Back in 1990, a study by Johns Hopkins found that lawyers were the most likely occupation to suffer from depression. Add to that some of the highest rates of suicide, alcohol abuse, and divorce (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and you’ve got yourself a group of individuals who lead less than glamorous personal lives.
Lawyers are put under an incredible amount of stress due to the nature of their work. Unless this stress is properly managed consequences can ensue. Some typical symptoms of attorney stress overload include emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased sense of personal accomplishment.
Each of these warning signs can lead to extreme job dissatisfaction, poor interpersonal relationships, and also poor health. Physical ailments such as headaches, lower back pain, ulcers, heart attacks, and strokes are all common amongst the legal profession, as well as insomnia and anxiety.
Since the good folks here at Legal Productivity and Rocket Matter are all about making the lives of lawyers a whole lot easier, here are 7 ways attorneys can avoid extreme stress overload.
1. Cut your workweek down to something manageable. Most lawyers are used to overworking themselves to the point where they clock in anywhere from 60 to 80 hours a week. The ideal workload for optimal work-life balance is 45 total (NOT billable) hours.
Read the remaining 6 ways by Lisa Pansini of Legal Productivity.