Taking Time for Yourself This Summer

I hope you are finding some joy this summer. This last year and a half have been tough for everyone, and it’s okay to take some time to decompress. The need to care for your mental health is real. #naomiosaka Now that the COVID vaccine is widely available, take time to (re)connect with friends and if you can, take a vacation. I am on vacation as I blog this entry, and I am feeling in real-time just how much how I needed this reset.

The struggle is real, y’all and mental health issues in the legal community are common, but discussed all too infrequently. In his article Mental Health in the Law Profession, Scott Miller writes, “lawyers are prone to stress-related illnesses, including burnout, insomnia, clinical depression, gambling addiction, and substance abuse.”  https://www.mcca.com/mcca-article/mental-health-in-the-legal-profession/.

There are many other articles that substantiate these claims. In my own article, Do as I Teach, Not as I Do: For Whom are Law Schools Trustees?, I discuss how the competitive and stressful culture of law schools can create and/or foster mental health and substance abuse issues that extend into legal careers. “Lawyers are often cited among the unhappiest of professionals; their high rates of depression, anxiety, mental illness, and career dissatisfaction are well documented.

Lawyers are five to fifteen times more likely than those in the general population to experience depression or related mental health issues, yet many are unwilling to recognize law school as a contributing factor. This is despite the fact that studies dating from as far back as thirty years have consistently concluded that the emotional damage stemming from law school often continues in practice and can impact lawyers’ ability to effectively represent their clients.”

Check for=>  Few thoughts on law school Mindset

In 2017-18 Harvard Law School took a student survey that produced shocking (or perhaps not-so-shocking) results:

“Harvard Law School’s Mental Health Initiative from 2017-2018

Harvard Law gained substantial publicity as student leaders pushed the administration to take a closer look at student mental health. A survey of 886 students revealed:

• 25% of respondents reported suffering from depression
• 24% of students suffering from anxiety
• 20% of students reported a heightened risk of suicide
• 66% of students said their mental health ailments started as a result of law school
• Only 8% of students said they would feel comfortable discussing their mental health with a faculty member

Harvard’s student body heavily promoted the results of their study and offer a call to action among Harvard Law’s administration and the legal community nationwide.” https://www.enjuris.com/students/law-student-mental-health.html.

      I raise this issue not to scare you away from law school or the profession, but to emphasize the need for self-care. I often tell my students not to sacrifice going to the gym, reaching out to friends and family, or taking brief respites. This is also the case while studying for the bar exam. It is difficult to concentrate when stress levels are very high; although you need to work hard, you also need to balance that with ways to decompress. The skills you develop as you achieve that balance will serve you throughout your legal career.

So read that trashy summer novel; binge watch that cotton candy-Esque Hulu or Netflix series that has been on your watchlist for months; go outside and smell the flowers. Do what you need to do to build up the reserve from which you will draw in the coming months!

I will post again soon, but in the meantime please feel free to reach out with topics you would like for me to address.