Life and Law

“You have to work day and night to make sure you’re keeping up with law school.” 

Who amongst us hasn't been traumatised by this sentence from the first day we stepped foot into Law School? 

And yet, it has never been more vitally important to balance the pressures of law school with maintaining our personal lives. 

Law School can be demanding 

It’s hard not to get overwhelmed when thinking about the many challenges and demands that law school poses. We’re all intimately acquainted with the crippling academic workload - hundreds of pages of readings, countless back to back assessment deadlines, and the constant one-uppery (yes, this is now a technical term) about grades and numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. None of this even includes the hours spent in classes, study groups, and the commute to and from University campuses. 

Not that our struggles stop there. The constant stress of finding part time jobs, the tensions of applying for clerkships and legal internships, and the never-ending mooting and law society networking events to boost our CVs, truly give a new meaning to burning the candle on both ends. It’s not uncommon for us to give up reading for fun, going out with friends, or even skipping meals to find time to finish all the work we need to do. 

What we choose to ignore though, is the toll this takes on our mental health. 

Stress, anxiety, and burnout become a constant state of being for us, so much so that we start ignoring them, and convince ourselves that we just need to push through and be strong. We brag about how we “only slept for two hours”, and how we “only had a smoothie for dinner” because it’s what we’ve been taught to expect our lives should look like in the legal fraternity. Our deteriorating sleep cycles and lack of social lives can lead to an onset of depressive symptoms, sometimes so slowly that we don’t even realise that it’s happening. 

Who needs a personal life anyway? 

As it turns out, everyone. 

Despite the shocking blasé attitude with which we seem to find neglecting our personal lives acceptable, they are integral to our mental health and overall wellbeing.

Having a balanced social and personal life is crucial for stress relief. Talking out  struggles and issues with friends and family can be incredibly freeing and help us process thoughts more coherently. This helps starve off burnout and anxiety. 

Knowing that our friends are in the same boat can also build a sense of solidarity and camaraderie, and let us know we’re not alone in our struggles. 

Fostering healthy relationships with friends and family is also a vital part in ensuring we have a good, robust support system around us for those days when we truly need someone to lean on. Equally important is engaging in hobbies outside of law school that spark joy and bring a sense of accomplishment and fun. 

But how do we do all this? 

One of the biggest hurdles in the endeavour to balance law school and a personal life is not having enough time. 

The first technique to try is creating a list of negotiable items and non negotiable items, both with a healthy mix of work and fun. Priorities can change from week to week, and that’s understandable - some weeks assignments need the bulk of your attention, and other weeks you can relax at brunch three days in a row. Non negotiables can change when your schedule does, so make sure you update your lists as you go along. 

Effective time management is also key. Creating schedules that allocate your time efficiently in a manner you can easily access is a game changer in ensuring you're spending time where you want to be spending time. Having a calendar or scheduling app on your phone lets you keep track of your commitments at the touch of a button. 

Another crucial aspect is setting firm boundaries. Don’t get distracted when you’re working - put your phones on do not disturb (or you know, lock them in a different room), block youtube on your laptop, and get that work done. And when you're out or relaxing with your friends or enjoying your personal time, make sure you don’t check your university emails, or your assessment scores. Make sure you truly unplug, and enjoy the moment.

Communicate with those around you. Tell your friends and family when you need support, and are going through a hard time, but make sure you also talk to your professors! Open communication is the best way to ensure you get the best support and resources to protect your mental and physical health. 

Lastly, make sure you utilise the resources around you. 

There’s this mindset amongst us that taking special consideration or asking for extensions makes us weak, and I’m here to tell you that it’s wrong. Apply for special consideration when it’s necessary, and make sure to apply for extensions when you need to give yourself some breathing room. Taking an extra day or two to protect your mental health is not a crime - take advantage of its availability when you need to!

Counselling is also a resource that we rarely think about needing for ourselves. We avoid asking for a counselling session because we think it makes us look weak, but sometimes it's the best thing we can do. We don’t avoid the doctor when we break a bone because it makes us look “weak”, we simply accept that we are unwell and ask for help. Your mental health is much the same. When you’re going through a hard time, accept that you’re unwell, and need help, and ask for it when you need to. It doesn’t make us any less than others to get additional support. 

Protect yourself and your private life as best you can. We all live and breathe law because we love working in it, but our careers should not be the only thing in our lives. 

Give yourself time to be you, not just a lawyer. Don’t lose your identity in the corporate personas we craft in the legal profession. 

Written by Anushka Anna