Attorney Wellness
| Publication year | 2021 |
| Pages | 0076 |
The Power of Connection and Perspective
Our thoughts are powerful; the things we know have a way of manifesting themselves in our real lives. The good news is that if you also have struggled with pessimistic lenses, you do not have to change all of the world. Rather, you only have to change the way you perceive it to free yourself.
BY SAM SKELTON
Disconnected. I see that now. I was only 30, but I had already disconnected— from friends, coworkers and even my family. Addiction is a disease of isolation. Addicts do not need friends. That is how they feel, anyway. They have drugs.
Attorneys are charged with bearing others' burdens. This leads many in the legal profession to yearn for disconnection. Being continuously connected to such negative emotions is painful. Over time, though, distance from others may lead to a distance from reality. Denial is the state addicts are in because ... well, if they were not in denial, they would not be addicts. They would have recognized the warning signs and adjusted accordingly.
I have been to that place, the island of denial, far from the mainland with its harsh realities. I am grateful now, though, for my experiences struggling with mental health and addiction because, through them, I have gained the perspective to provide insight to others who may be struggling. I now have the privilege of doing that here, in this article, by expounding on the elements of spiritual and emotional well-being in the life of an attorney.
Spiritual and emotional wellness, although distinct, go hand in hand, as each influences the other significantly. Emotional well-being relates primarily to "identify[ing] and manag[ing] ... emotions to support mental health, achieve goals, and inform decision-making."[1] Recognizing the importance of emotions is a key to emotional wellness, as is seeking help for mental health issues when needed.[2] Spiritual well-being is "developing a sense of meaningfulness and purpose in all aspects of life."[3] The word "religion" comes from the Latin word ligare, meaning "to join, or link," and truly, spirituality represents one's connection to everything.
My emotional journey has indeed related to my spiritual path, which had been, for much of my life—and is now again—a well of strength. But, for a season of my life, I was spiritually disoriented, searching and wrestling with difficult questions about the...
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