In law school, you’re learning how to practice law.
It’s important to study all aspects of your legal career, including how you’ll integrate self-care.
This period of your legal career is arguably the most stressful. But you also know very well that being a practicing lawyer, particularly a new one, won’t be a walk in the park. You’ll always have some level of stress, and without taking time for self-care, it can easily overwhelm and consume you.
The constant pressure you’re experiencing now can lead to you maxing out quickly, and the symptoms of burnout will make you feel like you can’t read one more case without losing it. But if you learn to manage your stress, you can prevent taking it all the way to the end of your rope.
Law school provides the perfect environment for you to practice how you’ll deal with stress. Start now, and you’ll detect your limits sooner, before you hit them. And you’ll know what to do to calm yourself, especially when you can’t just drop everything and take a week-long vacation.
The key is to take regular self-care breaks. You’ll have semester breaks to recharge, of course, but you can’t rely just on those. You need to establish a self-care schedule, and it should be part of your study schedule, not something you get to if you have time.
Self-care is not some huge, expensive gesture, like a weekend at a spa. It’s a steady practice. Take a walk on Saturday afternoons in the park with some coffee. Make your bedtime skincare ritual as relaxing as possible. It’s putting down your books to watch the sunset. It’s taking time to make healthy meals for yourself. It’s taking time to exercise in whatever way energizes you.
Don’t wait until you are at a breaking point to work in self-care. If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Make self-care part of your regular schedule, and you’ll set yourself up for a long legal career that you can actually enjoy.