Why is Mindfulness essential to legal professionals?

Life is stressful and legal professionals are arguably one of the most stressed out groups.  The American Bar Association has done some research and they have concluded that approximately 28% of Lawyers experienced mild to high levels of depression.  In addition approximately 19% experience anxiety on a regular basis.  

Let’s face it, many tasks in the legal profession are geared to focus on the negative.  In many cases it’s all about mitigating the downside, protecting an asset, looking out for any dangers in the future etc.  Our minds are really good at scanning and looking for danger:  physical, social, financial danger etc. When danger is perceived our focus is locked onto that experience or situation.  This is really helpful in some instances but when we are not aware of what our mind is doing it can hijack our focus and remain focused on dangers that do not really exist.  

What is Mindfulness?

Being Mindful is all about becoming more aware of what is happening around us AND within us (in our minds and bodies) so we can then consciously decide to act in a manner that may be more helpful and productive versus reacting to situations or experiences automatically.  This awareness or Mindfulness allows us to take charge of our lives and move in a direction we want to move into as opposed to just getting caught up in a negative emotional state.

There is a Better Approach

We all want to succeed and achieve.  Unfortunately many professionals (Lawyers included) still believe being tough and pushing themselves and/or others around is the only way they can “make things happen” and “achieve success” to “make it to the top”.  This approach is damaging both physically and mentally and results in high levels of anxiety, depression, stress and physical illness.  The good news is that the latest findings in the fields of Psychology and Neuroscience show us a different approach: a Mindful and Compassionate approach.

Our 4 Steps to Balance™ approach and programs are designed to help legal professionals better deal with the challenges of their day to day work lives through Mindfulness.  Becoming more balanced and resilient allows us to have that stable platform from where we can move in any direction we choose with greater ease and less stress;  we actually achieve more of what we want our lives to be.

Here is what the American Bar Association says about Mindfulness in their 2017 Wellness Report:

Mindfulness meditation is a practice that can enhance cognitive reframing (and thus resilience) by aiding our ability to monitor our thoughts and avoid becoming emotionally overwhelmed. A rapidly growing body of research on meditation has shown its potential for help in addressing a variety of psychological and psychosomatic disorders, especially those in which stress plays a causal role. One type of meditative practice is mindfulness—a technique that cultivates the skill of being present by focusing attention on your breath and detaching from your thoughts or feelings. Research has found that mindfulness can reduce rumination, stress, depression, and anxiety. It also can enhance a host of competencies related to lawyer effectiveness, including increased focus and concentration, working memory, critical cognitive skills, reduced burnout, and ethical and rational decision-making…. Evidence also suggests that mindfulness can enhance the sense of work-life balance by reducing workers’ preoccupation with work.

In a nut shell Mindfulness has been scientifically shown to have many benefits not the least of which are:

• Reduced Stress and Increased Well-being
• Increased Focus and Productivity
• Increased Creativity and Innovation
• Better Customer/Client Service and Focus
• Improved Communication Skills
• Fosters Teamwork and Collaboration

The great news is that everyone can learn to improve.  Mindfulness is a foundational skill that enables all others and that is why all our professional development courses have Mindfulness at their core.  Our courses focus on teaching you our 4 Steps to Balance™ approach first and THEN bring in other approaches which allow you to APPLY these other skills more effectively in the real world.

Online Courses:  CBA Members Save 15%

Legal professionals are very busy and time is money.  That is why we developed a series of online programs allowing you the flexibility of learning at your own pace, on your schedule and wherever you want to be. 

In addition, with practice you become more skilled and online courses are a great way to refresh your learning as you need to; weeks or months from now.

Professional Association Accreditations

Of course our programs are designed for any professional.  However if you are a member of the following legal professional associations you can also claim them as qualifying for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Credits.