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By: Jamie Collins
As featured in the November/December 2012 edition of Facts & Findings, NALA’s bi-monthly magazine for paralegals, and shared with permission: www.nala.org.
Got stress?
For those working in the legal profession, the answer to that simple question is an unequivocal and resounding “Yes!” It is the one thing you likely have in common with the rest of paralegalkind, and that one thing is: stress. We are enveloped by it on a daily basis. We are skillful experts at exuding a calm and pleasant countenance in the face of adversity, but when the chaos clouds loom low overhead and oxygen is deplete (as is a legal staffer’s sanity), you better believe there is stress!
I have read a few self-improvement books and perused various articles offering tips on how to deal with the infamous “s” word, but the one thing I have noticed is that it is darn near impossible for a busy paralegal to squeeze a majority of those helpful, but time consuming, and often, costly suggestions into one’s daily life. In reality, I have somewhere between 30 seconds, 30 minutes and $30 to debunk the stress. What can I do?
Today, I am here to share four incredibly simple, stress-busting tips that may help to save your sanity, at least in part, while elevating your happiness, and the best part is, you can do them each within 30 seconds to 30 minutes, starting today! After all, you are a busy paralegal with a shortage of time and an abundance of stress. The cavalry has arrived.
Click here to continue reading, and learn my 4 stress debunking tips: http://www.nala.org/Upload/file/PDF-Files/FactsFindings/collins.pdf
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Carpe de weekend, TPS paralegals! We believed it best to share these tips on Friday Eve, so you’d have an opportunity to charge into high heel land for the impending freedom festival a little less stressed! We’ll see you on Monday, fully-refreshed and ready to run the gauntlet. (We know you wouldn’t have it any other way).
Have a stress tip to add to the list? Do tell…
The Paralegal Society™ 
This can be a stressful job, and I thrive on it sometimes. Be we also need to release that stress to stay healthy. I wouldn’t have it any other way – I love being a paralegal! I have found that the best way for me to release the rising stress that invariably builds up over the course of the week, is to seek out something totally creative. A night of painting or making my own music (not a euphemism for anything, really making music!) sends my brain in a totally different direction and gives me that ‘balance’.
My commute lasts anywhere from 15 – 30 minutes (season! I live in FL) so I also have a really great motivational speaker I listen to -over and over and over. Helps to set me (or reset me as the case may be) in a positive frame of mind and attack the day or evening with vigor.
Thank you for another good read, Jamie! And, as usually, the timely one!
I commute at least 45 minutes each way via famous NYC subway system. On the days I have a seat, I knit. When I don’t have a seat, I knit too 🙂 It is the best stress reliever after the long day or…when you stuck under the ground with no cell phone services knowing that you are running late to work or a meeting. On some really crazy days, I watch old comedies and…you guessed it…knit. So, to add to Charlene’s post, I love my job and won’t have it any other ways and in order to relieve stress I create my baby blankets, hats, scarves, gloves and mittens, sweaters and shawls and ready for another baby shower…unless, and it happened more than once, I run out of certain color 🙂