In the event that you sense that your profession as a lawyer is overwhelming, you are not the only one. You are probably already aware of the statistics — that lawyers are more than twice as prone to suicide than most other professional experts, and that additionally, they are twice as likely to experience substance abuse and depression. If you feel like you are under extreme levels of duress, visit a top neurologist in Lahore.
While lists like this are often glossed over, it is important to take them seriously
As an attorney, it is unlikely that you will be able to entirely eliminate the anxiety that you feel as a consequence of your job. What you can do, however, is change the way that you react to it and, therefore, how much of your time and energy you will allow it to control.
There are many ways to deal with stress at the office, and the following is a list of the most effective ones:
1) Meditate
Meditation has been put to the test in thousands of studies over the last several decades and the results are interesting. Practicing meditation, which is simply a form of mental training (though numerous traditional methods come paired with religious beliefs, philosophies, and rituals) — has been proven to improve focus, reduce stress, improve emotional regulation, and even to have a positive effect on your physical health and longevity.
Sit still for a few minutes a day, close your eyes, and try to focus on the physical sensation of your breathing. When your mind wanders — and it will wander — return your focus to your breath and continue on. The longer you inhale and exhale, the calmer you will feel.
Keep up with the practice and you’ll improve (mindfulness is challenging). Eventually, you will likely start to see effects in a number of areas of your life, including your ability to calmly and rationally deal with stressful situations as they arise.
2) Visualize Success
It may sound counterintuitive, but studies suggest that simply visualizing success in a process or action can actually be quite good at improving the actual results.
Visualization has been shown to work as a method of sharpening one’s intellectual acumen.
The next time you are feeling that crushing fear associated with an impending trial date or important filing, rather than focusing on your fear of failure as a source of motivation, visualize yourself going through the process and succeeding before digging in to get the work done.
3) Put Down the Coffee and Pick up Some Chamomile Tea
A lot of people find comfort in coffee and often rely on it to stay alert; it has become a standard for a stressful routine. However, a stressful routine may also mean that you will end up relying on caffeine intake which can, in turn, make you feel more anxious by increasing your heart rate.
Just like any other stimulant, coffee carries with it the side effect of anxiety, which will most definitely ruin your concentration. This situation arises because both caffeine and anxiety lead your body to produce cortisol, which is the primary stress hormone.
Chamomile, on the other hand, has been used for hundreds of years as a nerve tonic, relaxant, and sleep aid, and it has also proven useful in significantly improving moderate-to-severe symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.
Hence, if you are feeling jittery and thinking about reaching for another cup of coffee to aid in calming your nerves, think again. As it turns out, your favorite power-up may well be part of the problem.
4) Get Some Exercise
Although the aforementioned techniques can be practiced from the comfort of your office, which is good because you are likely to have a busy routine, exercising is an integral part of stress-relief. Take a walk around the block (unless you can find a way to add some type of exercise equipment in your office). Exercise has been shown to reduce stress and improve mood for many verifiable and scientific reasons.
According to the Mayo Clinic, engaging in physical activity pumps the “feel-good neurotransmitters called endorphins” to your brain, which ultimately produces the effect commonly known as a “runner’s high,” though you can achieve the same effect through any form of physical exercise.
Exercise also serves as “meditation in motion,” according to the Mayo Clinic report, in that focusing on a physical activity enables you to shift your focus from other stresses that you may be facing. It can also help reduce symptoms of depression, improve your sleep, and lower your blood pressure — all of which can contribute to a more peaceful state of mind. The release of feel-good hormones called endorphins can help elevate your mood, allowing you to concentrate better.
5) Read Fiction in Lieu of Legal Briefs
You can regard this one like a six-minute vacation for your brain. A study by Mindlab International at the University of Sussex suggests that reading is the best and fastest way to combat stress (beating out walking, drinking tea, or listening to calming music). The study suggests that a mere six minutes of reading significantly reduces stress – by as much as 68 percent!
Psychologists are also of the opinion that reading works well as a stress reducer because the act of reading completely occupies the human mind and distracts us from external stresses. In turn, it eases pressure on the heart and other muscles.
In conclusion, the next time that you are feeling the stress of your work creeping in, make an effort to get away for a moment (physically, mentally, or both), get your mind and body to a more relaxed place, and return to your job with renewed energy and perspective. Do not forget to check in with a top neurologist in Islamabad regularly to make sure you are staying healthy.
