I have not forgotten my promise to draw up a list of healthy foods (Lunch and Dinner) to prevent or reduce hypertension. I am currently working on that and I am certain it will be delivered to your inbox next week Saturday, July 11th 2015.

Today I want to hit on a topic that is known to heighten back pain and hypertension. It is known to also take an emotional toll on the body. If bottled up, it can lead to depression, anxiety and feelings of hopelessness. It can also cause muscle aches, mouth ulcers, stomach ulcers upset stomach and a weakened immune system. It can lead to burnout and poor job performance and it often finds a way of spilling over and affecting your family relationships or personal life.

Let’s face it, being a Legal Practitioner is stressful. There are so many responsibilities struggling for your attention. You need to show empathy to your clients and at the same time, professionalism must not be compromised, therefore full confrontation is necessary. Both emotions are conflicting signals to the mind and body. 

Take 15 – 30 minutes at the beginning of your day to think through what needs to be done that day, then write down a list of the things (tasks) you would like to achieve at the end of the day. Once a task is completed, put a check mark beside it.

Delegate. Don’t be a perfectionist, you are not the only one that can do everything right and don’t micro-manage. DELEGATE the little things that will not cost you money. If you are the only lawyer, delegate to a secretary, your janitor, or your doorman.

Use more tools. Tools make work easy, they take away strain and stress. A good example is a carpenter using a nail drill to be more effective as against using a hammer. The nail drill makes the carpenter more productive. Instead of searching through numerous books, are you making use of a legal research tool?

Drink a lot of water during work hours (ideally, drink a cup of water, every 1 hour), this will help you system wash out toxins and it will force you to take short walks away from your desk which is essential to avoid back pain.

Sleep. You are not a machine, even if you were, you will need servicing from time to time. That means the machine is either turned off or the work intensity is reduced. Sleep is vital for the restoration of the body and mind. Adequate rest is at least 7-8 hours of sleep, so shut your brain down and get some good sleep. Soft light music can send you off to sleep quickly.

Use problem-focused coping strategies like talking openly about a problem, politely but firmly confronting a problematic client as opposed to emotion-focused coping (blaming others or yourself, ruminating about the problem without doing anything).

Exercise. It promotes overall health, which makes the body resilient and capable to cope adequately with stressful events. Take a 10 min walk around your house or office.

Take a vacation, you are entitled to it. However leave work behind. I mean it!
Yes, you can’t really control deadlines or the behavior and reactions of your clients or their emotional states but you can control the long hours at work, your rest time, and your emotional states when dealing with clients.Has this been helpful? Please leave comments regarding any questions or concerns you might have and one of our in-house doctor will be happy to assist you. We are dedicated to ensure that you are the best HEALTHY you.

To Your Good Health,

Dr. Rebekah Olofin