Be Well, 1217 WYBJ, Vol. 40 No. 6. 54
| Author | Maryt L. Fredrickson, Ninth Judicial District Court Jackson, Wyoming, J. |
| Position | Vol. 40 6 Pg. 54 |
A Hornbook on Wellness: Top Ten Tips
Maryt L. Fredrickson, Ninth Judicial District Court Jackson, Wyoming, J.
A wise man once explained, “Health is wealth. Peace of mind is happiness.” Yet physical health and peace of mind seem to be elusive for many attorneys—crushed by client expectations, limited control over schedules, the billable hour business model, and the little time remaining to balance a personal life.
As the year comes to a close and holiday schedules generate some extra stress, this seems like a great opportunity to review the ten topics covered so far in this column. Hopefully, one or more make sense for you this season and you put them into practice!
Be Mindful
Mindfulness is, according to one law professor, “a form of meditation in which a person focuses her attention on her breathing to anchor herself in the present moment.” High performance athletes do it. Therapists do it. Mindfulness is being taught in some law schools. Benefits of mindfulness exercises include improved focus, attention, and memory; lower stress levels; improved sleep quality; more resilience when dealing with the unexpected; and less emotional engagement with stress.
Be Quiet
Our mind has an operating system called the “default mode network” that always works in the background. It reprocesses and integrates information and enables creative problem solving. Its exhaustion “can be a critical element of poor psychological well-being.” The default network restores itself in periods of quiet self-refection, daydreaming, or thinking about the future. Thus, incorporating moments of quiet into an otherwise busy day can allow the problem-solving mind to reboot.
Be Outside
Being outside in nature for five minutes refreshes mental function, reduces depression, combats anxiety, lowers cortisol levels, and lowers blood pressure. The impact on mental function is especially significant. Our minds experience something called “directed attention fatigue,” which many are familiar with as mental exhaustion—a person becomes easily distracted, less able to focus, and much less efficient. It also becomes more difficult to see solutions or to generate creative ideas. “Attention restoration theory” identifies the types of experiences that can be used to recover from directed attention fatigue. One of those experiences is being outside in...
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