The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing
A podcast for lawyers that explores the realities of big law, provides tips for better practice management, and shines a light on lawyer wellbeing.
The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing
Episode 48: Burnout
Ever caught yourself daydreaming about a minor car accident just to get a legitimate break from work? That startling thought was my personal wake-up call that I wasn't just stressed – I was experiencing full-blown burnout.
Burnout isn't simply feeling tired after a demanding week. It's a chronic state of physical and emotional exhaustion that the World Health Organization recognizes as a syndrome resulting from unmanaged workplace stress. What makes burnout particularly dangerous for attorneys is how it manifests in contradictory ways: extreme exhaustion paired with insomnia, motivation loss alongside anxiety, emotional numbness mixed with hypersensitivity. For me, it showed up as abandoning my lifelong love of tennis, withdrawing from colleagues, and those troubling commute fantasies about minor accidents that might force a pause in my relentless schedule.
Whether you're trying to prevent burnout or recover from it, the path forward requires courage. Prevention demands boundary-setting in a profession that often rewards constant availability. Recovery begins with acknowledging what you're experiencing without shame – burnout isn't a professional failure but a human response to inhuman levels of stress. Most importantly, you must reach out for support rather than trying to power through alone. Your well-being isn't separate from your professional success; it's the foundation that makes sustainable achievement possible.
As attorneys, we don't have to choose between our ambitions and our health. By implementing micro-breaks, creating white space in our calendars, building support networks, and giving ourselves permission to rest, we can thrive both professionally and personally. If you're struggling right now, remember you're not alone and recovery is possible. Have you recognized any burnout warning signs in your own practice? Taking that first step toward acknowledging it could be your most important case this year.
Find out more at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilystedman/.
Welcome to the Grace Period, where we get real about attorney mental health and well-being and pull back the veil on the high-stakes world of big law. I'm your host, emily Logan Steadman, a commercial litigator partner and someone who believes there's always room for a little more grace, even in this high-stakes profession. Here I share real stories from my own journey in big law and invite you, behind the scenes, beyond the billable hour, to talk about what it means to stay human in a demanding field. Whether you're a lawyer, a legal professional or someone trying to find your footing, this space is for you. Let's pull back the curtain, start the conversation and find our grace period together. Disclaimer the views and opinions shared on this podcast are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect those of my firm or any organization. This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Speaker 1:Today, on episode 48 of the Grace Period, I want to dive into a topic that's incredibly common and still stigmatized, especially in the law and in big law, and that's burnout. First, I want to define burnout and talk about what it actually looks like, and then talk about how to prevent it and recover from it Along the way. I'll share a little bit about what burnout looked like for me when I experienced it. So let's start with a definition. Burnout is not just being tired or stressed after a long week. It's a state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion, often caused by prolonged stress at work and or in life. The World Health Organization calls it a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. So again, it's chronic and it's prolonged, and it's a result of unmanaged stress, whether that's from work or life itself. What does burnout look like? I'm going to share some symptoms, and what's tricky about burnout is they can be contradictory and they can look different from person to person. So you might feel exhausted all the time, but you also might struggle to sleep. You might lose motivation, or you might feel exhausted all the time, but you also might struggle to sleep. You might lose motivation, or you might feel so anxious that you're unable to slow down. You might become emotionally numb, or you might feel unusually sensitive and overwhelmed. You might withdraw and self-isolate, withdrawing from colleagues and friends or giving up hobbies. You might feel desperate for connection connection but unable to reach out. You might find it hard to focus and lose your ability to focus or you might become hyper-focused just on unimportant details or tasks that feel easy and don't really matter. It can also look like seeking an escape matter. It can also look like seeking an escape, sleeping more than usual, or something even more extreme.
Speaker 1:When I was in the throes of burnout, I really experienced all of these things. Sleep felt like my only break. It was the only time I wasn't thinking about work or the stresses of my life. I wanted to sleep all the time. I also gave up hobbies. I've played tennis since I was five and about a year into burnout I realized I had stopped playing and I asked my husband have you noticed? Why do you think I'm doing that? He said because you're so stressed out and unhappy at work. I also withdrew from colleagues and friends. I stayed home. I didn't want to do anything with anybody unless it was required.
Speaker 1:Another experience I had was this On my commute to work, when I would be sitting in traffic, I would think ugh, if that car behind me just rear-ended me, if I just got into a small accident Not anything horrible, but they had to send me to the hospital to get checked out. Gosh, that would give me a break. That would give me a legitimate excuse to walk away from work for a little bit. Every time I share that story to a live audience, I see light bulbs go off in the audience. I see nodding and signs of recognition. That is a sign of burnout. That is a sign of prolonged stress that you haven't managed. And at that point it's not about preventing burnout, it's about recovering from it. So how do you prevent burnout in the first place? Well, you have to set boundaries. You have to protect your time and energy, even when it feels uncomfortable. You have to build in breaks, micro breaks, like I talked about earlier this season. You have to create white space on your calendar where you get to choose what you do during that block of time.
Speaker 1:Real time off is essential for preventing burnout. You must connect with others. You must find your people, whether that's friends, colleagues, a therapist, family members. You need a support system that can remind you that you're doing okay and that you're not alone. And you must pay attention to warning signs. If you notice changes in your mood, sleep or motivation, do not ignore them. Ignore them Now if you're already feeling burnout.
Speaker 1:Recovery is possible and burnout might come and go. I've experienced that Even just this year, I've had a really great year, but a really hectic and heavy year, and I could feel burnout coming, and so I had to acknowledge it. I had to admit what I was feeling. That's not a failure. You don't fail because you burn out. You can't move forward and heal unless you acknowledge and admit what you're experiencing. You also must ask for help. Recovery is about asking for help, whether it's from a manager, hr, a doctor or a loved one.
Speaker 1:It is essential that you do not try to power through this alone. You need to give yourself permission to step back, rest and reset, even just for a day or a long weekend. It's also important to re-evaluate constantly what your priorities are. Sometimes burnout is a signal that something needs to change your workload, your environment or even just your expectations of yourself. Next, it's important to celebrate small wins.
Speaker 1:Recovery is not linear. You need to notice and honor every bit of progress, and if you're like me and work is part of your identity, and if you're like me and work is part of your identity, we used to call it workaholism. I don't think I have workaholism, but I am a hard worker. It's important to me to work hard. I have to rest, and I have to give myself permission to do so. You cannot achieve those ambitions and big goals without taking care of yourself.
Speaker 1:If you've experienced burnout or you feel like you're in the middle of it right now, hear this You're not alone, you're not broken. Burnout is a human response to inhuman levels of stress. There is a way through and there are people who want to help. Lastly, I want to add if you're like me and you've experienced the more intense feelings of needing to escape, you can always reach out to the 988 hotline. Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Grace Period hotline.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Grace Period. I hope today has shed some light on what burnout is and how to prevent and recover from it. Remember you don't have to choose between your wellbeing and your ambition. By setting boundaries, building supportive habits and giving yourself permission to pause, you can thrive in law and in life, and even in big law. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. That is the path to our grace period. Disclaimer the views expressed here are solely my own and do not represent the official policy or position of my firm or any organization. This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only, not professional or legal advice. It does not create an attorney-client relationship.
