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as you are moving forward . You can control where you go , whether or not you want to still wear a mask , whether or not you are vaccinated , and how often you wash your hands , for starters .
Communicate expectations clearly with clients and colleagues . A big source of stress in this transition period is varying expectations of clients and opposing counsel and judges . Should the deposition be in person ? Should we have our meeting in person ? What about that hearing ? Communication is going to be key on such matters . Be honest with yourself about what you feel comfortable with , and in turn , with those you are working with . And try to be understanding of others ’ risk tolerance , even when it is lower than yours . As eager as you may be to have that deposition in person , consider doing it further out or by Zoom if the other side requests it . These courtesies will reduce friction . And when you can ’ t control where the meeting is , see the previous tip : focus on what you can control .
Quit Doomscrolling . Yes , it is important to stay informed about what is going on in the world . But be observational about your process for doing so . Are you wandering to news sites or social media in a never ending circle ? Turn off the TV and step away from the phone when you find your time-consuming media to be counterproductive . This applies equally to escapist patterns , too : If you wander onto TikTok and find an hour has passed as you ’ ve mindlessly scrolled , it may be that you are looking to escape . Set timers or use limiting technology if you need a little assist to break the habit . Set timers for better habits , too — I set a 15-minute timer for reading an actual book most days , for example . It helps break the doomscroll cycle ( and I often end up reading for more than 15 minutes !).
Meditate . There are many ways to meditate , but they all have one thing in common : meditation is exercise for your brain that helps you focus your thoughts and control anxiety . If you are religious , your religious tradition almost certainly has some form of meditation through prayer , even if it is not called “ meditation .” It may bring you comfort to use those tools . If you are not religious , you can still benefit from meditation , in any of its many forms . You can find guided meditation programs for free on YouTube , for example . There are many phone-based apps for meditation , such as Headspace and Calm , that offer a variety of meditation scripts and techniques . If you would prefer self-guided meditation , there are plenty of simple techniques for mindful breathing and focus that you can read up on and incorporate into your life . And your meditation practice need not be time consuming : As my friend and lawyer meditation coach Jeena Cho says , “ just take . 1 for yourself .” 3 You will find that even a minute of meditation feels long at first , and you may need to work up to six full minutes . That ’ s fine . Take the time to find that . 1 for yourself . You will be glad you did .
Journal . The notion of journaling may bring up images of tween girls with locked diaries and purple pens . But there is a reason journaling helps teens work through their angst , and journaling can be a wonderful tool for coping with stress for adults , too . Like meditation , it is a way to focus your thoughts , and has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress significantly . 4 And there are so many ways to do it successfully . You can set a timer , and just write whatever comes to mind for a period of time . You could follow a system , such as Bullet Journaling , to help you plan your days . 5 Or use a prompt-based journal , which may offer the same or different prompts from day to day . I personally like the Five Minute Journal , which has the same prompt daily : In the morning , list 3 things you are grateful for , 3 things that would make your day great , and an affirmation for the day . At night , jot down 3 good things that happened today , and one idea of how you could have improved your day . That ’ s it . That focus on gratitude has been shown to significantly improve mood and coping . And five minutes — that ’ s even less than . 1 . So you have nothing to lose by giving it a try .
Be kind to yourself . Reentry anxiety is accompanied by an influx of powerful and sometimes conflicting emotions . From moment to moment , you may careen from excited to be social , to nervous about the consequences , to guilty for taking a perceived risk , to upset about a COVID-related loss . Be observational about these feelings and allow yourself to be accepting of the roller coaster . Self-compassion will go a long way toward healing .
Ask for help . If you feel like reentry anxiety is keeping you from functioning , don ’ t be afraid to reach out for help . This can be from a colleague or friend , or from a professional : remember , the Florida Bar has a mental health helpline , ( 833 ) 351-9355 , and a host of CLE and related resources on coping at www . floridabar . org / member / healthandwellnesscenter /. You are not alone . n
1
Reentry Anxiety : How to Handle Resuming In-Person Activities During a Pandemic , Penn Medicine News ( Oct 1 , 2020 ), available at https :// www . pennmedicine . org / news / newsblog / 2020 / september / reentry-anxiety ( visited April 25 , 2021 ).
2
Id .
3
Jeena Cho and Karen Gifford , The Anxious Lawyer : An 8-Week Guide to a Joyful and Satisfying Law Practice Through Mindfulness and Meditation ( 2016 ).
4
Emotional Health : Take Note , available at https :// www . nm . org / healthbeat / healthy-tips / emotional-health / take-note ( last visited April 25 , 2021 ).
5 https :// bulletjournal . com / pages / learn ( last visited April 25 , 2021 ).
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