PRESIDENT’S PAGE DECEMBER 2022
Secure Your Own
Oxygen Mask First
It has been nearly three years since the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic in the United States. Our lawyers were hurting before the
pandemic, and from the data available to the State Bar of Texas, our
lawyers’ suffering is only becoming more exacerbated. While many of us
adapted well to working from home during the pandemic, doing so blurred
the lines between our personal lives and our professional lives. As a
result, many of us are suffering from compassion fatigue because we
can’t remove ourselves from our work long enough to recharge our
batteries and revive our souls.
I confess to suffering from compassion fatigue, and I am committed to
making time for self-care so that I can do a better job caring for my
clients, my loved ones, and myself.
I know that I am suffering because I have noticed changes in the way I
feel physically and mentally. My physical manifestations are that I have
more frequent headaches, my sleep is disturbed, and I am exhausted.
Emotionally, I feel overwhelmed, apathetic, and have lost interest in
things I previously enjoyed. In terms of the effect on my work, I feel a
reduced sense of accomplishment and joy, experience a sense of
inadequacy, and have to buttress myself so as not to avoid clients who
cause me extreme stress.
We have known for a long time that the law is a challenging profession.
Research shows that lawyers are the most-often depressed professionals
out of 105 professions. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in
our profession behind only cancer and heart disease.
In 2015, the American Bar Association studied almost 13,000 attorneys to
determine their mental condition. Almost 50% of the lawyers who
responded reported having been depressed. Almost 30% reported suffering
from clinical depression, over 60% reported suffering from anxiety,
almost 20% reported having anxiety disorders, and almost 12% considered
suicide.
To have good mental health, we need to secure our own oxygen masks
first. We need to focus on self-care by making time to do things that we
love to do. For me, self-care involves getting plenty of sleep,
especially catching up on my sleep during the weekends. It also means
that I need to make time for a daily walk outdoors where I can clear my
head, get more exposure to sunlight, and focus on the beauty of the
outdoors. It also means making sure to eat well, minimizing my portion
size, and making healthy food choices.
Last weekend I started the process of making my own mental health my top
priority. I made time to go for a long walk on the beach. This week, I
will be taking a mental health day where I do no work at all and instead
focus on exercise, rest, and reading a good book. I also intend to
surround myself with people who make me happy and help renew my feeling
of optimism.
I look forward to returning to my happy self, who rises early with
anticipation of a full and productive day. I am excited to return to
having a sense of gratefulness for all the gifts I have been given in
this life. I am especially looking forward to my renewed energy that
enables me to be a good lawyer for my clients.
We have just concluded the month of November, which is the time for us
to be thankful. I am thankful that I was able to recognize the signs of
compassion fatigue in my life and that I have the strength to reverse
that process to allow me to secure my own oxygen mask first, so that I
can be of service to others.
I hope that you will join me in making self-care a priority as we
conclude this season of thanksgiving and enter December, the month of
giving. What a perfect time for you to give the gift of self-care to
yourself!
Thank you for your time, attention, and most of all, your support.
Laura Gibson
President, 2022-2023
State Bar of Texas
Laura Gibson can be reached by email at laura.gibson@texasbar.com.TBJ
