Being stressed and pushed to the max does not have to be the norm in the legal profession. Let me help you find God’s grace for the professional grind!
Check out the audio and recap blog post of a Facebook Live I did recently where I talk self-care for lawyers through faith in The Intentional Lawyers Club, a Facebook group by Dina Eisenberg for women lawyer law firm owners and solo practitioners.
Roberta Talks Self-Care for Lawyers Through Faith Recap
A lot of insightful wisdom was shared in this segment so be sure to listen to it so you can get all of the nuggets! Dina and I talk about what contributes to suicide rates in the legal profession, what drives people to want to be locked away in a mock prison, the importance of setting boundaries in your life so you can have time for yourself, and the importance of people having a place where they can contribute and have a sense of ownership and community (check out Grace for the Grind™ Career Mastermind, one of those places!). But most importantly, below is the summary of the four Biblical self-care tips I shared on the FB Live (starting around 25:20 in the audio), all from Genesis 1 & 2.
God broke out the big assignment into smaller chunks.
God, Creator of the universe, all-powerful in His infinite wisdom, did not work Himself into the ground when He created the universe. He didn’t stress himself out trying to create the heavens and the earth and animals and etc. all at once. He did it over the course of six days. How many of us try to do too much at once and end up overwhelming ourselves, not just at work but in our personal lives? And not just in terms of time you allocate to complete a task, but is it even a task you should be doing? In Genesis 2, God let Adam name all the animals. That freed up God’s hands to do something else while empowering Adam to have an important role. Are there some tasks you should be delegating to someone else instead to free you up to do other things you love and empower others? For all you law firm owners out there, Dina can help you with that.
God stopped to celebrate milestones instead of just rushing through.
Throughout Genesis 1, after God made something, He acknowledged “it was good” before moving on to the next thing. Too often we only punish ourselves for what we didn’t do or didn’t do well and don’t reward ourselves for what we do get done. Sometimes the reward itself is getting the task done but we do a disservice to ourselves when we never stop and reflect on good things we have accomplished. What good things have you done lately that you need to acknowledge and be thankful for? Gratitude is key when reflecting on what you did well as it keeps you humble and reminds you what God has done for you!
God rested.
It goes to show you that if the all-powerful, all-knowing God knew it was good to rest and He did, we should too. We need a spiritual retreat from the demands of everyday. Unplug, reflect, and meditate. For me, (as I mention earlier in the live – make sure you listen to it! ;)), I do that by meditating on Bible scriptures and I get revelations like what I’m sharing with you now. If you are interested in learning more about Sabbath and setting aside a day of rest, check out resources from Sacred Ordinary Days.
God observed that man should not be alone.
God made Eve after seeing Adam should not be alone. This observation is not just in terms of having a spouse, but in having a community of other people to go through life with. It is clear that God did not intend for us to go through life alone with no friends, no people who understand our struggles and what we’re going through. You are supposed to be in a community of people where you can be open and vulnerable and uplifted and encouraged. And I feel that is what God called me to create for women lawyers, law students, and young professionals. So if you like how I broke down this Biblical story and extracted practical tips for work and life, come join me in Grace for the Grind™ Career Mastermind, a free private online community for Christian women lawyers, law students, and young professionals who want less stress and more of God’s grace for the professional grind.
You can also check out a longer version of this post with added Biblical goal-setting principles here.
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