Work/life balance is often the first thing to go when demands of the job are on the rise. But expectations are changing rapidly and more workers are expecting companies to provide a healthier balance between work and home. The same trend is happening in the legal profession. A new white paper from Thomson Reuters looks at the symptoms of and ways to alleviate attorney burnout, generational differences and expectations found in law firms, and ways to make work/life balance a reality at your firm. Read more here.

For years, then NYU School of Law Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Arthur Fama offered regular yoga sessions for law students, believing it would make them better lawyers. In an article written for NYU News, Fama, who is now a mindfulness instructor, says that yoga offers five benefits for lawyers: (1) yoga helps develop the skill of listening mindfully, staying in the moment and staying focused; (2) yoga creates a balance between the different sides of the brain, allowing practioners to engage the analytical side with creative openness; (3) yoga helps develop sensitivities that are needed to understand clients, including discerning what clients really are saying and what they really need; (4) yoga slows everything down, a good habit to practice to create the space needed to properly assess problems; and (5) yoga helps filter out thoughts that don’t need attention, helping to develop the skill of being aware of thoughts without becoming preoccupied by them.

A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are tired of living in a virtual world. The concept of “Zoom fatigue” is real and has become a well-known side effect of being constantly plugged-in to technology. Stanford University recently released the first peer-reviewed study on the psychological effects of videoconferencing and why it makes us feel so tired. Researchers identified four primary causes of fatigue and how to compensate. Causes included prolonged eye contact at a close distance, heavy cognitive load, the “all-day mirror” effect and reduced mobility. Ways to cope included reducing the size of your Zoom window by exiting full screen mode, switching to audio only for a break from video when possible, hiding your self view so only other meeting participants can see you, and taking plenty of off-camera breaks to move around. Read more about the study from Sidecar, a professional development organization for associations.

Loneliness can affect anyone, at any age, and the isolating nature of lockdown has meant more and more people are struggling with it. But the good news is that a new study by the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas has found that brief phone calls multiple times a week can reduce loneliness. Chats were just 10 minutes long several times a week for a month. So next time instead of texting a friend, why not pick up the phone and call. It could make a real difference for the person on the other end of the line. Read more about the findings from verywellhealth.com.

With Daylight Savings in place for most of us for the next eight months, maybe we should think about how we will spend that extra hour of daylight. Colleen Brannan with BRANSTORM PR recently shared 10 ideas. Her suggestions include treating each day like the first day of the rest of your life; resetting any New Year's resolutions that have stalled; finding virtual volunteer opportunities; giving yourself a break if you don’t get through your to-do list at the end of the day; making a sunny day playlist; and lightening up the dinner menu with lighter fare. But most important, she says, is to make the extra time meaningful.

While lawyer wellness is often a topic in the media, there is now an academic article addressing the business case for promoting and prioritizing lawyer wellness. Written originally for the Villanova Law Review, the four-part article (1) provides an overview of studies demonstrating the prevalence of mental health and substance abuse issues among the legal profession; (2) looks at the personal and professional risk factors that contribute to mental health and addiction; (3) investigates why firms mostly turn a “blind eye” to attorney well-being; and (4) makes the business case for promoting well-being, highlighting the direct and indirect costs of not doing so. Read more from Georgetown University Law Center Associate Professor Jarrod F. Reich in The Practice from Harvard Law.

Most of us are really good at activating our stress-response. But how do you wind down? Here are four research-backed ways to de-stress your mind and body from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. First, practice breathing exercises because, believe it or not, you can change how you feel by your breath. Second, adopt an attitude of self-compassion. Acknowledge failures or shortcomings but don’t dwell on them. Third, foster genuine connection. Feelings of loneliness are extremely destructive to the body and mind so make time to make connections. Fourth and finally, practice having compassion for others. Service is one of the most profound ways to nourish the community around you as well as inspire and energize yourself.

Belmont University College of Law associate professor Dr. Deborah R. Farringer was recently featured in an interview by the personal finance website WalletHub. In the feature — “2021’s Healthiest & Unhealthiest Cities in America” — Farringer discusses how to prioritize one’s health, what to look for in a “healthy” city, and how local authorities can improve healthcare systems. First, she says, just get moving. Find what works for your schedule and environment and do it. She also encourages more attention be paid to nutritional labels to eat more healthfully. For those looking for a healthy city, Farringer recommends evaluating three elements: environmental factors, community health factors and health care delivery system factors. 

Have you hit the “pandemic wall”? As Poynter News describes the situation, it is when “you cannot stand one more night at home watching people on a cable channel renovate a cabin in Maine and when buying an RV suddenly seems like a sound investment." Feeling emotionally zapped, especially in this stage of the coronavirus crisis, is very normal, mental health experts say. If you find yourself stuck in a pandemic-fueled rut, take a moment to pause and acknowledge your feelings. Go easy on yourself as you sit with your emotions. The pandemic’s been brutal, and it’s time we all cut ourselves a break. Read more about how to break through the pandemic wall in this article from Huffington Post.

Knoxville lawyer Terry G. Adams recently penned a piece for the News Sentinel suggesting that every crisis — whether it is a personal or professional situation – offers new opportunities. He focuses on several critical elements that are key to not just surviving, but succeeding in, a business-related crisis. He suggests developing a business continuity plan and establishing a crisis management team with legal, communications and technology experts. When a crisis hits, he urges leaders to (1) not panic, (2) clearly analyze the situation, and (3) actively seek out innovations and efficiencies made possible by the crisis. He warns against catastrophic thinking or ruminating about irrational worst-case outcomes. This is unhelpful in every case and can also become a self-fulfilling prophecy, he concludes.