FOR YOUR WELL-BEING TOOLKIT.

FOR YOUR WELL-BEING TOOLKIT.

Certain behaviour patterns, which are common to many of us, can lead to unnecessary stress and pressure and be detrimental to our well-being.

Unhelpful thinking styles can sabotage reality and lead us to create problems in our minds which do not actually exist.

Procrastination can paralyse us, rendering us unable to perform.

LawCare, the mental health charity for the legal profession has come up with some useful 

Tips on how to counter these behaviours and, in so doing, really improve how we feel.

Unhelpful thinking styles

We can all develop unhelpful thinking patterns over time. If you can recognise your own patterns, you can start to notice them. This awareness can help you challenge or distance yourself from those thoughts and view your situation in a more positive or helpful way.

All or nothing 

Sometimes called black and white thinking, this is believing that something or someone can only be good or bad, or everything has to be perfect and if it isn’t you’ve failed; rather than anything in between or shades of grey.

Mental filter 

Only paying attention to certain types of evidence, for example ignoring the times you have been praised in favour of times you’ve been criticised, or focusing on your failures rather than your achievements.

Jumping to conclusions

Assuming you know what others are thinking, or that you know what the outcome of a situation will be, none of us can predict the future.

Emotional reasoning 

Assuming because you feel a certain way it must be true. For example, just because you think ‘my boss hates me’ doesn’t mean they do. Feelings are just a reaction to thoughts. 

Labelling 

Assigning unhelpful labels to yourself or others such as ‘weak’ or ‘stupid’.

Over-generalising 

Seeing a pattern based on a single event. For example, having a difficult meeting with a client and then assuming future interactions will be similar.

Disqualifying the positive 

Discounting the good things that have happened to you as if they were a one-off or a fluke.

Catastrophising/minimastion 

 Blowing things out of proportion and believing the worst possible thing will happen or shrinking something to make it seem less important.

Shoulds and musts  

Thinking or saying  ‘I should’ and  ‘I must’ puts pressure on ourselves and sets up unrealistic expectations.

Personalisation 

Taking responsibility or taking the blame for something that wasn’t your fault.

Tips for dealing with these styles of thinking

Focus on the here and now 

What is actually happening in this moment. Is there another perspective?

Talk to people about your feelings 

Ask them for feedback.

Keep a list or folder of your achievements 

Look at it when you need to.

Talk to yourself 

…..as you would a friend.

Distract yourself from your thoughts 

read a book, take some exercise, see a friend, do something you enjoy.

Are you a procrastinator?

Many of us will be familiar with procrastinating - putting off or avoiding a task that needs to be done. It often seems as if the more we have to do, the more we procrastinate. There are two types of procrastination, active and passive. 

Active procrastinators work better under pressure, they may choose to leave a task until it’s right down to the wire because they thrive on adrenaline.

Passive procrastinators do so to the detriment of their performance. According to a 2013 study procrastination has nothing to do with 

poor time management or laziness, it occurs because of our inability to manage negative emotion surrounding a task, either focused on an aversion to the task itself or because of the feelings the task provokes ‘I can’t write this, I don’t know enough about it, my boss will criticise me.’ These thoughts then make us procrastinate further.

Procrastination is closely linked to perfectionism, low self-esteem, fear of failure or of moving forward in our lives. Often procrastination is a red flag that we are finding it hard to cope, it can be a symptom of an underlying issue such as stress, anxiety or depression. 

Here are some practical tips to help overcome procrastination. 

Practice self-compassion

Be kind to yourself, and don’t beat yourself up for procrastinating. Just accept that you do it. Try and write down some positive things about yourself, perhaps something nice a colleague said to you, or think about a previous time you completed a similar task and it went ok.

Make a list

Start by making a list of everything you have to do. Break big tasks into smaller manageable chunks so they don’t feel overwhelming and set realistic deadlines for each task. 

Estimate how long certain tasks will take and block out time in your calendar to complete them. Work out what times of day suit you to complete certain tasks, for example if you’re a morning person you might be better at drafting a document first thing and want to save admin tasks for the afternoon. If possible, turn off your phone and email notifications during these times so you don’t get distracted. You can also block your access to social media on your phone during certain times of day.

Make a start

It’s easy to say just do it – but sometimes exactly what you need to do is just make a start on something. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

Build in rewards

It’s important to build in rest time or reward yourself for meeting deadlines. Perhaps make a deal with yourself that you’ll get a coffee after you’ve completed a certain task, or you’ll go for a walk after clearing your inbox. Short breaks and time away from your desk improve your energy and focus.

We hope these help. But if you need support, call the LawCare helpline on 0800 279 6888, email support@lawcare.org.uk, or visit www.lawcare.org.uk to use the live online chat. LawCare’s website also has lots of information (articles, stories, videos and podcasts) on mental health and well-being. 

Procrastination can paralyse us, rendering us unable to perform.