Well-Being Week in Law
May 3-7, 2021
What is it?
You’re invited to join organizations across the legal profession to lead and participate in activities that promote health and happiness across the legal profession. Too many in the industry struggle with mental health and alcohol use disorders. Many others, while not dealing with a diagnosable illness, still are not fully well. The aim of WWIL is to raise awareness about mental health and encourage action and innovation across the profession to improve well-being.
MONDAY
Stay Strong: Physical Well-Being
Watch this: Dr. Wendy Suzuki talks about how exercise transformed her life and her research about the interconnection between physical activity and peak brain functioning, 6:28 mins.
Read this: Deborah Grayson Riegel (2021). Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Walk. Harvard Business Review.
Do this: The 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise (Yep, Breathing!). The way you breathe may be making you anxious. Try out the stress-calming 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise Activity Guide, and post about your experience using the hashtag #WellbeingWeekInLaw.
TUESDAY
Align: Spiritual Well-Being
Watch this: Practicing Spiritual Well-Being: Voices From the Legal Profession. 7 mins. Fellow professionals in law share how they integrate their personal spirituality into their work lives.
Read this: Jessie Cohen (2017). Ways to Incorporate Your Spirituality at Work. WeWork.com.
Do this: Try an Awe Walk. Boost the meaningfulness of your everyday stroll by following the instructions in the Awe Walk Activity Guide. Post about your experience using the hashtag #WellbeingWeekInLaw.
WEDNESDAY
Engage & Grow: Career and Intellectual Well-Being
Watch this: Flow: An Animated Book Summary, 5:20 mins. A short, entertaining video summarizing the best-selling book, which proposes that fostering more “flow” (a state of complete absorption in engaging activities that are optimally challenging) in our daily lives is a key to growth and happiness.
Read this: Leo Babauta (2012). Nine Steps to Achieving Flow in Your Work. Greater Good Magazine.
Do this: Try Out Job Crafting, which is a continual activity in which we seek to create a better fit between our strengths, values, and preferences and our work. Follow the Job Crafting Activity Guide and post about your experience on social media using the hashtag #WellbeingWeekInLaw.
THURSDAY
Connect: Social Well-Being
Watch this: Shawn Stevenson (2019). The Model Health Show With Dhru Purohit. 1 hr, 15 mins. How deep and meaningful friendships can help you thrive, support your well-being, and help you reach your goals.
Read this: Nelson D. Schwartz (2020). Working From Home Poses Hurdles for Employees of Color. New York Times. “Without the networks and encounters that offices provide, companies must foster the visibility of Black and Hispanic workers.”
Do this: Try out the Loving-Kindness Meditation Activity Guide, which guides you through a practice of mentally sending warmth towards others that is linked to many psychological benefits. Post about your experience using the hashtag #WellbeingWeekInLaw.
FRIDAY
Feel Well: Emotional Well-Being
Watch this: Practicing Emotional First Aid. TEDx, 17:15 mins. Dr. Guy Winch advocates for better emotional hygiene — taking care of our emotions and minds with the same diligence as we take care of our bodies.
Read this: Alice Boyes (2020). Feeling Overwhelmed? Here’s How to Get Through the Workday. Harvard Business Review.
Do this: Learn to Retrain Unhelpful Thoughts. Review the Retraining Unhelpful Thoughts Activity Guide and start practicing science-based skills to curb the negative effects of dysfunctional thoughts that can lead to poor mental health.
Other Resources:
