According to the Report from the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being released in August 2017, there are five central themes that need to be addressed in order to better the mental – and ultimately physical – well-being of the profession, including eliminating the stigma of seeking help and reducing the level of toxicity in the legal industry.  Slowly but surely, legal practice is changing, from the ABA’s 2018 passage of the Measure on Substance Abuse, to more states adding substance abuse continuing education requirements, and firms nationwide signing the pledge to advance well-being in the industry.

One organization that is dedicated to helping struggling attorneys is Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers. Tune in to Laurie Besden’s most recent program to learn her story and more about what you can do if you someone you know needs help. In the meantime, here are some ways to handle stress:

Boost Your Endorphins. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), more than two-thirds of people say they experience stress or anxiety on a daily basis, but only 14% of people regularly exercise to cope with it.

Sleep. Sleep and stress can become a circle that’s hard to break, wherein stress prohibits sleep and the loss of sleep causes more stress because it undermines your productivity. Aside from improved mental health, sleep also has a myriad of physical health benefits, so get some ZZZs.

Read for Fun. A study by Mindlab International at the University of Sussex found that reading for fun cut stress by 68% – in just six minutes of reading.  Essentially, this may alleviate stress because reading completely occupies the human mind and pulls you away from external stresses, resulting in the ease of tension on the heart and other muscles. So put down the legal work on your commute, evenings, or weekends, and pick up some fiction.

Don’t Do it Alone. There is no shame in seeking help. Therapy can provide an outlet and alleviate internal pressures to avoid problems from building in the first place.  Now, many options are democratizing access to therapy, including apps like TalkSpace that allow you to text or call a licensed therapist if you’re too busy to get to a traditional in-office session.

Read more details in the full article, and don’t hesitate to reach out to your local LCL or a licensed mental health professional if you or someone you know is suffering.