Professional well-being month is celebrated worldwide each June and was established to stop employee well-being from being sidelined in favour of meeting deadlines or achieving success in the professional realm. While this is important within any sector, it’s essential within the legal field as:
- Lawyers rank consistently high in studies detailing the most stressful jobs.
- An IBA Survey found that ‘lawyers’ levels of well-being were “below the global average” on every continent.‘
- Lawyers are statistically less likely to bring up well-being in the workplace through fear of being dismissed or appearing as though they aren’t capable.
- ‘Over two-thirds of lawyers have suffered from poor mental health’, including diagnosed anxiety and depression.
As such, whether you work for a big firm or run your own legal team, it’s crucial that you begin to make your wellness a priority. After all, if you do not take care of yourself, this will eventually impact your ability to work effectively and productively. This could damage your reputation and brand and your relationship with your clients.
With that in mind, here are some top tips you can use to take care of yourself this professional wellness month.
Know your worth. Knowing and recognizing your worth is a great way to improve workplace well-being. This is because it encourages you to better value your time and energy. As a result, you’re less likely to overwork or overburden yourself. It also means you have to have the confidence to increase your rates when appropriate.
Give yourself a break. For too long, unsociable working hours were considered a prerequisite to working in the legal industry. Still, it does not have to be this way. In fact, studies suggest that lawyers are more effective when they stick to more traditional working hours and take plenty of breaks. As a result, if you’re feeling overwhelmed at the moment, it’s time to hit the reset button. Don’t be afraid to take some time off if you need it.
Develop healthy coping mechanisms. While stress is sometimes unavoidable, the way you respond to it matters, especially if it begins infringing upon your physical and mental health. Consequently, you must work to develop a range of techniques you can rely on when the stress gets too much. For example, you could practice meditation or mindfulness. If you’ve never meditated before, you may find apps like Headspace particularly useful, mainly as they include modules on dealing with workplace stress and anxiety. Alternatively, you can try to spend more time outside.
Listen to well-being podcasts. Sometimes we need a little guidance when introducing better well-being practices into our daily lives – especially if you have never thought to make it a priority before. In this instance, wellness podcasts could be a great introduction to this world and can help you to develop a range of skills and coping mechanisms.
Talk about how you are feeling. Lawyers often encourage their clients to seek professional help when dealing with mental health struggles – but are very reluctant to take their own advice. This means it’s time to put your money where your mouth is. Talking openly and honestly about how you are feeling is another great way to begin making well-being a priority, as it encourages you to seek out help when you need it as opposed to suffering in silence. You might also want to consider joining a support group for legal professionals, as you’ll have a shared experience with the members and can share tips and advice with each other.
Allow yourself to make mistakes. Perfectionism is a skill that many lawyers brag about, especially in job interviews. But in some cases, it could be a hindrance as it causes you to put too much pressure on yourself. While you may believe you’re up to the challenge, it’s important to remember that you’re allowed to make mistakes and that the world won’t end if you do something wrong. Sometimes, making mistakes can be helpful as it will help you learn a valuable lesson.
