The Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief. . .Five Things Lawyers Should Stop Doing to Protect Their Well-Being
“If you want to make a difference-not just today, but for many years to come-you need to put your health and energy ahead of all else.”-Tom Rath
Welcome (back) to the Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief! Each week, I share insights and practical strategies to help us cultivate well-being and flourish — both personally and professionally. Live well! Lawyer well!
The legal profession often celebrates endurance. Long hours, packed calendars, constant availability, and the ability to “push through” are frequently worn as badges of honor.
But here’s the problem: the habits that help you survive a demanding week can quietly undermine your ability to thrive over the course of a career.
Lawyer well-being isn’t just about adding healthy habits. Sometimes it’s about removing the habits that are draining your energy, resilience, and relationships.
Here are five things to stop doing if you want to build a healthier, more sustainable legal career.
1. Stop Running on Empty
Many lawyers treat rest as a reward instead of a requirement. They work until they’re exhausted, then wonder why they struggle to think clearly, regulate their emotions, or enjoy life outside the office.
The truth is simple: you can’t consistently perform at a high level without recovery.
Elite athletes don’t train at maximum intensity every day. They understand that recovery is part of performance, not the opposite of it.
The same is true for lawyers.
As Maya Angelou wisely said:
“I learned a long time ago that the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side.”
Ask yourself: How do you want to show up for the important moments in your life? Limping into the courtroom, negotiation, or family dinner because you’ve burned yourself out along the way? Or prepared, energized, and ready — like an athlete who respected the importance of recovery?
Rest isn’t laziness. It’s preparation.
2. Stop Overscheduling Your Life
Every minute of your calendar doesn’t need to be filled.
When your workday is booked from morning until evening — and your personal life is equally packed — there’s no room left for reflection, exercise, meaningful conversations, or simply catching your breath.
The white space on your calendar isn’t wasted time. It’s where resilience grows.
Build margin into your day. Even 15 or 20 unscheduled minutes can reduce stress, improve decision-making, and give you the flexibility to respond when the unexpected inevitably happens.
A calendar with no breathing room often leads to a life with no breathing room.
3. Stop Spending Your Free Time on Things That Drain You
After a demanding day, it’s tempting to collapse on the couch and scroll endlessly through social media or binge-watch another series.
While there’s nothing wrong with entertainment, not all downtime is restorative. Some activities simply numb us.
Others renew us.
Ask yourself:
Does this activity leave me feeling better or more depleted?
Am I escaping stress, or recovering from it?
The activities that most consistently replenish us are often surprisingly simple:
Taking a walk outside
Reading a good book
Having dinner with friends or family
Exercising
Practicing a hobby
Spending quiet time reflecting or praying
Choose restoration over distraction.
4. Stop Living in the 24-Hour News Cycle
Today’s news never sleeps. Breaking news alerts, social media updates, political debates, economic uncertainty, and global crises compete for our attention every hour of the day.
Our brains were never designed to absorb this much negativity in real time.
Staying informed is important. Remaining immersed isn’t.
Constant exposure to alarming news can keep your nervous system in a prolonged state of vigilance, making it harder to focus, sleep, and recover from stress. Consider setting boundaries.
Check the news once or twice a day from trusted sources, then return your attention to the things you can actually influence.
Protect your attention as carefully as you protect your time.
5. Stop Bringing Your Stress Into Your Relationships
Stress has a way of traveling. If we don’t manage it, it often shows up in conversations with our spouses, children, friends, coworkers, or clients.
A short temper. Less patience. More criticism. Less presence.
Before walking into your home or your next meeting, take a moment to check in with yourself.
Ask:
What am I carrying right now?
What do I need to let go of before I engage with someone else?
Sometimes a five-minute walk, a few deep breaths, or simply recognizing your emotional state is enough to change the tone of your next interaction.
Protecting your relationships is one of the greatest investments you can make in your well-being.
Research consistently shows that positive, supportive relationships are among the strongest predictors of long-term happiness, resilience, and overall health. For lawyers facing demanding careers, those relationships are not a luxury — they’re a necessity.
Closing Thoughts
Well-being isn’t only about what you start doing. It’s also about what you stop doing.
Stop running on empty. Stop overscheduling. Stop choosing draining activities over restorative ones. Stop consuming endless negativity. Stop allowing stress to spill into the relationships that matter most.
Small changes in these five areas can create a significant difference — not only in how you practice law, but in how you experience your life.
Forward Always!
