Elevate Mental Health and Well-Being Month | Week 2 – Spiritual Well-Being: Flourishing

By Bryan R. Welch

This week we’ll explore the concept of finding joy as legal professionals. We can feel joy in big celebrations and moments, but according to the Mayo Clinic it’s also important to "find wonder in the mundane and beauty in the everyday.” Experiencing joy and gratitude helps you be a more effective lawyer by improving mental and physical health. Importantly, research shows that joy is a state best shared with other people. When we’re experiencing joy, sharing that emotion with others helps us and them. When we’re not feeling as strong, “empathic joy”—sharing or feeling the joy of others—can help us get through the hard times.

What’s your joy? Join us this Wednesday, May 8, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. as fellow members of the legal community relate how they find joy in work and life. Come share your own joy, or come to listen and learn from your colleagues.
 

Things to Read, Watch, and Listen To

• Empathic joy helps amplify the good and sustain hope when times are hard.

• Embrace joy by focusing on what you can control, expressing gratitude, assuming positive intent, building relationships, and keeping perspective.

Things to Try

• A five-minute audio empathic joy practice.

• Materials, resources, and suggestions for bringing kindness and joy into your legal practice and personal life.