By Val Hemminger; Westshore Divorce Lawyer and Creator of Be The BEST Divorce Lawyer.
Let’s face it. The statistics are grim. Lawyer stress is a big problem in our profession. Study after study states that there are high rates of mental disorders and substance abuse within our profession. Sadly, a lot of lawyers think that it is just the way it is and there is nothing we can do about it. I say bogus to that!
The problem is most lawyers do not know that there is a better way. The statistics are sadly, very illuminating. Despite most bar associations saying they are dong something about it, the lawyer stress statistics continue to rise.
Jump to 9 Ways to Beating Lawyer Stress
As just one example, the Law Society of British Columbia established a mental health task force in 2018 to:
So, what does this mean practically for lawyers on the front lines of practicing law? Well, as far as we can tell, not very much. Despite their task force and mandate to implement mental health being a concern relating to disciplinary issues, as far as I can tell, for the average lawyer on the street, not much has changed.
I happen to be picking on the Law Society of British Columbia because they happen to be my current governing body. However, if you are a lawyer who practices pretty much anywhere, lawyer stress is a common theme throughout all areas of practicing law.
The point is this, as lawyers, we can’t wait on our governing bodies, or bar associations to help with our stress. Managing our stress and creating a happy and peaceful existence is up to us, nobody else.
Let’s face it, unhappy lawyers are everywhere, but you don’t have to be one of them.
As lawyers in this profession, we cannot wait until our governing bodies take the time to implement whatever their task forces have decided. Combatting lawyer stress has to come from us as lawyer practitioners.
So, how do we combat lawyer stress?
Sure, we can all agree that lawyer stress is an occupational hazard. It is an expected part of our profession.
If you think about methods to combat stress that we hear about over and over again, it applies to lawyer stress also.
What are these things?
Now, my dear friend, how do you beat that lawyer stress?
Well, here are some of the old glib strategies “self-care” stuff we hear over and over again. We have all heard about these strategies to beat lawyer stres but how many lawyers do you know to implement any of them?
Sure we all know this list.
The question is how many of us have the time, energy or inclination to actually incorporate any of this stuff?
Check out If Lawyer Work-Life Balance is actually a myth here.
So, you might be thinking like I used to think “Oh, great, now I am not only completely stressed out, but I get to feel guilty and like I am a bad person because I don’t follow the advice that will beat lawyer stress.”
The problem, my friend, is this:
NO matter how much you incorporate
"self-care, meditation, exercise, eating well, and sleeping well",
NO amount of self-care is going to beat your lawyer stress,
expand your happiness, save your health, or improve your relationships if you walk into a stressful, chaotic, high-conflict law practice each and every working day of your life.
That is why the real way to beat lawyer stress has everything to do with running a successful law practice. You want to Start To Grow Your Family Law Practice, Efficiently and Effectively. Although you might want to start with the Five Top Strategies for Successful Family Law Firm Practice Management know that the real way to beat lawyer stress is to stop creating stress for yourself everyday!