I came across this question recently. It is not a religious question about what happens to your soul in the afterlife. It is about the soul inside you that guides you through life here on earth. We know that we can rest our bodies through sleep (not that it is always that easy). We can rest our minds through non-work activities, reading a non-fiction book, watching a comedy, or taking a walk (without your cellphone).
But what do we do to find rest for our souls. Just like our physical and mental manifestations we must set aside time to heal souls. As attorneys we tend to carry our clients with us 24/7. We are reluctant to break away. We feel obligated to work, work, and work some more. To find our “rest” we have to do the opposite of what our normal tendencies. We have to take care of ourselves first. We have to follow the “Oxygen Mask Rule.”
When you are taking a flight and preparing for takeoff the flight attendant tells you, “Should the cabin lose pressure oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Please place the mask over your own mouth and nose before assisting others.” Wait! What! If you are traveling with your young child or grandchild or spouse, how could you possibly think of taking care of yourself first? Who are you? George Costanza.
The flight attendants know what they are talking about, if you are not getting oxygen you have no chance of helping those who need your help. Likewise we must keep the oxygen flowing to our “souls” to keep us functioning at our best. Otherwise we cannot help our clients. Yes, sometimes that means putting yourself first. It’s not about goofing off or partying or spending extravagantly but about being whole.
I have been inactive for a while but as we have seen recently “lawyer suicides” has flared again. Unlike our current Covid situation, it is not a pandemic that appears and hopefully fades away. Suicides happen so we take notice. Articles appear in the newspaper, bar associations reach out and we take more notice of our brethren. But over time it tends to fade from our attention until it flares up again.
So please examine where you are in your practice and whether you are in the place you need to be. What can you do to nourish what needs to be nourished and what toxins need to be expelled?
The Trials of Luke 