Contributed by John M. O'Brien, Ph.D

Attorneys in Stress

Stress is a part of life for all of us regardless of our background and current life situation. We all face pressures from the environment that force us to adjust and change. Large stressors such as loss of a job, divorce, or a health crisis take a major toll on our ability to function effectively. However, other smaller stressors such as traffic, noise, poor nutrition or lack of sleep also have an impact on us and can weigh us down. Stress from negative events is known as “distress” and is what we typically associate with stress. However, positive life events can also be stressful, such as a new relationship, a new job or graduating from school. These events are defined as “eustress.” Regardless of the terms that we use, any change that we must adapt to can take its toll on us.

In addition to these general life stressors, an individual’s career often exerts additional pressure. Problems with one’s boss, underperforming supervisees or unreasonable demands from customers/clients are but a few of the difficulties that people can face at work. Some people dread Sunday nights and the fact that they must return to work on Monday morning. This is a sure sign that your job has become a source of distress.

Lawyers face specific occupational stressors that are inherent in their work. Some of these difficulties currently include:

Billable hours. This is one of the major ways that attorneys are judged to be effective. How many hours is enough? How much income will satisfy partners in the firm? These questions are often difficult to answer with specificity, leaving an attorney with the sense that they can never produce enough.

Debt. Attorneys often leave law school with large amounts of debt. It is not unusual for young attorneys to have $100,000 worth of loans with grads of private law firms having upwards of $150,000 of debt. How quickly can these loans be repaid?

Competition for clients. Many businesses are now bringing their legal work in-house, resulting in fewer clients. The Internet has also enabled web-based firms to provide many legal services for much lower cost. Both of these factors are reducing the number of clients.

What is the impact of all of these stressors? Stress can have a profoundly negative effect on the body if it is not effectively managed. In the short term, people can experience sleep disturbance, headaches, irritability, poor concentration, and intestinal distress. Chronic stress can contribute to the development of high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, anxiety, weight gain, cancer as well as various addictions.

Fortunately, we all have the chance to change our response to stress. Sometimes, we can eliminate sources of stress in our work environment by changing jobs or by advocating for a reduction in our responsibilities. However, in most circumstances, the possibilities are limited when seeking a job change.

We are more likely left with the option of coping more effectively with the stressors we face. Perhaps we need to learn to be more assertive to be better advocates for ourselves. Maybe we need to develop the ability to be less judgmental of others in order to accept their limitations. We may even need to learn to be less judgmental of ourselves.

Individuals must also learn to reduce the physiological arousal related to stress. Exercise, meditation, visualization, yoga, massage, and deep breathing are just a few of the ways that we can reduce the impact that stress has on the body. Using these strategies can help to trigger the relaxation response, the release of stress-reducing chemicals in the body that will increase blood flow to the brain.

Stress will always be with us, regardless of the path that we take in life. As an attorney, your work has particular challenges that make your life more stressful. Find ways to reduce your stress before your stress gets the best of you.

John M. O'Brien, Ph.D., is a senior consultant at Attorneys in Balance.