Business & Corporate Articles
Finding a Path to Mindfulness
Stress and anxiety seem to be an inherent part of the job description of being a lawyer. We act as legal counselors and emotional therapists for our clients, navigate volatile and complicated situations, and argue with judges and opposing counsel. We operate under constant pressure in managing pending deadlines, and are pulled in multiple directions daily. As a solo attorney with no employees, I constantly find it challenging to manage my stress and anxiety. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed and to work long hours to try to catch up. Whether we practice law in the transactional field or litigation arena, stress and anxiety seem to creep into our daily lives. In our industry, it is unfortunate that emotional well-being and mindfulness have never been a focus. Tragically, success as a lawyer is measured by how many hours we work and how many hours we bill, not by the hours spent with our family and friends, or memorable vacations we take. This mindset has to change if we hope to achieve happiness in our chosen career.
Only recently have I started seeing MCLE seminars on mediation, managing stress and anxiety, and ways to recognize addiction. This is a positive change that I hope envelopes our entire legal industry because many attorneys are truly unaware of the negative impact that stress and anxiety take on their lives. I can personally attest that stress can cause serious health issues, affect mental focus and sleep, and make us more agitated and short tempered. We cannot be the best lawyers for our clients, or the best friend, parent, sister, brother, or significant other if we aren’t taking care of ourselves first and foremost.
Until a few months ago, the concept of mindfulness was foreign to me. “Mindfulness” as defined in the dictionary means the “mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.” Finding a way to manage the constant stress and anxiety is the first step toward mindfulness. Anxiety is typically caused by a fear or worry about something in the future or something in our past. It usually involves a situation or actions by another that are outside of our control. Anxiety is what keeps us up at night, thinking of all the worst-case scenarios that could happen. I recently started listening to Jay Shetty’s podcast “On Purpose.” If you haven’t listened to this podcast, I would strongly encourage everyone to check it out. Jay is a former monk and focuses his podcasts on ways to achieve mental health and happiness. One major take-away from his recent podcast was a monk technique called “grounding” or “centering” in dealing with stress and anxiety. Grounding brings you back into the present moment and out of the anxious mindset. To practice grounding, you stop wherever you are and look around you and recognize the following: 5 things you see around you, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. You then focus your breathing in and out at a very slow pace. I have found this technique to be extremely helpful in focusing my mind back to the present when it wanders into negativity zone or I start worrying about the “what if” scenarios at work.
Jay’s podcast has taught me that there are so many small things that we can do each day that can make a huge impact on our life, sense of happiness, and mental well-being. For example, we should be prioritizing getting at least 8 hours of sleep every day; consciously recognizing when we have moments of negative internal dialogue and negative thoughts and find a way to flip it to a positive thought; acknowledging something you are grateful for each day; and meditating. It is also vital to exercise often to take care of our physical body, and eat healthy to nourish our brain and body. We all sit at a desk each day in front of a computer for hours at a time, so it is imperative for our health to counteract this sedentary work existence with physical activity. Attorneys frequently turn to alcohol or drugs after a stressful day rather than choosing exercise. This is a negative behavior which can lead to feelings of depression and more anxiety, especially if attorneys become dependent on drugs and alcohol. Being able to recognize toxic behaviors, and asking for help if faced with addiction are big steps in the right direction. If we start implementing small changes in our own lives, encourage other attorneys to make these changes in their lives, and turn our legal industry’s focus toward mindfulness and emotional well-being, we may begin to truly find happiness and become better versions of ourselves.
Ashley M. Peterson is the owner of the Law Office of Ashley M. Peterson.
**This article is for information purposes only and does not contain or convey legal advice. The information herein should not be relied upon in regard to any particular facts or circumstances without first consulting an attorney. Any views expressed are those of the author only and not of the SDCBA or its Business & Corporate Law Section.**
SDCBA Business & Corporate Section Online
Business & Corporate Law Section LinkedIn Group
Recent Business & Corporate Section Articles
October 2019
People of the State of California v. Sutter Health: A New Antitrust Approach?
September 2019
CCPA Proposed Amendments Update
July 2019
Cybersecurity – Is Your Law Firm At Risk?
June 2019
Trust Might Trip Up Your Partnership’s Succession Plan
May 2019
Dynamic Dynamex: 9th Circuit Applies Dynamex’ New Test Retroactively
March 2019
Could Business Owners Be Forced to Grapple with Further Changes To Worker Classification Laws?
February 2019
Transparency and Representation: California’s New Workplace Laws
January 2019
The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018
August 2018
Will California Continue To Take the Lead On Changing the Landscape of Corporate Boardrooms?
July 2018
Introduction to 1031 Like-Kind Exchanges
June 2018
Arbitration Provisions and the Impact of the Epic Systems Decision
May 2018
The General Data Protection Regulation is Only a Few Weeks Away
April 2018
Why Diverse Perspectives Matter: Lessons from the FinTech Frontier
March 2018
Arbitration and Dysfunctional Drafting
February 2018
United States Supreme Court Expands the Definition of “Benefit” in Insider Trading
January 2018
New Real Estate Recording Fees in California
December 2017
Dispute Resolution Techniques in LLCs
November 2017
Your Virtual Front Door
October 2017
Trade Secrets in the Securities Industry: Four Key Issues Transitioning Financial Advisors Must Consider
September 2017
California Finder Exemption of Little Help
August 2017
GDPR Is Coming. How Do Fines of Up to Four Percent of Global Revenue Sound?
June 2017
Client Management in Disclosure Schedules
May 2017
The Business Lawyer Dilemma: Providing Legal Advice vs. Providing Business Advice
April 2017
Modes of Contract Review
March 2017
General Overview of Securities Act Exemptions for the Novice
February 2017
Microsoft Word Tips for Attorneys
January 2017
Should Your Client Agree to Arbitration?
December 2016
10 Tax Thoughts For Startup Companies
November 2016
A Snapshot of Pregnancy and Maternity Leave Laws Applicable in California
September 2016
The Defend Trade Secrets Act
Providing Immunity Notice to Employees — A Critical Question
View an archive of articles here.