Wishing you a beautiful Thanksgiving week ahead! Hope you stay warm, safe, and healthy this Thanksgiving holiday. I also wish those who have exams this week all the best! You know you can do well on your exam, you’re a smart law student! Keep going! That being said, I want to focus this week’s blog post on mental health. The topic of mental health has been in the shadows for a while and all that is doing to us as a society is weakening us, causing us to be helpless for those who need help, and sometimes even brushing it off as if there is no such thing as mental health.
I’m no expert on mental health, so I did some research. “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.” (MentalHealth.gov). It is a common misconception that mental illness has to do with just brain tumors, and other medical brain conditions, however, mental health is beyond that. It includes, “depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and other disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior.” (Mayo Clinic).
Mental health issues in the legal profession are overlooked and undermined. It’s common for lawyers to put others before themselves and try to fix others’ problems when they themselves are struggling. It’s so easy for lawyers to overwork and take very little care of themselves. It’s our nature. We’re in a demanding profession and with that comes its struggles. It is crucial for law students and lawyers to recognize that struggle and come to support each other. One may not even know that a fellow law student or lawyer is struggling with their mental health. We’re so good at putting ourselves aside and conveying ourselves in a good manner just for the sake of our clients, our families, our friends, our community. We need to learn to put ourselves first, give our mental health priority, and be aware of those around us who may be struggling with their mental health.
Using Mayo Clinic as a reference, some signs and symptoms of mental illness include:
1. Inability to cope with daily problems or stress;
2. Major changes in eating habits;
3. Extreme mood changes of highs and lows;
4. Significant tiredness, low energy, or problems sleeping; and
5. Excessive anger, hostility or violence.
When we suffer from such symptoms, it is important to pause and evaluate ourselves. It’s important to seek help when you feel like you are not yourself. Times can be stressful around exam season or when you have trial coming up, and especially during such a pandemic. But there are resources out there that can help. In Massachusetts, we are very fortunate to have an organization whose mission is to support lawyers and law students. In most cases, their services are free of charge. Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL) stated mission is, “to promote well-being and resilience in the legal community, improve lives, nurture competence, and elevate the standing of the legal profession…to fulfill this mission, LCL provides free and confidential mental health resources, addiction recovery support, and practice management services.” LCL has visited MSLAW in the past to support students and talk about their services. Anyone who feels they need some additional support during these stressful times should reach out to them. You can learn all about their services through their website at https://www.lclma.org.
Whether it be speaking to a friend about it, going to a therapist, doing activities that help you relax, or surrounding yourself with people that will support you and help you grow, you should do what you have to in order to take care of yourself.
Give yourself priority. You deserve to be happy.
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