In-House Counsel

3 R’s For Managing Mental Health For In-House Counsel

Stress affects a huge majority of in-house counsel.

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While the statistic may need updating, Axiom conducted a survey of in-house counsel in 2022 and from that survey, about 78% of in-house lawyers reported feeling stressed or burned out in their roles. (I know, I know — isn’t everyone?) Numbers aside, I have personally been through periods in my career where I’ve felt the same. Whenever I find myself in that place, here are a few strategies I’ve tried.

1. Reflection

It’s all about the why. If you’re in a funk, it’s a good opportunity to take some time to figure out why. Is it the work? Is it a project that is dragging on? Are you bored because it’s the same thing day in and day out? Maybe it’s not about the actual work but that you’re feeling disconnected and disengaged with the team. Maybe it’s a conflict. For me, a lot of the time, it’s sheer volume of obligations, where I’m feeling like I’m playing Whac-A-Mole instead of having the ability to be intentional about my work. Whatever it is, once you have an idea of the why, consider ways to address — and if that’s too much work (cause, hey — you’re already burnt out), consider connecting with a therapist, professional coach, or a mentor or a trusted colleague so you have a partner with which to bounce off some ideas. If you’re response is “ain’t nobody got time for that,” my response is — unless you try to do something different, it won’t change.

2. Refueling

This will look very different for a lot of people. Basically, the idea is that so much of what we do is energy-taking and energy-draining. A lot of focus is on management of time, which is certainly a limited commodity, but for me, the lack of engagement, the desire to disconnect comes from the lack of energy. So the change point here is to do something that gives you energy. This could be movement. Sometimes, when I am on calls where I only need to listen, I walk outside or on a treadmill. This could be as simple as refueling your body because you’ve been surviving on caffeine alone. Of course, never underestimate the power of rest and sleep. For me, I feel refreshed after reading a little fiction. That tiny escape from reality — maybe only for a chapter — can do wonders to give my analytical brain a break. For an extrovert, maybe you need to schedule a lunch or happy hour (even when you feel like you don’t have the time).

3. Redesigning

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The last R for managing mental health is redesigning your life to benefit your mental health, which sounds daunting. But it doesn’t have to be. Think about the micro-shifts, some small change you make that can have outsized impact on your mental health, if you can turn it into a habit. As I mentioned above, maybe it’s just doing one walking call in your day. It could be as easy as listening to fiction or a funny podcast in your tiny commute from kid drop off to home. One huge thing for me is that I need to feel like I have a plan for tackling the work, so every Friday I have dedicated time to plan for the next week (but I also look up to a month out).

Even looking at this list of three R’s, doing only one might be enough to get you through.

Meyling Mey Ly OrtizMeyling “Mey” Ly Ortiz is in-house at Toyota Motor North America. Her passions include mentoring, championing belonging, and a personal blog: TheMeybe.com. At home, you can find her doing her best to be a “fun” mom to a toddler and preschooler and chasing her best self on her Peloton. You can follow her on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/meybe/). And you knew this was coming: her opinions are hers alone.

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