Fighting & Flighting in the Law
You have probably heard the terms “fight or flight” and “rest and digest.” Our bodies have an incredible autonomic nervous systems comprised of the sympathetic nervous system (triggers our bodies’ “fight or flight” response) and the parasympathetic nervous system (triggers our bodies to “rest and digest”). Our sympathetic nervous system is triggered by stressful situations, which helped humans survive thousands of years ago when we had to be on high alert to survive tigers chasing us. Present day triggers of our sympathetic nervous system are not necessarily life-preserving and seem to happen constantly. Anything from sitting in traffic to getting a text message can trigger our sympathetic nervous systems.
Physical signs of “fight or flight” include:
increased heart rate
increased blood pressure
pale or flushed skin
temporary loss of blunt pain response
dilated pupils
feeling of being on edge
distorted memories of the event
tenseness or trembling
The practice of law can feel like there is a tiger attacking you at every moment of the day.
Think about the day in the life of a lawyer.
You get an email from an upset and demanding client that sets your hair on fire, immediately followed by a heated phone call from opposing counsel where your heart wants to explode. Then, you have to move right on to drafting a brief because you are on a deadline and you can just feel your blood pressure rising when thinking about how much work it is going to be, just to be interrupted by a text message from your significant other asking you to come home early to let the dog out (or pick up a sick kid) because they could not make it today. You do as much work as you can on your brief and you jump in your car early just to be stuck in a traffic jam that will inevitably make you late to letting your dog out to pee. While you are in the car, you begin ruminating about the phone call you had with opposing counsel and you basically re-live the conversation, triggering your sympathetic nervous system again. I admit that as I am typing this, my own heart rate is increasing and I am feeling on edge, even though there is no tiger in the room attacking me.
The chronic triggering of our sympathetic nervous systems can be dangerous and cause long-term health problems.
The good news is that there are simple ways to calm our nervous systems, which include getting sleep, physical exercise, breathing, mediating and having a strong support group.
Not only is Wellness Jurist partnered with expert lawyers, meditation teachers, life coaches, doctors, and psychologists who teach scientifically based ways to manage stress, we are creating connection amongst lawyers so that we can support each other.
We curate courses and retreats for lawyers and law firms, aimed specifically toward the unique issues that we face as lawyers. Contact practicing lawyer and creator Betty Nguyen Davis for more details on how we can help you and your law firm.