How to deal with stress as a lawyer? – Guest Post

“Stress” is a word we are all familiar with. I mean, who doesn’t have it?

In today’s busy world, people have become more prone to stress. There are different kinds of stress, among which Workplace Stress is the most common one, once you get to working age, that is!

Ask any adult, and they will tell you about all the stress they face due to their workplace. But does that mean they will leave their jobs because of it? Well, it’s not that easy. One needs a stable income to lead a healthy life in today’s world and UAE also.. 

Let’s first take a look at the definition of “Workplace/Occupational Stress”:

Occupational stress is a word that is frequently used in the professional business sector to describe the ongoing or slowly-increasing stress that an employee has to go through at work.

There are three main types of occupational stress: Behavourial, Physical, and Social.

Some Causes of Occupational Stress Are :

These are only some of the more common factors that leads to workplace stress in general.

• Working For Long Hours

Sometimes people have to work for more than 9 to 5, and that takes a toll on the individual. There are also instances where people do overtime sometimes.

• Heavy Workload

High workloads — excessive amounts of work, unattainable deadlines, and other factors that cause people to feel pressed for time, stressed out and overwhelmed.

On the other hand, people who experience insufficient workloads feel as though their skills are not being fully utilized.

For example – Premises Lawyers have to handle various claims and such heavy workloads majorly stresses them out.

• Boring Work

Researchers have discovered that repetitive tasks can have a severe impact on our mental health, generate significant stress, and result in burnout.

Chronic boredom increases the likelihood of substance abuse, alcoholism, and compulsive gambling.

• Meeting Deadlines

Deadlines. The word itself connotes “pressure,” can generate performance anxiety and can be extremely stressful for even the best employees. In fact, a recent CareerCast survey revealed that deadlines are the top cause of stress at work.

• Job Insecurity

Workers who confront an unknown future may not be able to handle the situation well, which results in them feeling more stress.

In fact, research suggests that the effects of job instability may be more harmful than actual job loss.

• Lack of Autonomy

An employee’s perception of job satisfaction, motivation, creativity, and general well-being rise with workplace autonomy.

When companies abandoned micromanaging in favor of autonomy and self-governance, they discovered that their workers were more productive.

• Changes to Duties

When a change has an impact on elements that are crucial to an employee’s sense of self, especially when the personal self is prominent, stress is more likely to result. Uncertainty sensations act as a mediating factor for this impact.

Now that we know the basics, lets move on.

In this article, I’ll be specifically talking about the stresses that lawyers face in their workplace and how to deal with them, as you can already guess from the title.

Every day, lawyers deal with a variety of stresses. They face pressure from aiding clients with significant or challenging legal issues, as well as from keeping up with a rapidly evolving field and handling a lot of work.

Many studies have also suggested that signs of stress starts to appear from early as law school only.

Stresses Of Being A Lawyer

Almost anything can be a source of pressure for a person if they are absolutely burnt out. Here are a few stressors that are potentially faced by lawyers in their workplace:

• Workload

High pressure in the workplace and deadlines can create major workload. Trying to meet takes a toll on the person and, as a result, stresses an individual out.

For example – Criminal Attorneys have it hard as criminal case complexity can be challenging and stressful. 

• Work-Life Balance

The degree to which an individual can juggle the frequently conflicting demands of work and non-work is referred to as work-family balance.

Family support was crucial for lawyers, and work-family tension was a major source of stress for them.

• Relationships

Workplace bullying, workplace violence, and intrigues with coworkers have all been cited as sources of stress among employees by lawyers and other legal experts.

• Hassles

Hassles are bothersome or troublesome things, as well as issues brought on by time, financial inconvenience, or other demands are sources of workplace stress.

• Managerial Roles

The requirement to take on administrative roles that come with limited autonomy is a significant source of occupational pressure for attorneys and other legal professionals.

It comes together with the requirement for membership in a particular hierarchical system. 

• Personal Responsibility 

You should take personal responsibility at work since it is your responsibility to do so.

It demonstrates your preparedness to accept responsibility, it demonstrates your mental accountability for completing your assignment, it is morally and legally needed, etc.

Statistics

About 88.3% of attorneys reported feeling stressed. The mean mental stress score of the female attorneys are high. Female lawyers made up 81.8% of the workforce and reported high levels of dissatisfaction at work.

Male lawyers who were experiencing stress made up 52.8% of the population.

How To Deal With the Stress

It ain’t as easy as going on social media to vent about your day or going to WhatsApp to give a few statuses about what’s stressing you out ! Trust me, the replies to your posts will be of various types, and the wrong ones are gonna piss you off even more.

A few ways to cope with the stress are :

1.   Exercise

Proper exercise and practising yoga will promote mindfulness and make you even more productive in the workplace. It will also promote your overall health.

2.   Going for a Therapy

If the stress levels are too much to cope with and you are not getting anyone to share your problems with, then you can certainly opt for therapy.

3.   Knowing When to Back Out (This Is Important)

If your workplace environment and work-life are becoming too toxic for you to handle, then it’s time to back out and look for a new workplace.

It is serious when it affects your overall physical and mental health.

4.   Making Time for Family and Loved Ones

Take a few days off and go for a vacation with your family or your loved one. Spending time outside of your work is important for your mental health and will help you cope with stress.

To Sum It Up!

In terms of job control, psychological demands and effort, and a high prevalence of self-perceived work stress, lawyers reported comparatively higher ratings (in terms of facing workplace stress). To reduce stress you can stop using social media.

If only there were Anti-Stress vaccines like the COVID-19 vaccines and the other vaccines that are available out there.

Last but not least, I hope you found this article useful, and thank you for reading up till here.