Graduate Fellow
Law Career Development
Stress is defined as a “bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary. In other words, stress is your body’s way of responding to certain situations and pressures that are unfamiliar to you. Anything that puts high demands on you can be stressful. This includes major life changes, school, work, family, relationship difficulties, financial problems, or simply being too busy.
As future attorneys, we are faced with certain expectations and the pressure of living up to these expectations can lead to a stressful life. Attorneys may be in a position of power, but such power comes with a price. “The duty of a lawyer, both to his client and to the legal system, is to represent his client zealously within the bounds of law.” ABA Model Rule 1.3. Although California does not require zealous advocacy, it is expected that a lawyer will perform any service for a client that is appropriate for the advancement of the client’s legal rights. As such, this representation requires an attorney to exercise attention to detail and work hours. Sounds similar to being a law student, doesn’t it?
A little stress could motivate you to study harder and to stay organized, but too much stress could have a negative impact on your health. In law school, it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning in stress. You’re expected to read, learn, and quickly grasp the material. On top of this, you have internships and other experimental learning placements. For many law students, this could be a stressful load. But there are ways to successfully manage your stress and maintain your mental health. Here are a few tips on how to manage your stress:
1) Identify your stress triggers and how you react to them.
Everyone has a different stress trigger, so identify what yours is. Is it keeping organized, outlining, writing papers, being around competitive students, etc.? Once you have identified your triggers, you can work on managing them. In addition, figure out how you react to stress. Is it drinking alcohol, eating poorly, or pulling all-nighters? Your reactions to stress could be fueling your stress, so identifying your reactions to these stress triggers could be the key to overcoming your stress.
2) Maintain a healthy diet.
When you’re busy, it’s easy to fall into a cycle of eating poorly so try incorporating healthy foods into your diet. When you’re at the grocery store, avoid the junk food aisle and walk to the produce aisle. Eating too much junk food could leave you feeling sluggish and tired, especially if you’re already tired, so replacing that bag of potato chips with an apple could make a big difference.
3) Exercise regularly.
Regular exercise can improve your mood and serve as a distraction. Make it a habit to exercise 30 minutes every day or take a short walk around the block to clear your mind. While it may seem that non-stop studying is a better use of your time, you’ll find that exercising relieves stress, improves your mood, and enhances your energy for better focus.
It’s also good to keep your blood flowing, so take frequent breaks from studying even if it’s only for 10 minutes. Get up, stretch, and keep yourself hydrated.
4) Extracurricular activities.
Remind yourself of the life you had before law school. It may be hard to remember the life you once had, but the activities you enjoyed (baking, hiking, going to the movies, etc.) are still available to you. There is more to life than the inside of a law school library and it’s good to occasionally remind yourself of why you made the decision to put yourself through law school in the first place.
5) Utilize school’s resources.
Taking advantage of your school’s resources is a good way to help you relieve the burden of unnecessary stress. GGU has an amazing staff that is dedicated to helping their students. You don’t have to take this journey on your own.
Academic Advising
Academic advising is a great resource to utilize at GGU. The advisors want you to succeed and specifically build your sessions according to what you need to focus on. This is particularly useful for 1Ls adjusting to law school.
When I was a 1L, I made it my goal to schedule an appointment with academic advising every week. This forced me to remain on task and talking about the material helped me really understand the material. Moreover, each appointment was catered to my individual needs. If I didn’t understand a particular topic, I’ll be given an essay or multiple choice questions that pertained to that topic.
Career Counseling
I went to LCD every semester during my three years of law school. My resume was always updated and ready to distribute to a potential employer. My cover letters were always reviewed before sent to employers. If I was nervous about a particular interview, I did a mock interview with a counselor before my actual interview. Doing all this helped me build confidence which made networking and interviewing easier over time.
Wellness Resources
Overstressed and need someone to talk to? Contact GGU’s Wellness Resources. For $20 per session, the Wellness staff offers private consulting on work/life balance, dealing with stress, managing time and energy, handling test/presentation anxiety, and developing a life vision.
