- You can have a stress-free work and home life, despite the challenges of working in the legal profession.
- Find time and space for your wellbeing even though you have a busy routine.
- Simple natural stress-busting techniques can ignite energy and joy.
Late nights, tight deadlines, and being constantly accessible by technology are common situations when working in the legal sector. Your body has to cope daily with multiple internal and external demands that erode health and wellbeing, and this compromises your quality of life.
Let’s start with the concept of perfect health and wellbeing, and how stress wears that down over your lifetime. Imagine your body, each cell at its healthiest, thriving and growing when you are born. Now, imagine this being eroded because of the daily grind of managing a demanding career, family issues, and global and political situations. Stress creeps up on us, although sometimes the signals are loud and clear—are you less efficient at work? Do you feel overloaded, depressed, and lack energy?
The stress pot
Life as a lawyer is not straightforward. It has many twists, turns and challenges on a personal and professional level. Hence there will be times when you experience stress. That is a given. You may experience the immediate impact of something when it does not go as expected, or you could feel the accumulation of negative energy in the form of stress over many years. The build-up can be deeply rooted, even starting in childhood. It is like a bottle inside you, filling up with layers of stress over many years which, if not emptied out, can trigger unhelpful feelings and reactions causing physical and mental illness. This is the ‘stress pot’, which festers and bubbles away inside.
It isn’t about never feeling stressed, but rather how we come out of that state in the shortest possible time, using interventions which have no other negative consequences. Unlike coping mechanisms such as alcohol, the techniques presented in this article don’t cost anything and won’t require you to take much time out.
Coping strategies
Changing habits takes time and effort. To begin your stress-free journey, take a habit you already do every day and pair it with a simple new one you want to change. For example, when you have your morning cup of tea or coffee, also practise a few breathing techniques as you sip your drink. Once you have established this pattern, you combine another new habit with an old one such as taking the stairs instead of the lift. This way you master the art of building new habits one after the other. Once you are on this path, you will:
- accelerate concentration and focus;
- boost creativity and productivity; and
- enrich communication and relationships.
Top stress-busting tips
Here are some top tips for dealing with stress:
Changing the way you breathe: focus on the movement of your breath in your body and breathe deeply.
According to the American Institute of Stress, ‘deep breathing increases the supply of oxygen to your brain and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes a state of calmness. Breathing techniques help you feel connected to your body—it brings your awareness away from the worries in your head and quiets your mind.’
Changing the way you breathe is one of the most powerful things you can do to reduce stress levels and boost wellbeing.
Maximising your body’s potential: get up frequently: you weren’t built to sit at a desk all day. Go for a walk every day. If you’re sluggish, make it brisk. If your mind is racing, make it slow and intentional.
Your body is the vehicle through which you achieve your mission in life. Treat it with respect by exercising regularly and nourishing it with healthy food and water.
Thinking positively and staying in the present moment: learn how to live in the present, let go of the past and stop worrying about the future.
Mastering the mind is about controlling negative overthinking and helping you to reframe and think positively. How often has your mind gone into overdrive and ruined your mood? Use your mind as you would any other tool, such as when you want to solve a problem for a client, and then let it rest when you are done. Stop thinking about the future or the past. This takes you away from being in the here and now and makes you less effective at work and in general.
The power of relationships: interact meaningfully with others by listening actively and responding mindfully.
Develop empowering relationships by reducing stress from conflict and poor communication with others. If someone says something negative, avoid chewing on it all day and letting it distract from the present moment. Try active listening and releasing your need to be right. You can also visualise a ‘protective bubble’ around you when encountering aggression from others.
Once you have mastered the above, other techniques such as positive affirmative thinking, outpouring emotions through writing or talking, and spiritual activities such as meditation and time in nature, will build your repertoire, helping create a stress-free, happy and successful life.
These techniques can be integrated within your usual daily tasks and schedules, which makes them accessible at home and in the office despite busy routines.
Hansa Pankhania is CEO of AUM Wellbeing Consultancy & author of Stress to Success in 28 days & Stress to Success Stories (www.hansapankhania.com).
