A few years ago, I went to an all-day meditation retreat for women at Green Gulch. Most of the day was spent in silence, in meditation, in reflection, practicing mindfulness. When you take away the ability to talk, I find that all of my other senses come alive. I look, I listen, and I feel more attentive.
I want to be fully emotionally and mentally present with my kids. Storytime, trips to the park, building Legos—I want to give my children my undivided attention or at least limit the distractions during these times.
I was at a conference in a breakout session and one lawyer shared, "Even though there are 300 lawyers in my building, I feel so lonely." Loneliness can come in many flavors. You can feel lonely from physical isolation — [...]
As lawyers, we identify so much of who we are with what we do. Therefore, it’s difficult to think about a career change because it can feel as though we’re losing a part of our identity.
For many years, as I travel across the country, talking about lawyer well-being and mindfulness, lawyers would come up to me and ask about writing. I offer the advice that's often repeated — just write. Of course, it's never that simple [...]
Before law school, I used to love writing — simply for the joy of it, as a means of self-expression. I started journaling when I was in elementary school and the journal was the doorway to my creativity. Not only [...]
As lawyers, we value the mind. We value thinking. We value our analytical prowess. Yet, the thinking mind can be a terrible roommate. Often, lawyers feel distressed by the constant and persistent thoughts. The obsessive planning. Constantly feeling on edge. [...]
Last week, the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being issued a 73-page report on "creating a movement to improve well-being in the legal profession." The report states what we know from the data: "To be a good lawyer, one has to [...]