Join WisLAP for a Well-Being Week in Law Celebration

WisLAP knows that too many lawyers and their support teams aren’t thriving. We hope you know by now that legal professionals who are struggling with the stress that comes with a high-pressure job can find support from WisLAP any time, day or night.

But May 3-7, 2021 is a special occasion in the world of lawyer well-being. We invite you to join WisLAP and the State Bar of Wisconsin as we participate in Well-Being Week in Law (WWIL). (Read more about WWIL in this article from InsideTrack^TM.)

WWIL was created to raise awareness about the importance of well-being in the profession and to encourage innovations that improve the ways legal professionals live and work. We all know the importance of taking care of our physical and mental health, but many of us don’t make time for it. Legal professionals are often so concerned with taking care of their clients, firms, communities, and families that their own health and happiness take a hit. But making a big commitment to self-care and well-being activities can seem overwhelming and hard to sustain.

WWIL is a chance to learn about ways to make gradual improvements, big changes, or find a middle path. Leading up to and during WWIL, WisLAP will share activities, ideas, and encouragement designed to boost work life balance and promote health and happiness across the legal profession. Follow WisLAP and the State Bar of Wisconsin on social media so you don't miss out. Devoting time to your health and well-being is vital to you performing at your best, so please join us and post about your experience using #WellbeingWeekInLaw.

Here are some additional well-being resources from the Office of Judicial Education tailored for members of the judiciary. 

Monday: Stay Strong — Physical Well-Being

• WATCH THIS: Dr. Wendy Suzuki talks about how exercise transformed her life and her research about the interconnection between physical activity and peak brain functioning, 6:28 mins.
• READ THIS: Deborah Grayson Riegel (2021). Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Walk. Harvard Business Review.
• DO THIS: The 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise (Yep, Breathing!). The way you breathe may be making you anxious. Try out the stress-calming 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise Activity Guide.

Tuesday: Align — Spiritual Well-Being

• WATCH THIS: Practicing Spiritual Well-Being: Voices From the Legal Profession. Fellow professionals in law share how they integrate their personal spirituality into their work lives, 7 mins.
• READ THIS: Jessie Cohen (2017). Ways to Incorporate Your Spirituality at Work. WeWork.com.
• DO THIS: Practice personal reflection to identify and examine what matters to you at this point in your life. Try it again in a year and see if things have changed. (Spoiler Alert: It's fine if they do!)

Wednesday: Engage & Grow — Occupational & Intellectual Well-Being

• WATCH THIS: Flow: An Animated Book Summary. A short, entertaining video summarizing the best-selling book, which proposes that fostering more “flow” (a state of complete absorption in engaging activities that are optimally challenging) in our daily lives is a key to growth and happiness, 5:20 mins.
• READ THIS: Leo Babauta (2012). Nine Steps to Achieving Flow in Your Work. Greater Good Magazine.
• DO THIS: Try Out Job Crafting, which is a continual activity in which we seek to create a better fit between our strengths, values, and preferences and our work. Follow the Job Crafting Activity Guide.

Thursday: Connect — Social Well-Being

• WATCH THIS: Shawn Stevenson (2019). The Model Health Show With Dhru Purohit. How deep and meaningful friendships can help you thrive, support your well-being, and help you reach your goals. 1 hr, 15 mins.
• READ THIS: Nelson D. Schwartz (2020). Working From Home Poses Hurdles for Employees of Color. New York Times. “Without the networks and encounters that offices provide, companies must foster the visibility of Black and Hispanic workers.”
• DO THIS: Try out the Loving-Kindness Meditation Activity Guide, which guides you through a practice of mentally sending warmth towards others that is linked to many psychological benefits.

Friday: Feel Well — Emotional Well-Being

• WATCH THIS: Practicing Emotional First Aid. Dr. Guy Winch advocates for better emotional hygiene — taking care of our emotions and minds with the same diligence as we take care of our bodies, 17:15 mins.
• READ THIS: Alice Boyes (2020). Feeling Overwhelmed? Here’s How to Get Through the Workday. Harvard Business Review.
• DO THIS: Learn to Retrain Unhelpful Thoughts. Review the Retraining Unhelpful Thoughts Activity Guide and start practicing science-based skills to curb the negative effects of dysfunctional thoughts that can lead to poor mental health.

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​WisLAP Contact Information:

24 hour​ helpline: (800) 543-2625
WisLAP Manager Mary Spranger (800) 444-9404 ext. 6159
WisLAP Coordinator Jason Magill (800) 444-9404 ext. 6151
Administrative Coordinator Tamra Paulson (800) 444-9404 ext. 6098

​​It is the responsibility of the legal community to help our colleagues. WisLAP is based upon the premise of Lawyers Helping Lawyers and Judges Helping Judges. We have over 150 trained volunteer lawyers and judges, who understand what you go through, to offer support and guidance. Interested in becoming a volunteer? Click Here

Related Links

• The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change with 44 recommendations for legal stakeholders to improve the health and well-being of the legal profession.​
• Mental Health America-Wisconsin Wellness Clinic
• ABA Anti-Stigma Campaign ​

Downloads

• WisLAP Law Student Brochure
  Download (804 KB)
• ​​WisLAP Brochure
  Download (2.3 MB)
• WisLAP Judicial Brochure
  Download (433 KB)

WisLAP is exempt from reporting professional misconduct to the Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) under Wisconsin Supreme Court Rule 20:8.3(c)(2) and to the Judicial Commission under Wisconsin Supreme Court Rule 60.04(3). WisLAP​ does not require callers to disclose their identity and does not keep any case records.​