2018 National Wellness in Law Forum

Several weeks ago staff members from McLaughlins attended the 2018 National Wellness in Law Forum at Bond University which explored strategies for improving and maintaining the mental wellbeing of legal practitioners.

We heard first hand experiences of professionals who have navigated their way through mental illness and participated in workshops where we learnt breathing and laughter techniques as coping mechanisms for stressful situations.

More importantly, the forum sparked an ongoing conversation about the importance of looking after ourselves on a daily basis, both emotionally and physically.

Although the forum was focussed on the legal profession we found that it was applicable to all people, regardless of one’s profession or background. We all encounter difficult periods of time in our lives, be it personal, work or relationship/family related, and we must find healthy ways to work through those difficult times.

Some useful tips we picked up from the forum:

• If you are feeling overwhelmed, try taking four very slow, deep breaths. This has a calmative effect and can help to reset your frame of mind.
• Ensure you build ‘me’ time into your working week. This could be in the form of a weekly yoga class, a massage or going for a walk at lunchtime. Make time to relax and re-energise.
• Ensure you maintain a healthy work-life balance. Make sure you ‘switch off’ when you are at home so you are ready to put your best foot forward the next day.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are struggling or going through a difficult period of time in your life.

Overall, the forum was a useful reminder to regularly check in with ourselves.

At McLaughlins Lawyers we place an emphasis on looking after ourselves to ensure we are able to efficiently and effectively look after your legal problems.

 If you require legal assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our office today.

Author: Alex Hamlyn

Director: Ian Kennedy

Date: 2 May 2018