A Wellness Conversation with the Presidents, 0616 COBJ, Vol. 45 No. 6 Pg. 65
| Author | By Barbara Ezyk |
By Barbara Ezyk
Wellness: Your Job, Your Career, Your Life
Barbara Ezyk, executive director of the Colorado Lawyer Assistance Program, is the coordinating editor of this 12-month series of Wellness articles during 2016. Readers are encouraged to send Ezyk their feedback to the articles at bezyk@coloradolap.org.
I recently sat down with the CBA's President Loren Brown and President-Elect Patricia Jarzobski for a candid conversation about their leadership as president and president-elect, their professional and personal successes, their health and wellness regimens, and their life stressors.
Our conversation started with the best advice they've received for personal self-care.
Self-Care Practices
Barbara: What are some of your best self-care habits?
Patricia: Colorado Women's Bar Association Past President Jessica Brown made wellness a priority during her term. She instituted the "walk and talk," which involves taking your conference call or meeting outside to walk in lieu of sitting around a table or desk. Arapahoe County Bar Association President David Hersh practices a personal "gratefulness program," where at the end of your day, you focus on three things you are grateful for. I have incorporated both ideas into my life, and it has made a difference.
Loren: CBA Past President Mark Fogg also focuses on daily gratitude. I learned from him to set aside at least 30 minutes a day for quiet reflection or meditation to reflect on what I am grateful for. By doing this, I am able to stop the "hamster wheel running" and get a good night's sleep.
Law School Years
Barbara: What advice do you wish you received during your law school years that you want to pass on to law students?
Loren: I wish someone had told me to go skiing more. I was so involved in every club, trial team, mock trial, and studying all the time. Had I gone skiing more and been in better shape, I would have felt better and been a whole lot happier.
Patricia: I wish I had known it is okay to get out of the classroom and into the community a little earlier, and not sacrifice health and important family events for grades.
From Law Student to Lawyer
Barbara: What advice do you have for new lawyers who are just coming into our profession?
Loren: Listen to yourself. We all feel a little bit crazy at times, and maybe as lawyers we all are a little bit. But start listening to yourself and your body. Don't allow yourself to become isolated. Suicide, depression, and substance abuse often have a common element: isolation. You think you're painted into a corner and your issues are unique. You believe that no one has ever been in your situation before, that no one could possibly help you, and that you've got to battle it on your own. Last September, when I wrote my President's Message on suicide prevention, I finished with a statement that we all need to take a minute to call that friend, colleague, or opposing counsel.[1] You can often tell when someone needs you to come over, put a hand on his shoulder, and ask, "are you doing okay?" Don't just check in, however. Wait for the response and truly listen. Don't let yourself or others become isolated.
Patricia: Being a lawyer is demanding and hard. We often operate in fear—fear that we're going to lose a case, that we're going to step on a landmine, or that our clients won't be happy. Loren is absolutely right about the sense of community. When I have those moments and am super stressed and isolated in my office with...
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