Self-Care for Law Students

Law school is a challenge for almost everyone. It is the start of one’s legal career, and for too many, it is also a start to their mental health challenges.

A 2016 survey by the American Bar Association is revealing, but also deeply troubling. It showed:

• 25 percent of law students are at risk for alcoholism

• 17 percent of law students suffer from depression

• 37 percent of law students report mild to severe anxiety

• 6 percent of law students report having suicidal thoughts over the previous year.

Thinking back to my own law school days, I can certainly understand how the pressures of law school can create or exacerbate these issues. For me, I navigated these challenges by having the support of a few close friends, and by always making time for exercise. Every Friday I would join some friends for pick-up soccer games.

Other students I know, particularly ones with young families, set strict deadlines for when they would close the books and put law school on the shelf for the night.

And of course, there are the familiar recommendations that are often made, recommendations about how you should get adequate sleep, eat right, etc. These, combined with exercise, are excellent tools in my experience.

But, I do want to stress that it is just my experience. Everyone’s journey in recovery is a little different, and self-care is similarly different for everyone. For example, one go-to for me is a good zombie flick, but I know that not everyone enjoys the undead in the same way. Yet when it comes to self-care, how you do it is less important than simply doing it.

Even during the hectic days of law school.