By Cynthia Sharp, Esq.
At the inception of the COVID-19 crises, I identified 2 habits that were critical in order for me to maintain short and long term wellness - to meditate on a daily basis and to work out for at least an hour 5 days per week.
As a recovering alcoholic (sobriety date: September 23, 2009), I always give top priority to maintaining emotional balance. The main tool that has helped me stay sober for close to 11 years is formal mindfulness meditation and living a mindful lifestyle.
Kansas attorney Becky Howlett shares my passion for the topic and we launched legalburnout.com on June 1. In addition to meditating with our community 3 times each week, I have practiced on my own almost every day. The benefit has been relief from stress and anxiety as well as increased calmness, focus and concentration.
Having had a regular exercise program for a number of years, a top priority was to set up a gym in our home. I already had light weights, bands, balls and a yoga mat. The missing piece was cardio equipment and I solved that issue by buying a SoulCycle which was delivered 3 weeks ago. I make myself “hit the gym” by 9 am five mornings per week. Believe me, it is not easy. I would be just as happy to sit in the garden sipping coffee and reading a novel; but, the health benefits are worth the commitment.
Otherwise, I do my best to eat nutritiously, to maintain my social contacts (remotely) and to be gentle with myself.
Veteran Attorney Cynthia Sharp works with motivated lawyers seeking to build sustainable law practices. In recognition of her contributions to the profession, the ABA GPSolo Division named her Trainer of the Year in 2019. During the pandemic, she co-founded legalburnout.com, a community dedicated to wellbeing of lawyers. She can be reached at cindy@legalburnout.com.
Originally printed in the July 2020 edition of the American Bar Association's Voice of Experience, the Senior Lawyers Division's monthly e-newsletter. All rights reserved.
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