Self-Care in the Time of COVID

This week I tested positive for COVID. And given the rising COVID numbers, I know I am not alone. And even if you haven’t come down with COVID yet, there is plenty of anxiety about it going around as well, particularly now that the mask mandates have been ending. And all this raises the question, how do you practice self-care in the age of COVID?

This might be particularly difficult for lawyers as they navigate changing rules about courtroom procedures, as well as the constant need to meet their billable hour limits, particularly in big firms.

Yet these added stressors are even more reason to maintain your self-care routines, including taking time for yourself, maybe with a good book, taking breaks during your work day, and focusing on what you can control. Because there is a lot that is happening in the world right now that cannot be controlled. Self-care is something you can control.

And I’ve learned from my own tumbles with depression, the times when it is easiest to get knocked off your self-care routines are the times that are most important to stick to them. For me, that means ending my day with journaling, keeping my regular therapy appointments, and making sure I have time to decompress with an audio book, podcast, or music. I know that being vaccinated means I probably won’t have a life-threatening experience. I know that choosing to be vaccinated and staying with my self-care routine were things I had in my control, just as I know that staying with my self-care routine is something I can control. And it is something that you can control too. And that, that makes a big difference during the time of COVID.