Life as an attorney is not easy. Clients breathing down your neck, touch and go court cases and depositions that feel more like interrogations are enough to increase anybody’s stress levels!
However, one Cincinnati-based lawyer believes he has created the solution for attorneys who struggle to keep their stress levels down and remain calm whilst carrying out their daily duties.
Meditation Could Provide the Answer to Stressed Out Lawyers
Gary Powell balances the demands of being the general counsel at Emery Oleohemicals with his own general private practice in downtown Cincinnati. His solution for coping with the rigors of providing his talent and services on two fronts? Meditation.
Powell is a strong believer in the power of meditation and has dedicated over a decade to perfecting his personal meditation routine. However, when he espouses the benefits of meditation to other lawyers, the response isn’t always positive. Some realize the benefits of meditation but say they simply don’t have the time, whilst others believe meditating will make them lose their edge.
Powell asserts the opposite is true, “It does the opposite of dulling your edge – it actually sharpens it and gives you better focus.” His belief in the restorative power of meditation is so strong that he’s spent the last two years developing an app made specifically for attorneys called “Legally Mindful.”
How Does the Legally Mindful App Work?
The legally mindful app focuses on nine separate meditation exercises, which are divided between two levels of expertise. The first level targets relaxation, with exercises designed to help lawyers obtain a deep meditative state. There are also training exercises within this level that relate to practicing gratitude and compassion.
The second level changes tack by focusing on improving concentration skills. The “creative space” and “meeting room” exercises found on this level help an attorney get through their workload whilst they are in a deep meditative state. The app is available for no cost on both Google Play and Apple’s App Store. However, for full access to all of the features, users will have to pay a monthly or yearly subscription fee.
Legally Mindful App Reflects the Growing Need for Better Wellbeing Within the Legal Profession
As recently as a few short years ago, the Legally Mindful app may have seemed out of touch with the rest of the legal industry. But today the app launches amidst a backdrop of increasing concern surrounding attorney wellbeing and how to maintain a healthy work-life balance. The National Taskforce on Lawyer Wellbeing Report highlighted issues with stigmas around help-seeking behavior and the importance of seeking a healthy balance between work and family life. Powell discloses that this very report gave him the impetus to develop his app.
What’s more, Legally Mindful is by no means the only wellbeing app made by a lawyer looking to help their fellow professionals. healthPiper and Happy are apps that help professionals connect with mental health specialists, whilst nCourage helps users to better deal with stress and anxiety.
Powell confesses that when he started meditating back in 2008, he kept his meditation experiences to himself as he feared ridicule and reprisal. However, he now feels that perceptions are changing, “I think a lot of the younger generation of attorneys are getting meditation experience in law school and understanding some of the benefits to experiences outside of their work.”
Help Available for Lawyers Struggling with Wellbeing Issues
If you are suffering from mental health issues, or you’re finding difficulty in balancing the responsibilities of work with your personal life, it’s important to remember there are several avenues to get help with your wellbeing. Whilst apps may help in some regard, speaking to someone is also a great first step towards getting the help you need.
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