

(Tuesday) Align: Spiritual Well-Being

It’s easy to get caught up in the stress and high demands of the legal profession. Just as your body needs to recuperate so does your spirit. Without meaning or purpose in life, outlets like alcohol abuse can seem like the only way to escape the pressure. Instead, establish healthy spiritual habits by doing the following:

• Today: Make a list of your top five values and indicate how you express and honor each one both at work, and at home.
• This Week: Set your timer for 5 minutes each day and find a quiet place to meditate. If your mind begins to race, refer to your list and repeat it to yourself as a reminder of what is really important in life.
• Life-Habit: Take a break from legal briefs and motions and read a new spiritual-wellness book each month. A few of our recommendations are:
• The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle
• The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are, Brené Brown
• The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz
• The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, Michael A. Singer

(Wednesday) Engage & Grow: Career & Intellectual Well-Being

Staying stagnant in any area of life can lead to boredom, and worse, depression. To avoid this, we encourage our attorneys to continuously learn and develop their professional skills. It’s important to not only set goals, but to recognize and celebrate the victories you make. Start your career development plan by acting on the following:

• Today: Discover your strongest qualities and how to use them to further develop your skills by taking the free VIA Character Strengths Test.
• This Week: Research continuing legal education (CLE) classes that can help you advance. There are several virtual courses and webinars available via the ABA website covering a variety of legal topics.
• Life-Habit: This depends on you! Evaluate your ultimate career goals and draft a strategy to get there. No matter how big or small, work towards it each day.

(Thursday) Connect: Social Well-Being

While in the center of a social-distancing pandemic, you may already be experiencing the negative effects of isolation. Now more than ever, having a dedicated social connection with your family and peers is vital. Below are a few ways to promote social well-being, while continuing to stay healthy.

• Today: Send a thank you note to someone who has helped you in the past. This can be an email, text message, or written note. Take the time to recognize an important person in your network and let them know how they positively affected your life.
• This Week: Schedule a video call with your support team- your family, college friends, or co-workers. Regardless of who, try not to discuss work. Let this be a time to openly share thoughts and experiences, and simply enjoy the “company” of others. Relish in seeing their facial expressions and be sure to share a smile!
• Life-Habit: Continue to build and invest in healthy, meaningful relationships. Research shows that those with a positive social network have a healthier heart and blood pressure, improved cardiovascular health, and an enhanced immune system. Make nurturing your relationships a priority by establishing routine get-togethers and phone calls.

(Friday) Feel Well: Emotional Well-Being

In order to be fully healthy, our emotional state must be just as strong as our physical one. Sadly, lawyers rank #8 in the top eleven list of professions with the highest suicide rates. A few steps towards emotional well-being include:

• Today: Watch this quick video on mindfulness, and do the recommended practices to reduce anxiety.
• This Week: Attend a yoga class in your community. According to Psychology Today, yoga has been shown to increase the level of gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, a chemical in the brain that helps to regulate nerve activity. This is especially relevant to people with anxiety disorders.
• Life-Habit: Seek a therapist or life coach and schedule consistent sessions. Having a professional to speak with allows for an outlet to understand, identify and use your emotions to your advantage.

Overall, this week is about improving the well-being of lawyers everywhere. By adopting healthy habits, attorneys can have vibrant, flourishing careers and balanced personal lives.

Join the Lawyer Well-Being Week movement by sharing your experiences on social media and using the hashtag #LawyerWellbeingWeek. If the Postali team can help alleviate some of your stress by managing your firm’s marketing needs, contact us today!