In a law firm, everyone is stressed. The word “stress” is tossed around as if everyone was playing volleyball with it. When we break down the word stress, we think of, strain, anxiety, tension, trauma, being hassled, worried and nervousness.
Every lawyer works with stress daily; it is a question of: is it high stress, ongoing stress or low stress? The intensity varies. But, stress thrives in the firm.
- Mastering stress is not how long you can endure stomach cramps, chest pains, depression or anxiety before you crack.
- Mastering stress is not pushing yourself to the limit.
- Mastering Stress is not holding up during the day and getting home and pouring down as much alcohol as you possibly can consume to relieve the stress.
What happens to our body when we experience stress?
Let’s take a minute to talk about the science of stress, which is the fight or flight response. Our body’s genetic and automatic response prepares our body to either fight or flee from harm.
Genetically we are conditioned to either fight or run from danger. Our adrenaline and cortisol is released into our bloodstream. Our breathing rate increases. Our blood flow moves from the digestive tract and goes into our muscles and limbs, which would require extra energy for running and fighting.
Our pupils dilate. Our awareness intensifies. Our sight sharpens. Our impulses quicken. Our perception of pain diminishes. Our immune system is activated. We prepare ourselves—physically and psychologically—to fight or to run. Automatically we scan and search our environment “looking for the enemy.”
When our fight or flight system is activated, we see everything in our environment as a possible threat to our survival. The fight or flight system bypasses our rational mind— We are in an”ATTACK” mode.
Lawyers live in a fight or flight state. It serves an attorney well in the courtroom to be stressed in a fight or flight mode.
When activated, the fight or flight response causes a surge of adrenaline and other stress hormones to pump throughout the body. This surge is the force responsible for mothers lifting cars off their trapped children and for firemen heroically to run into blazing houses to save endangered victims. The surge of adrenaline gives us the courage when we need to protect and defend our loved ones.
Lawyers prepare themselves for the adversary, using the adrenaline surging through their veins in the fight or flight response. They are quick on their toes and ready for the court battle!
Prolonged Stress – What Happens?
In most cases today when our fight or flight response is activated, we cannot flee. We cannot fight. We cannot physically run from our perceived threats. When we are faced with, our modern day, saber tooth tigers, such as an unfavorable judgment, bad news on a litigation case, hassles with colleagues or with support staff or maybe someone cuts you off in traffic. Perhaps you are stuck in a traffic jam. All we can do is just sit in our office and “control ourselves.” or We have to sit in traffic. We are forced to “DEAL WITH IT.”
Many of the major stresses today trigger the full-blown fight or flight response. This ongoing stress causes us to become too aggressive, excessively cautious, and we constantly overreact. This aggressiveness and overreacting sets off our alarms and pushes our panic button over and over again. We find ourselves acting and responding in ways that are counter-productive to our survival. Like, taking things out on our loved ones at home after the build-up of a long and stressful day! Or, acting as if we need to yell and swear at the person who is driving too slow in front of us.
Where Are Hazards to Remaining in This State Too Long
The evidence is overwhelming that, over time, there is a buildup of stress hormones. Excessive stress, when not properly absorbed as time goes on, leads to disorders that cause: headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure, illnesses in our hormonal and immune systems that can cause infections, chronic fatigue, and depression. Also, some lawyers can suffer from autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Graves disease, or other thyroid conditions and allergies. Ongoing stress can make one susceptible to cancer and other fatal diseases.
3 Habits to Master Your Stress
There are 3 Habits you can develop to take charge of your mind and body to conquer stress. They are very simple and easy. It just takes the presence of mind, self-control and, of course, discipline.
A presence of mind helps you realize that your shoulders are stretching up towards your ears, that you are not breathing, or you have tensed up. You want to gain power over this knee-jerk response that automatically puts you in the fight or flight reaction.
- Stop and take three slow and deep breaths. Hold your breath for 3 – 5 seconds with each breath. It will stabilize your breathing, get oxygen in your system and help you disengage from the grips of fear, frustration or anger. It will counteract the adrenaline that is pumping throughout your body. Now, continue to breathe and beware when you begin to hold your breath because that indicates you are moving towards an episode of the fight or flight response.
- Stop, get up and drink a glass of water. This action will help you to slow down and become present. Wait a while before eating because your digestive system will be in a compromised state. The water can ease you out of the automatic fight and flight mode. Remember your fight and flight response is an ingrained, knee-jerk response that creeps upon you.
- Stand up walk around a moment and then stretch for 3-5 minutes. Since the fight and flight response is automatic, when you begin to stretch your body, you reclaim your body, because you are telling it what to do. You can combine the deep breathing with your stretches.
These are easy activities, but your must MAKE yourself do them. Stopping is not always easy! It is to your advantage to take a few minutes to do these activities because you will be much more effective once you return to your work. Making these activities a habit will stop you from living in this stressful and damaging state.
Most of us walk around with our shoulders hunched up towards our ears. I remember when I was writing my first book, I kept having to go to my chiropractor and my physical therapist. We couldn’t understand why I had so much pain in my upper back, my shoulders, and my neck. We finally figured out that I was hunching my shoulders when I would write.
My desire to meet my deadlines had me go into a fight or flight mode. Everyday activities like rushing to meet a deadline can flip you into a fight or flight reaction. It only takes a millisecond for you to dive deep into the fight or flight state. Slowing down can switch you from looking for danger to tending to your body. You will reclaim your power over stress.
Many of us have found that just the act of meditating can change your entire response to stress. I have actually worked with some of my clients to introduce small sessions of meditation, along with coaching, to help the attorney learn to master their responses to stress. Remember stress kills!
Whenever you find yourself in a stressful situation, out of court, taking these three actions will help you reclaim your health, your presence of mind, and your ability to interact in a loving and patient way with your family members. Remember, when you stop and develop these three new habits, you will reclaim your mind and body. This will result in a much more effective and enjoyable way to practice law and will make you more available to your loved ones.
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Links:
5 Minute Stress Mastery http://www.thebodysoulconnection.com/EducationCenter/fight.html
Psychologist World –Behavioral Psychology Stress: Fight or Flight Response http://www.psychologistworld.com/stress/fightflight.php
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