Dec. 19, 2018 – The holiday season is supposed to be a joyous time. But for many lawyers, the holidays can add a layer of stress as the year winds down. Here’s a little secret from attorney Mark Metzger: meditation can make a world of difference.

“There’s a stigma with meditation,” said Metzger, who spoke on the power of meditation at the State Bar of Wisconsin’s 2018 Wisconsin Solo and Small Firm Conference in October. “People are inclined to stay away from it. Slowly, that’s chipping away.”

Meditation became more mainstream when NBA stars like Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls used it as a tool to help win NBA championships. In 2014, Psychology Today posted an article: “How Meditation Won the Super Bowl,” noting how Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll introduced meditation techniques to his players.

If meditation can help pro athletes, it can help other professionals, including lawyers. Metzger said he started meditating after reading a book by Dan Harris, co-anchor of ABC’s Nightline, called “10% Happier: Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics.” Harris had an anxiety attack on air, and it forced him to explore meditation, despite his skepticism.

“’10% Happier’ is his story of how he came to a meditation practice to offset the stresses that he felt in network news that had not only caused him to have some anxiety breakdown on air, but also how to manage the stress of a high-stress profession,” said Metzger explained.

In reading the book, Metzger was emboldened to try it, identifying with some of the professional stresses that Harris had highlighted. “I want people to try this,” he said. “As an antidote to the stresses of practice, it is a silly easy thing to do.”

The easiest forms of meditation can be accomplished by sitting quietly for one to three minutes, as a breathing exercise, to refocus the mind and body. Metzger noted that numerous smartphone apps have been developed for guided meditation.

“It can’t hurt to try, and everybody I know who has given it a shot believes it has made a remarkable difference. It certainly did for me,” said Metzger, who also noted a study of how meditation helped active duty combat Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan war zones.

The study showed cognitive decline in one control group that did not meditate, no cognitive decline for the group meditating for three minutes per day, and cognitive gain among the group that meditated for 12 minutes per day, despite the same conditions.

Metzger said it can’t hurt for lawyers, who work in an inherently stressful profession, to try meditation as a stress-reliever and as a tool to be better lawyers.

WisLAP Can Help

If you need help with alcohol or drug problems, stress, and other personal issues, call the Wisconsin Lawyers Assistance Program (WisLAP) helpline at (800) 543-2625. Volunteers are available 24/7 for confidential assistance. More information at wisbar.org/wislap (login required).