How To Be Mindful In Your Profession
“When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves.” -Jack Kornfield
Do you have days where everything gets under your skin and distracts you? Do you ever get stuck in your head thinking about issues other than the project you're working on? Or, do you have days where you are laser focused, not easily rattled, and calmly go about productively solving your clients’ problems?
The difference is mindfulness. In this edition of The Free Lawyer newsletter, I will discuss what mindfulness is, how it makes a difference, the gifts of practicing law mindfully, and how to become more mindful in your law practice.
What is “mindfulness?”
Mindfulness sounds like a pretty easy word, and the concept seems simple, but the practice is not. At least not for me.
Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment and accepting it without any judgment. It generally refers to the ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we are doing, and not overly reacting to circumstances around you or being overwhelmed by what is going on. It is the practice of consciously focusing your mind in the present moment without any judgment or reaction. We are very aware of our thoughts and feelings, but we do not react or prejudge them. We are free from our normal behavior of having a quick emotional response to the circumstances around us. It is moment to moment self-awareness.
For most of my career, mindfulness has been a real struggle. When things don’t go my way, I used to get quite frustrated and distracted. I lost my attention on what I was doing.
These are examples of some things that may happen to us in our practice where we frequently react too quickly in a way that is not helpful:
The phone rings and it is that lawyer we all cannot stand. The one who always is accusing, blaming and attacking for no reason. We try to figure out whether we are going to pick up the phone and get in an argument with him or just ignore his call.
Or, we may have a paralegal who dropped the ball. She didn’t do the assignment she was supposed to do and then called in sick. Now it is on my plate to do. I have a hard time focusing on what I’m doing because I’m distracted by that.
For me, I may have had an ongoing disagreement with someone. I continue to have arguments with him in my head, even though he is not present. And this is a common one for me: I’m focused on what I will be doing later in the day instead of what I’m presently doing, even when what is presently going on is quite enjoyable. I’m thinking about the future and my schedule to come.
In each of those situations, a lack of mindfulness increases my own stress and distraction. This causes me to be less efficient, less productive and more anxious. Who needs that?
Why be more mindful?
Studies have shown that stress causes significant problems in the legal profession. Approximately half of lawyers report concerns with anxiety and depression in their careers. A significant percentage report that they have issues with substance abuse. The legal profession has one of the highest incidences of suicide.
The stress causes both issues for our physical and mental health, as well as our work performance. It can lead to headache, fatigue, sleep problems, depression, eating issues, immune issues and digestive problems. It can cause us to make mistakes, missed deadlines, overreaction to circumstances around us, and being distracted and having poor focus.
Mindfulness can help with a lot of these problems. These are some of the primary benefits of mindfulness:
Our stress is reduced. Those daily events that used to throw us off our game do not bother us as much now.
Our focus improves. No longer distracted, we complete our work faster and better.
Our performance improves. We are more confident, relaxed, and resilient.
We become more self-aware. We are aware of what is going on and how it makes us feel.
We make better decisions. We do not make hasty, rash decisions based on our temporary feelings but are more reflective.
We manage our emotions. We stop overreacting.
We become more emotionally resilient. We remain calm, clear-headed and relaxed even when circumstances are challenging
Our relationships improve. We have more effective communications with our colleagues, family and friends. Our interpersonal connections become more real and genuine.
Our well-being os strengthened.
How can we learn to be more mindful?
The goal of mindfulness technique is to achieve a state where we are alert, focused and relaxed. We deliberately pay attention to the thoughts and sensations we are feeling without any judgment. That helps us to refocus on the present moment. Sitting quietly, we focus on our breathing and allow our thoughts to pass without judging them. We become aware of any bodily sensation, sights or sounds and let them go. We are aware of the emotions we are feeling but without any judgment. We observe what we are seeing, hearing, thinking or feeling. We describe what we are experiencing without any judgment. We let go of any thought such as right and wrong, fair and unfair.
Here are some tips to improve your mindfulness:
Stop the flight or fight practice. So often we would run from circumstances we do not like, or prepare for battle. It’s time to stop avoiding.and resisting. Those practices only accentuate unpleasant feelings.
Daily meditation. Find a time each day, and a quiet place, and focus on your breathing. When your attention wanders, refocus it on your breathing. When thoughts enter your mind, let them pass without judgment. Try this every day, and gradually increase the length of time you do it.
Practice acceptance. So much of our stress is self-created. We resist the circumstances with which we are presented. Instead, accept them as being exactly what they are supposed to be. Don’t judge them, or think about what is right or just or fair; just accept reality as being what it is. Then pause and reflect on your response.
Take mindfulness resets. During the day, take several breaks and reset your mind. Perhaps when you arrive at your desk in the morning and during your lunch break.
Engage in gratitude practice. Each day upon resting, think of at least 3 things that happened during the day for which you are grateful. Let go of the circumstances that caused you stress or were unpleasant.
Conclusion
We encounter so much stress in our legal practice. We overreact, we get distracted, we get anxious. Practicing mindfulness helps us to be aware of the circumstances around us without judgment. You will find that we are more calm, focused, productive and resilient when we become more mindful..
Are you ready to start incorporating mindfulness practices into your professional life?