Proactive self-care - Resources
Although rewarding and exhilarating, the life and work of a legal practitioner is often demanding and pressured. When pressure becomes chronic, you may experience stress response symptoms which, if left unmanaged, can lead to a deterioration in mental and physical health.
Reports, including the Five Ways to Wellbeing by the UK’s New Economics Foundation, identify that staying active, connected, and curious, and giving back, are key to being healthy and well.
Below are some useful resources to help WA legal professionals understand the practical steps they can take to put these drivers into action.
Know the warning signs
Recognising your body’s early warning signs enables you to put strategies in place that support your psychological health. By doing so, you can strengthen your resilience and significantly lower the risk of experiencing ill health.
The following links provide resources and tools designed to help you gain a clearer understanding of your current psychological health and stress levels.
Resources
Wellbeing – a state of health
In recent years, the term “wellbeing” has often been overused, blurred with ideas of wellness and, at times, applied in a tokenistic way. At its core, wellbeing refers to a state of health that enables people to manage life’s stressors, realise their potential, learn and work effectively, and contribute to their communities.
The World Health Organization describes it as an integral component of heath that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships, and shape the world we live in.
Wellbeing has also been described as being as physically healthy as possible, finding enjoyment in life and work, maintaining positive connections, and keeping perspective during challenges while having the capacity to recover from them. These elements form the foundation of a fulfilling life.
The links below provide health and wellbeing resources tailored specifically for legal professionals.
Resources
- Promoting and protecting mental health in the legal profession – simple coping strategies
- Being well in the law: A guide for lawyers
- The five drivers of personal wellbeing
- Resilience@law’s “Staying well in the law” video series
- Summary of Law Society’s Report – Psychological distress and depression in the legal profession, Dr Christopher Kendall
- Psychological distress and depression in the legal profession (full report)
- Law Society’s 2021-2025 Mental Heath and Wellbeing Plan
- Law Society’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Committee Recommendations 2016-2020
Brief articles
Online resources
Videos
Ted Talks
Lectures
The Minds Count Foundation (formerly Tristan Jepson Memorial foundation) delivers an annual lecture series aiming to build greater awareness around depression, anxiety and mental health across the Australian legal community. Recordings of past lectures are available.
Books
Active body, healthy mind
Regular physical activity is not only good for the body; it also delivers significant benefits for mental health. Research shows it can lower the risk of depression by around 30 per cent and slow cognitive decline by a similar amount. Exercise boosts endorphin production (the body’s natural “feel-good” chemicals) while reducing cortisol (the stress hormone), helping to improve mood, focus, and overall wellbeing.
Studies also demonstrate that physical activity enhances concentration and memory. Dr John Ratey, a Harvard Professor of Psychiatry, even recommends exercising before important public performances to sharpen focus. Increased activity can also lift mood, improve productivity, and support skills essential to a successful legal career – such as regulating emotions, recalling key case law, and managing time effectively inside and outside the courtroom.
That said, more isn’t always better. In periods of extreme stress or fatigue, pushing through with high-intensity workouts can do more harm than good. At those times, gentle activities such as stretching or walking may be more beneficial, allowing the body and mind to recover.
Below are links to resources designed to help you stay active, healthy, and balanced.
Resources
Meditation and breathing
Mindfulness apps
- Smiling Mind
- Headspace App provides a range of meditation sessions, including on sleep, work, focus, stress, and anxiety.
- Calm is an app that provides guided sessions on meditation and mindfulness.
Yoga (in person – Perth and metropolitan area)
- Government House Gardens: Free yoga sessions are offered every Wednesday from noon to 1pm
- Perth Yoga Community: Pay as you feel “Yoga in the Park” weekend sessions
- Many local councils offer free yoga to residents (check your local council website and keep an eye out in your council newsletter).
The health benefits of social connections
As human beings, we are inherently social. Strong, meaningful relationships are vital to living a fulfilling life. Unfortunately, the reality of life as a lawyer often puts pressure on your time, making it difficult to build and maintain quality emotional connections. Demanding hours and urgent tasks often cut into time with family and friends.
