How Do You Manage Job-Related Stress?
This week, recent law graduate Michael Serota said law schools have a moral obligation to produce healthy and satisfied lawyers and should do so by helping students identify what their professional values are and find law careers that mesh with them.
Serota cited a “modest empirical study” by two professors that found, basically, that law students who are satisfied are mentally healthy: Those who figured out what their strengths were and found ways to use them were less likely to report depression or stress. And to show why all of this is so important, Serota cited other studies showing the relatively high rates of depression and substance abuse among lawyers.
So this week, rather than asking what your law school has (or should have done) for you, we’d like to know what you do for yourself. How do you manage job-related stress? Do you, say, make time to work out or purposely turn off your PDA after a certain point in the day? Has experience helped you become competent, consistently productive and able to delegate to the point that you generally feel things are under control? Or does your peace of mind come from essentially having found the right job?
Answer in the comments.
Read the answers to last week’s question: What Would Your Dream Law Office Be Like?
Featured answer:
Posted by G: “My dream office would have open air windows to an ocean view. Dress code of shorts, flip-flops, and sunscreen would be the norm. There would be no billable hour system and eight hour days would be the rule; not the exception. Lunch and breaks would actually be encouraged and taken. Workers could surf on their lunch hour if they wanted, be able to take a quick shower, and be back to work restful, tanned, and relaxed. The office would be stocked with bottled water, yogurt, fresh fruit, veggies, granola and fresh grain products. Remember, this is only a dream.”
