Can Attorneys Peacefully Co-Exist with Stress? Maybe….It Depends on the Attorney ….and the Stress.

By Allen E. Barrow, Jr. JD, John H. Lieber, RN, JD, and Jill Warnock, MD. Ph.D

Stress is inevitable, especially in the practice of law. But it can be successfully managed with the right strategies. There are two important components of successful stress management: stress prevention and stress coping. Let’s take a look at both of these.

1. Take a Step Back.

Can you steer away from the path that led to too much stress? Attorneys are analytical and self-reflective. Use that superpower to your advantage. If your stress level too high, is it because you made some wrong turns in your personal or professional journey?

Did you choose the wrong law firm, specialty or relationships? If so, consider making a change. It may be impossible to disengage immediately, but you can start now to make plans for an eventual change that will happen a year or two down the road. In our attorney healthy living seminars, many attorneys tell us they are so much happier after quitting the wrong legal job and finding a more suitable one. Taking a step back can also include: 1) developing and nurturing social connections and 2) finding purpose and meaning in life.

2. Just Say No!

Some attorneys realize that a major source of their stress is from over committing. This is a real dilemma in a law practice, because declining to handle a legal matter has economic and professional consequences: less money coming in, fewer referrals in the future, etc. Over committing in matters not involving law may be easier to solve. Think hard about agreeing to anything that will encroach on your valuable time. Consider just saying no when you are asked to serve as the treasurer of your homeowners association, chair your high school reunion, etc.

Just say no to potential to clients who will not secure their account with a credit card or retainer. Where else in our economy can you reserve a hotel room or place an order for anything without providing a credit card? Try seeing a doctor without insurance or a credit card! Why should lawyers be any different? Maybe Charles Dickens said it best in David Copperfield: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.”

3. Make the Best of What You Cannot Change.

We all have sources of stress in our lives that are beyond our control and not likely to change. For example, if you have a stressful personality conflict with a boss, a co-worker or family member, you will probably not be able to change their personality. You may find yourself focusing on their difficult personality, which will escalate your stress. If you can reframe your view of them, you can look for some characteristic in them that you can learn from. You can then focus

About The Authors

Allen Barrow, Jr. JD is a retired attorney. He was one of the founding shareholders of the Tulsa Law Firm of Barrow and Grimm, PC. Allen established the employee wellness program at Barrow and Grimm over ten years ago.

John Lieber is a Tulsa attorney and registered nurse. His law practice focused on litigation, real estate and general business matters. His nursing work includes leading workshops for bar associations and other groups on a variety of health topics such as healthy eating, stress management, physical activity, sleep improvement, stroke prevention and diabetes management. He has helped many employers, including law firms, plan and implement wellness programs.

Julia “Jill” K. Warnock, M.D., Ph.D. is currently Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at OSU where she teaches and supervises psychiatric residents on an intermittent, part-time basis. She moved with her family to Tulsa to work as Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma more of your attention on that characteristic than on their personality. For example, if your co-worker has a difficult personality, but is very good at his or her job, you can decide to accept the difficult personality and focus on how he or she can teach you to be a better lawyer.

4. Find Enjoyable Ways to Release Your Stress.

If stress is not released, it continues to build and can cause a breakdown. Some attorneys overuse drugs or alcohol to release the stress or handle the breakdown. Judicious use of alcohol and drugs can be part of successful stress management. Instead of or in addition to drugs and alcohol, try to find stress releasing activities that you enjoy doing. The key is to find something that you like to do, so it isn’t a chore. In our attorney healthy living seminars, the attorneys have told us about a wide variety of their successful stress relievers, including gardening, knitting, pickle ball and watching the Andy Griffith show.

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Health Sciences Center from 1993 until 2016. She provided psychiatric consultation at the Indian Health Care Resource Center from 1994 until 2020. She also provides psychiatric consultation to Clarehouse Hospice Home in Tulsa.

She received the M.D. from the University of Tennessee and completed her residency in Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri. She is board certified in Psychiatry. Her Ph.D. in Psychology was completed at the University of Kansas.

Dr. Warnock has been an invited speaker at over 500 national and regional medical and professional meetings and teleconferences in various areas of Psychopharmacology and Women’s Health. In addition, she has over 60 publications in peer reviewed journals and book chapters, and she has served as a Principal Investigator in over 30 psychopharmacologic research projects related to depression, anxiety disorders, and hormone related mood disorders. She is a past President of Oklahoma Psychiatric Physicians Association (OPPA) and has received several teaching awards including Outstanding Faculty Award at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Of note, she has been nominated by her peers and selected by Castle Connelly, as Oklahoma’s Psychiatrist in Top Docs from 2006 to 2018.

Dr. Warnock’s current interest is focused on Psychopharmacology, Palliative Care, Nutritional Psychiatry, Stress Management, and Women’s Health.

5. Maintain Your Body.

Keeping your body healthy will help you withstand the inevitable loss of control that happens in life and law. Four pillars of wellness are healthy eating, physical activity, adequate sleep and stress management. Mindfully take pleasure in nutritious foods,..because we feel more resilient when we do. Enjoy movement in your body.. become physically vibrant; not because you should, but because it feels good, now. Lastly,..make time for sleep. Without sleep, you cannot maintain health. As we all know, our health is our most important asset.

Conclusion

Stress is inevitable in life and law but it doesn’t have to be unbearable. With effort spent on stress prevention, attorneys can hopefully reduce the stress coming into their lives. With a little more effort, attorneys can develop strategies that will help them successfully cope with everything else