Take a Break-The Benefits of a Mental Health Day

Take a Break

No, seriously, you need to!  The semester is more than halfway over…you are this close to completing a year of law school.  Whether it’s the end of your first year, second year, or you’re preparing for graduation and the bar exam, this is one amazing accomplishment, so be proud of yourself! 

While you should definitely be proud of yourself, it’s important to remember that you’re human.  I know this may sound silly, but as humans, we have basic needs beyond the confines of law school.  Although we may try to think we’re robots, we’re not, and if these basic needs are not met, everything else may fall by the wayside, and at this point, you don’t want your lack of self-care to negatively affect your performance in law school and other facets of life. 

         

Again, we’re human; we get both mentally and physically exhausted, making our overall performance suffer.  Research, and I’m sure for many of your personal experience, shows that as Americans, we don’t like to take breaks.  However, think about it from this standpoint.  When you’re burned out from work, you don’t want to be near your office or cubicle says Robert London, a New-York based psychiatrist.  You may be asking “what does this information have to do with law school?”  Well, in many ways, Law School is a full-time job.  You may have classes spread out over an eight plus hour day (much like work-meetings), with work and projects sandwiched in these meetings as you prepare for yet another day of “meetings.”  Putting it more simply, law school is basically a full-time job, and some days you need to just take time for you…a personal day.

Here are some of the many benefits of taking time off for just you:

1.     Stress Management:  When you’re at work or school, your to-do lists grow and grow, both inside and outside the office/classroom.  With this increase in tasks, you become stretched thinner and thinner, leading to the infamous burn out.  Psychiatrist Robert London shows that burnout can become a serious issue if not addressed properly.  Feeling like you don’t have enough hours in the day?  Feel like you’re losing focus minute by minute?  Feel just plain tired?  Then it may be time for a personal day.

2.     It Increases Productivity: When your brain is put into overdrive, the last thing you want to do is be productive.  You are burned out; tired, and probably not focused…I know this was the case for me at least.  Taking a day off gives your brain the chance to decompress your body and brain, allowing you to boost your overall productivity and creativity…in a way, helping your school career by taking time off. 

3.     You can get some sleep:  When I was 19-24, I could completely manage to get five hours of sleep, go to the gym, go to class, and still have energy after work and school to go out for the evening.  As I got older, however, sleep became essential to my well-being and personal growth.  When you only get four to five hours of sleep a night, which builds up to the point your energy starts to slip, causing a slip in productivity, and eventually, the dreaded burn-out.  Taking the much-needed mental health day to catch up on sleep may be just what you need to take on the ever stressful aspects of law school. 

Ultimately, taking a personal day here and there can benefit you in the long term as you work to complete law school and eventually take the infamous bar-exam.  While you think, I don’t have any time, I’m sure you can sneak in a few hours here and there, or even a full day at some points.  I vividly recall what a fellow classmate of mine, an evening student and full-time paralegal told me.  She takes every Saturday as a personal day, spending time with family and having me-time.  She says she can grind out work the other six days of the week, but that day is her day.  So I challenge you, whether full-time day students or part-time evening students to take that mental health day from time to time…you’ll thank yourself later.

For more information, please visit the following:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mental-health-day-benefits_us_5767f4d0e4b0853f8bf15a33

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what-mentally-strong-people-dont-do/201707/how-know-when-take-mental-health-day

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/mental-health-day (image source as well)

Anxiety in Law School…Deal with it Sooner Rather then Later

Midterms are over, you’re gearing up to finish your final papers for legal research and writing, and then you realize that finals are around the corner.  If you’re like me, you’ve already freaked out at least once.  Whether it was from that bad paper grade, a rough midterm, or a week you just couldn’t get the reading done, you just have cracked.  First and foremost, BREATHE!   Law School is stressful, no body said it was going to be easy, and if they did, they lied…Law School is hard, no ifs ands or butts.  However, there are ways to deal with this stress and possibly nip it before it crushes you.

Know when you’re stressed:

Sometimes we may think we’re just tired, or that we are running on empty, but maybe it’s more than that, maybe its stress.  Know yourself and recall what stresses you out to get it managed before it leads to detrimental consequences.

Seek Help:

I remember thinking for years that therapy and medication was a sign of weakness…until I got help.  Getting help may seem scary, you don’t want your friends to know you’re struggling, and you don’t want to scare your loved ones…but not getting help and struggling is scarier.  Plenty of schools offer free counseling.

