Coaching the laws you didn’t learn in law school

Try a lavender diffuser “I recently began to learn about essential oils. Each one has unique properties, but lavender in particular is said to reduce blood pressure, lower heart rate, and promote good sleep. Every night, I’ve started putting about five drops of lavender into a diffuser before I get into bed and also rub some on my neck and chest. I inhale the scent from my palms deeply three or four times as I begin to let go. Having a nighttime practice is soothing and helps ready my brain and body for relaxation and sleep.” —Dena Lefkowitz, lawyer coach, Media, PA[...]

“A few weeks into quarantine, I created a vision board with the theme of ‘strength and resilience.’ When a moment of panic hits, I stand in front of it for a few minutes and absorb the beautiful and strong images  — whether it’s a photo of Billie Jean King, Oprah Winfrey, or a school principal determined to help kids out of poverty. Looking at the board gives me a sense of what I need in the moment to reset — whether that’s calling a friend, getting some exercise, or going back to work.”[...]

There’s a saying about law school—”the first year they scare you to death, the second year they work you to death and the third year they bore you to death.” This saying implies that students overcome that first-year fear, but for many lawyers, it never completely goes away. I know because I was one of them. [...]

It’s not always easy to get on your bike, lace up your running shoes or step onto your yoga mat. Life sometimes conspires to prevent it but, more often, your mind leads you in a different direction. [...]

My husband and I used to have a weekend ritual of making a cappuccino at home. During the week, we didn’t have time for it. Now, we start each day with a cappuccino and have another one — decaffeinated — to close it out. [...]

I had a dream last night about coronavirus. A group of friends were leaving a restaurant (remember those?) and I looked back at the table where we had just been sitting and said “oh my God, we forgot to social distance.” The restaurant table was not spacious and, in the dream, I mentally calculated how far away I was from the person across from me, the person next to me. Well within 6 feet. Way too close. It was an intimate space and I began to panic that I had just contracted COVID-19. I woke up bemoaning my forgetfulness. [...]