THE ONTARIO LAWYERS’ ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

A Checklist for Balance in Your Personal & Professional Life
 
For all of us, practicing law requires us to balance our time among family, relationships, the law practice and personal interests. Sometimes, we do not deal well with these demands. The results can be : burnout to breakdown; emotional reactions leading to mental collapse; distress steering to despair, depression or, to the extreme, suicidal ideation or completion; substance abuse leading to addiction; and stress and anxiety causing physical and emotional disease.
 
So here is a checklist of some of the ways for you to take care of yourself to keep you practicing at your optimum level:

Physically – take three deep breaths and then exhale when under stress before speaking, eat three balanced meals a day, get eight hours of sleep a night, exercise at least three times per week for at least one-half hour at a time, cut out or back on  smoking and the consumption of alcohol; drink lots of water; and, laugh as often as possible.

Emotionally – have a good, trusted friend to talk to, confide in and laugh plenty with, get a pet; read non-law fluff out of office hours, spend time with your family; learn to say “No!” to demands that are too much; know what too much is; get a hobby and do things you are passionate about; and, do something nice for someone daily without them knowing about it and with no expectation of reward.

Spiritually – laugh lots; read great works of literature with noble ideas; pray to whomever or whatever is your higher power; read daily affirmations or meditations; kiss your spouse or partner; hug those close to you; and, say “I love you” daily to those you cherish.

OLAP, through its network of peer support volunteers, provides confidential contact with other lawyers who are facing challenges - physically, emotionally and spiritually. An OLAP volunteer offers support, encouragement, suggestions and perspective.

Legal Profession Assistance Conference (LPAC) |Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP) | Lawyers Assistance Program of British Columbia (BCLAP) | Nova Scotia Lawyers Assistance Program (NSLAP) | Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) | The Lawyers Assistance Program (LINK) | The Alberta Lawyers Assistance Program | Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (Saskatchewan) | The Lawyers Professional Indemnity Company (LawPRO) | Law Practice Consulting