Stress and mental health

Working as a law professional can be very stressful, with overwhelming workloads and emotionally challenging cases. There is help if you need it.

Managing your workload

It’s easy to feel daunted by a heavy workload. Breaking tasks down and knowing how to delegate can ease the stress and make it feel manageable.

• Time management - how to plan your time productively
• Stop saying yes and start saying no - how to assert yourself and say no
• How to leave work at the door during the pandemic – dealing with a work/life balance while we're working from home

Learning to manage stress

Emotional resilience is our ability to adapt to stressful situations or crises. Our blogs explain how to build emotional resilience:

• Are you an emotionally resilient lawyer? - tips on how to develop your emotional resilience
• How not to be an emotionally resilient lawyer - understanding the behaviours that can undermine your emotional resilience
• Emotional resilience: Stepping outside the drama triangle - rescuer, persecutor, victim: understanding negative roles we can fall into at work
• Escaping low self-esteem - explains the relationship between self-esteem and emotional resilience
• How to deal with angry clients - understanding why a client may be angry, and tips on how to handle them

Improving your wellbeing

Practical tips to help you manage day-to-day stress:

• Five ways to boost your productivity that are backed by science - proven workplace wellness techniques
• Processing your feelings: three options
• How to remain resilient in tough times - straightforward advice you can take up immediately
• We need to open up to each other to save lives - signs to look out for in yourself and colleagues

There are also things your firm can do to support employees with stress.

View our guidance on supporting resilience and wellbeing in the workplace

Support organisations

LawCare

Independent, confidential advice for anyone in the legal community, including solicitors and support staff and their families.

Free helpline: 0800 279 6888

Opening times:

Monday to Friday: 9am to 5.30pm 

Law Society helpline

You can call our pastoral care helpline 020 7320 5795 if you are experiencing:

• personal
• financial
• professional, or
• employment difficulties.

We will put you in touch with someone who can help.

Opening times

Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm

Mind

Advice on stress and wellbeing. Contact them to get more support.

Helpline: 0300 123 3393

Text: 86463

Find out about call charges

Email: info@mind.org.uk

Opening times

Monday to Friday: 9am to 6pm

Weekends and bank holidays: closed

Samaritans – Wellbeing in the City

Get skills to manage your emotional health and learn how to look out for others, before they reach crisis point.