See the following for further reference on what Capital and Capital Law Offer.

http://www.capital.edu/Counseling/

http://law.capital.edu/HealthandFitness/

As always, if you’re feeling stressed, get help sooner than later.

Avoid Substance Abuse:

After a stressful day of school, you may feel the urge to down that bottle of wine, or indulge in other substances.  While the occasional drink is okay, it’s important to remember the statistics.  DrugRehab.com lists attorneys as one of the seven industries that are highly likely to abuse alcohol.   In the first decade of practice, 29 percent of attorneys report having drinking problems, and that number only slightly decreases to 21 percent in the second decade of employment.  Some of these issues may even stem from stress of school.  Again, while the occasional drink is okay, you must know your limit and seek help if these habits start to consume your life.  The Ohio Lawyers Assistance Program (OLAP) is available to help both attorneys and law students. 

Do something you enjoy:

Sometimes, we just need a break from Law School and the stress.  While we can’t find time every day, it’s important to block out some time to do things you love.  Whether that’s going to the gym, baking, museums, etc., take the time to do things you love.  It will give you some balance and bring you up when school is bringing you down.

Additional Resources if you are worried about anxiety:

            http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20646990,00.html

            https://www.ohiolap.org/

https://themighty.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Anxiety-600X600.jpg

Preparing for Final Exams-How Preparation Now Can Lead to Long-Term Success

Final Exams...

By now, you’re through most of your midterms, if not all of them, are turning in your final legal writing assignments, and hopefully have looked to see when your final exams are.  This last month is important, as you are tying up those loose ends on course material, and beginning to organize your notes into some form of an outline, if you have not already.  Around now, you probably should start preparing for final exams, and these are the reasons why:

1. Preparation early will help you brush up on subjects you may have struggled with in earlier weeks

Perhaps you didn’t make it into office hours when you were confused on acquisition by capture and simply put it on the back burner, this is the time to see what you know.  If you’re unsure of something, schedule an appointment with your professor, get the right answer, and apply it to paper.  There is nothing worse then missing points because you mismatched topics due to confusion.

2.  Practice CAN Help

Law School Exams are unlike anything you have ever experienced.  They force you to think about multiple perspectives and apply 14-weeks of material into a three-hour examination.  With this plethora of information, you are required to argue the law as it applies to your facts.  If your professors didn’t give you midterms, then your final is the first and only chance to impress them with your knowledge.  Even if your professor has given mid terms, ask for more practice questions to work on, multiple choice, and essay.  In addition, ask what resources for practice questions the professors can recommend.  Once you’ve practiced, be sure to meet with them.  Figuring out how a professor likes their exams approached, especially with essays, is paramount to success.

3. It Builds Confidence

Perhaps you had a bad week and felt like you know nothing from the last semester.  Practice can reinforce that you know more than you think, leading to better study habits, and ultimately a better grade outcome.

4. It Keeps you from Panicking

If you’re like me, you’ve likely panicked at least once already.  Practice can calm some of those nerves. 

 

As you’re preparing for finals, some final notes:

     Keep calm

     Ask for help if you need it

     Practice Practice Practice!

     Study Study Study!

Images Taken From:

http://www.generalacademic.com/final-exams-15-checklist-form.html

https://i2.wp.com/savemyhsc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Preparation-tips-for-the-HSC-English-Exams.jpg?ssl=1

http://blog.questia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/final_exam-300x199.jpg

As seen at CULS-Weekly Happenings

A Day in the Life: Upcoming Events at CULS

Please join the Capital University Law School Community for our Third Annual Diversity Week! Our plethora of Student Organizations will be hosting various events targeting issues in today’s society, as well as personal and professional development!  Most events include meals and best of all…each event is FREE to attend!

A little on CULS Diversity Programs:

Here at Capital Law, we strive for diversity, creating programs and organizations that benefit religious, ethnic, even political diversity across the Law School!  These organizations provide opportunities for connecting with those who share a commonality with you, as well as great networking opportunities!  The list includes, but is not limited to:

Christian Law Society

Capital Equality Alliance

Law School Democrats

Law School Republicans

The American Civil Liberties Union

The Federalist Society

And many more!

Don’t see an organization?  Make one yourself!  Gather a few people and contact our Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Branden Smith at bsmith10@law.capital.edu about funding and chartering an organization!