Lawyer Mental Health: Why Emotional Wellness Matters

As a lawyer, how often do you consider your emotional wellness? Be it the long hours, overwhelming workload, or mentally draining cases, lawyers’ emotional well-being can take a quite the hit. But what even is emotional wellness and why should lawyers care about it? It all comes down to how you face the stress of work and life.

Keep reading to learn more about what you can do in your professional and personal life to improve your emotional wellness so you can practice well.

Why Should Lawyers Care About Emotional Wellness?

As its name suggests, emotional wellness describes one’s ability to take life's stresses in stride, adapting positively to difficult situations and unexpected changes. Emotional wellness is like a muscle that needs to be exercised regularly. This is especially pertinent for lawyers and law students who deal with difficult and draining situations on a daily basis.

Failing to take your emotional wellness seriously can lead to burnout and stress. In some instances, the stressors of the legal profession can result in substance abuse issues and process addictions. By understanding emotional wellness and being proactive about your mental health, not only will you become the best lawyer you can be, but you’ll be also a better person altogether.

Lawyer Emotional Wellness: How to Deal with Alcohol Issues, Drug Issues, and Mental Breakdowns

The practice of law can be emotionally and physically draining. That's why there are such high rates of mental health and substance use disorders among lawyers. In fact, a 2023 study of 13,000 lawyers found that "28% experienced depression, 19% reported anxiety, 21% had alcohol use problems, and 11% had problems with drug use."

While there may not be one single unifying solution to overcoming drug and alcohol issues or mental breakdowns, emotional wellness provides a starting point for lawyers. Being aware of the issues you're facing is a great first step. Perhaps it's obvious you're struggling or you're just reading this blog post out of curiosity, but if your state of stress and burnout is starting to feel like the norm, then it's time to do something about it.

Take a look at these tips to help improve your emotional wellness so you can better deal with the common issues lawyers face.

Seek Professional Help

Realizing there's an issue is a great first step, but nothing will change if you don’t take action. You need to take that second step. Often, this entails seeking professional help. It may sound daunting or too drastic of a step to take, but it's a necessary thing to do if you're hoping to improve your emotional wellness.

Don't let fear or shame stop you from seeking the professional help you deserve. Unsure where to start? Contact the Texas Lawyers' Assistance Program at 1-800-343-TLAP (8527) or visit them online www.tlaphelps.org for guidance.

Connect with Others

Remember the 2023 study we mentioned earlier? Mental and physical health issues run rampant among the legal community. You don't need to feel like you're facing these issues on your own. There are countless lawyer-focused support groups out there that offer support to lawyers who are experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse issues.

Click statewide support group meeting schedule for the month of October. This schedule updates every month, so if the link no longer works, head to www.tlaphelps.org and click on the "Lawyer/Law Student Support Group Meetings" link at the top of their home page.

Learn to Relax

When it comes to the practice of law, relaxing is often a foreign concept. For some attorneys, the state of being high-strung and stressed out has become their default. Not only is this detrimental to your mental health but it can also affect your physical wellness, which can ultimately affect your legal practice. You deserve time to relax and de-stress, even if it's just taking a short break or practicing breathing exercises.  

Here are some easy ways lawyers can relax, even at their busiest: 

• Take slow deep breaths, breathing deeply using your belly. Do this for two to five minutes. This is a great exercise to do if you're feeling particularly stressed.
• Go for a walk around the block so you can have a change of scenery.
• Lie down for a quick nap to let your mind rest and recover.
• Practice guided meditation. There are countless videos on YouTube with guided meditations to help you relax. Many of these videos are around five minutes so you can take a short break to meditate and rebalance your emotional wellness.

Cultivating a Healthy Workplace to Foster Emotional Wellness

It's impossible to talk about lawyer emotional wellness without mentioning the workplace. Law firms are famously high-paced environments. As such, a sense of stress permeates throughout the entire building, from the newest employees to the higher-ups and everyone in between.

Working long hours, dealing with tight deadlines, and taking on difficult legal issues can get overwhelming quickly. If left untreated, these stressors can become untenable, resulting in serious mental and physical issues. Even if you consider yourself a workaholic, it's still necessary to foster a healthy work-life balance.

One way to build resilience against the common stressors is by cultivating a healthy workplace. Whether you're a sole practitioner, a first-year associate, or a partner at a national law firm, it's possible to implement positive changes in your professional life to improve your emotional wellness.

Below, we've compiled a few simple ways to cultivate a healthy workplace and work-life balance to help you manage stress at work.

How to Manage Stress at the Office

• Use Your Time Wisely: If you work more than 40 hours per week and take your work into the weekend, then it's time to take a look at how you use your working hours. When are you most productive? Perhaps you can start your day a few hours earlier, so you won't have to work late into the evening. Use these peak productivity hours to work on your most focus-intensive tasks. This way, these tasks won't bleed into the next day or into the weekend.
• Delegate Administrative Tasks: How much of your day is devoted to administrative tasks? If you can, pass tasks on to a legal assistant or associate so you can focus on your own tasks. The art of delegating is crucial when it comes to managing your time efficiently. If you're a sole practitioner and can't delegate your tasks to someone else, look into task automation.
• Find the Control You Deserve: Having a sense of control in your professional life can do wonders for your emotional wellbeing. To establish control, set clear rules regarding your work schedule or when you can be contacted. If possible, seek a flexible or hybrid work schedule. Remember, if you're working from home, set a stopping point so you don't end up working longer hours than you usually work at the office. Control is key.
• Dealing with Clients: Clients may be the source of much of your stress. Whether you've taken on too many clients or you're working on a particularly draining case, it's necessary to consider your emotional wellness. Implement trauma-informed lawyering practices to face those difficult cases with resilience. If you're experiencing difficulties relating to your workload in general, you won't be able to offer your clients the legal representation they deserve. By taking time to strengthen your emotional wellness, you'll be able to meet your clients' needs without spreading yourself too thin.

It's Time to Get More Proactive About Lawyer Emotional Wellness

Much how most lawyer websites say their content doesn't constitute legal advice, you shouldn't take this blog post as medical or psychological advice. Consider it a simple nudge to help you on your way to improving your emotional wellness. For more insight, guidance, and vetted help, text or call the Texas Lawyers' Assistance Program at 1-800-343-TLAP (8527).