Beyond Blue notes that long-term loneliness has been linked to depression, anxiety and physical issues like chronic pain. It can also increase stress hormones, affecting sleep and immunity.
Studies identify several reasons why loneliness has such a damaging effect on our overall health:
- It undermines our ability to regulate behaviour, often leading to unhealthy habits such as drinking more alcohol, exercising less, or eating poorly.
- Middle-aged people report greater exposure to stress when lonely, magnifying its impact.
- Feelings of loneliness cause withdrawal from others, reducing opportunities for emotional support.
- Sleep is often disrupted, and poor sleep in turn affects focus, energy, and overall health.
- Loneliness is linked to cardiovascular and immune system problems.
Science also shows that oxytocin, the hormone associated with bonding and affiliation, offers protection against heart disease. Crucially, oxytocin is released through in-person interactions with those we care about, meaning digital communication alone (emails, messages, or social media) cannot replace the benefits of real human presence and in person connection.
Resources
Curiosity fosters positive emotions
Positive psychology, the scientific study of what helps people flourish, shows that curiosity expands our perspective and opens us to greater possibilities in life. This in turn fosters more positive emotions.
A commitment to curiosity and lifelong learning has been linked to higher levels of wellbeing, including greater life satisfaction, optimism, and self-efficacy. Learning new skills also strengthens self-esteem, boosts confidence, and builds a sense of purpose.
Paul Dolan, Professor of Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics, has found that happiness is best sustained when we balance a sense of meaning and purpose with moments of enjoyment from life’s more hedonistic pursuits.
Below are some useful resources, including the Law Society’s CPD program (free for members).
Resources
- Law Society’s CPD offerings (upcoming events and on demand recordings)
- EdX – Free (and paid) online courses from universities around the world on a wide range of topics
- Coursera – Free (and paid) online courses from universities around the world on a wide range of topics
Free online lectures
- The Science of Happiness – University of Berkeley
- The Science of Generosity: Do Good Feel Good – University of Pennsylvania
- Mindfulness and Resilience to Stress at Work – University of Berkeley
- Building Personal Resilience: Managing Anxiety and Mental Heath – Harvard University
- Managing Happiness – Harvard University
- The Foundations of Happiness at Work – University of Berkeley
The science of generosity: do good, feel good
Giving to others feels good, and research shows it also supports long-term health and wellbeing. Professor Sonia Lyubomirsky from the University of California found that participants who carried out just one act of kindness each week for six weeks reported higher levels of wellbeing than those who did none.
Giving back can take many forms: from formal volunteering and pro bono legal work to small, everyday gestures. Importantly, even small acts can have as meaningful an impact on wellbeing as larger commitments.
Below are links to local volunteering opportunities (both legal and non-legal) to provide you with ideas and contacts for giving back.
Volunteering opportunities in law
The Francis Burt Law Education Program
The FBLEP is run by the Law Society and operates from the Old Court House Law Museum. The educational program aims to improve understanding of law, legal principles and the court system. The program is aimed at primary and secondary school students but is open to adult learning groups.
There is a variety of ways in which you can get involved, including through lawyer visits to schools, presenting professional development to teachers and/or as an advocacy coach or judge in the Mock Trial Competition.
Pro bono opportunities
Law Access is part of the Law Society group and its role is to match applicants for legal assistance (including individuals and not-for-profit organisations) with lawyers across the state who have registered their interest in providing pro bono assistance.
Community legal sector
Community Legal WA is the association representing community legal centres (CLCs) in Western Australia. CLCs provide legal support and assistance to disadvantaged members of the community. Volunteers are crucial to the work of CLCs and the services they provide. Many CLCs are looking for volunteers including undergraduate law students, PLT (practical legal training) students and lawyers, who often help with direct legal service delivery. At a more senior level, lawyers can play a pivotal role as board members for a specific CLC.
For further information about volunteering, head to Community Legal WA.
Volunteering opportunities outside law
Volunteering WA is the peak body for volunteering in Western Australia and manages a search engine for current volunteering positions available for a wide range of community organisations across the state.
