When the term “self-care” comes up, do you immediately picture luxurious spa days, yoga retreats, or extended beach vacations? For busy legal professionals, self-care doesn’t have to mean an entire day of relaxation. While it certainly can include that, there are more practical ways to rejuvenate your energy.
Feeling overwhelmed by the mere thought of self-care? It’s understandable, considering how packed your schedule likely is. But just as flight attendants advise putting on your oxygen mask before assisting others during a flight, prioritizing self-care is essential. You need to be at your best to effectively serve your family, friends, and clients.
During our recent Women Attorney’s Group call, we discussed why resting is actually hard work. Participants were asked to read an article and watch a Google Rest talk prior to the call, which I’ve linked below for your reference. What struck me was the shared sentiment that resting feels counterproductive, especially for high achievers like us. Despite its importance, self-care often poses a mental challenge.
My key take-aways from the call were:
- Active rest is important – that does not mean scrolling social media on your phone. Active rest is reading a book on a topic you find interesting, playing a sport, or engaging in hobbies. This allows time to focus on something else and let your mind rest from work.
- It’s crucial to set boundaries on your time, especially when it comes to things that are important to you. There was a great deal of discussion around calendaring time for exercise or breaks, and limiting digital and physical notifications to allow for deep work.
- Incorporating inspiration into your routines can help set the right tone. Several attorneys on the call talked about their morning routine. Recommendations included listening to motivational podcasts while drinking their morning coffee, listening to business audio books while walking, or journaling in the morning. All of these allowed for rejuvenation and inspiration.
You may be thinking that’s great for them, but how can I do this? Here are three simple ways to prioritize self-care:
- Go to your calendar right now and block out 15 minutes today to get up and walk around your building. Simply moving your body and changing the scenery will help you focus the rest of the day. Bonus points if you add a recurring time block for the coming week!
- Try meditation – Wake up 15 minutes earlier, or go to bed 15 minutes earlier, to give meditation a try. There are free apps or paid options that are compared in this article.
- Begin journaling. There is no need to buy a fancy journal, just grab a legal pad and start writing. There are also guided journals that provide prompts. An easy way to start is with a gratitude journal. In the morning write down three things you were grateful for from the previous day. The smaller the better. I find myself looking for things throughout the day so I can have them top of mind for the next morning. For example, one of mine for today was hearing the birds chirping when the window was open, a lovely spring day.
While on this self-care journey, think about limiting things that are no longer serving you. Does scrolling your phone to look at social media make you feel better or worse about yourself? If you are using social media for your marketing efforts, great! Schedule time to post, comment and engage, and then be done. Don’t trick yourself that you’re working when you’re really zoning out. Is there something you love to do but you can’t seem to find the time for it? For me, that was reading. I enjoy fiction and personal development books, but recently I noticed I had not read a book in what felt like forever. I made a commitment to read each night instead of watching TV or scrolling on my phone. I already feel more fulfilled and accomplished because I swapped a bad habit for something I enjoy.
By incorporating these simple practices into your daily routine, you can recharge your batteries while thriving in your legal career. If you’re interested in further insights on professional development for attorneys, subscribe to our blog for regular updates.
Rest Takes Hard Work Resources:
- Read: Article in Time magazine Rest Takes Hard Work by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang (7-minute read)
- Listen: Talks at Google Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang (51:50)
Erin Mathew
Director, Projects and Event Planning
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com
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