How lawyers can address and combat stress

27 Feb 2023

It’s well-known that the legal industry is a stressful place to work. As a lawyer, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by tight deadlines, heavy workloads, and complicated cases and agreements, all of which can lead to intense stress. That’s why it’s crucial that you have a health and wellness plan that’s designed to bring a sense of peace into your life, giving you the chance to wind down and switch off.

To help you, we’ve put together some top tips for reducing work-related stress, both in and out of the office.

Understand your biggest triggers

Stress doesn’t appear out of thin air: it’s triggered. There are certain situations or events that can increase your stress levels, sending your cortisol sky-high and making you feel unbalanced. Learning what these are is the first step to reducing stress in your life.

As a lawyer, there are a lot of factors that contribute to burnout and stress. Keep a note of what sets you on edge or exhausts you as you work, noting down specifics. For example, tight deadlines may usually be fine, but tight deadlines for matters you’re less familiar with or alongside a heavier workload may be a trigger. When you feel overwhelmed, try to jot down as much information as possible about your circumstances.

Once you know your triggers, you can anticipate them before they hit you. Say, for example, that you’ve got a few consecutive deadlines which will be tricky to hit for a case that you’re unsure about, and you know this will cause you stress – to reduce its impact, you may ask for help from a colleague, spend more time getting to grips with the case, or ask for more time to complete the tasks.

Seek help from a therapist

Therapists are trained to deal with emotions that you struggle with, including stress. If you’re having a hard time and feel overwhelmed, it’s vital you speak to a professional. This is highly recommended for lawyers, particularly those that work with emotionally draining cases, and can drastically improve your resilience and boost your happiness.

Your therapist will help you:

• Identify triggers
• Talk openly about your emotions
• Develop coping mechanisms to reduce stress

Never underestimate the power of a sympathetic ear!

Create a solid self-care routine

Self-care is a buzzword that we can get behind. In fast-paced, high-intensity professions like legal work, maintaining self-care provides a better work-life balance and prevents your job from taking over your life. Keeping up a routine ensures that, no matter how much work you have, you’re looking after yourself, too.

It’s widely known that self-care decreases stress levels and improves mental resiliency. To create a routine, think of activities that are essential to your well-being and help you to feel good, both inside and out. These could include:

• Morning and evening skincare
• Taking the time to cook your evening meals
• Reading and journaling
• Getting outside

(Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/EKy2OTRPXdw)

In addition to these daily activities, create a self-care plan for when your stress levels are on the rise. Incorporate relaxation techniques such as having a bath, seeing friends, or watching a movie, all of which can help you calm down.

Don’t forget your diet

Your diet plays a big role in your mental well-being. A well-balanced, healthy diet gives you the energy to take on the day and meet your deadlines. Good food also bolsters your immune system, keeping work-inhibiting sickness at bay.

But did you know that what you eat can actively increase or decrease stress, too? A poor diet full of bad fats and too much sugar is likely to send cortisol levels spiking, whilst there’s evidence that fatty acids can help to bring them down. Watch what you put on your plate to improve your state of mind.

Learn how to switch off

Many people find switching off extremely difficult. However, taking your work home with you is a recipe for stress-related disaster.

To switch off from your day, start by setting boundaries. For example, you may be happy to stay on after your working hours end, but once you’re home, you can’t be contacted. You don’t respond to emails or work-related texts, and your colleagues know only to call you in emergencies. These sorts of boundaries are healthy and are becoming common in the workplace.

Your self-care routine will also help you switch off and unwind. A few simple routines when you step through the door can make a clearer distinction between work and home life. Make a habit of getting out of your work clothes and sitting down with a cup of tea when you get in to switch on your relaxation mode.

Make time for friends and family

A key sign that you’re letting stress get the better of you is when you stop seeing friends and family. Not making time for the people you love is a sign of imbalance. No matter how busy you are, you should always be able to keep up a healthy social life.

Of course, this means different things for different people. Some people need to see their friends multiple times a week for a dose of happy hormones, whilst others are pleased to spend time with their children over the weekends. Whatever a healthy social life is for you, make it a priority to maintain it no matter what’s going on at work.

Final words

Decades ago, stress was seen as a non-negotiable part of a legal career. Now, though, mental health is gaining importance, and a healthy work-life balance is a must. With professional advice, a solid self-care routine, and healthy boundaries, you can keep up a flourishing career without the spikes in cortisol. Hopefully, this article has shone a light on maintaining well-being and has given you plenty of tips to stay more in control of your stress levels at work and at home.

See also:

• Law firms: 8 practical steps to improve staff mental health
• Leading a healthy life, even if (especially if) you are a lawyer
• Regulations on community mental health care facilities drawn up
• SA legal tech giant adopts hybrid working model

(This article is provided for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. For more information on the topic, please contact the author/s or the relevant provider.)