Enrolling at Temple Law was, hands-down, the best decision I’ve ever made. After just one year in law school, I’ve already taken classes that have shifted my perspective on the world, engaged with top-notch professors who always make time for their students, and, perhaps most notably, been consistently blown away by both the intellect and genuine kindness of my fellow classmates. As many other authors on this blog have noted, the Temple Law community is a uniquely welcoming place, and I am so grateful to be here.

What I often neglect to mention about my law school experience is that my 1L year was also one of my most challenging. When I first started at Temple Law, I believed I had a solid self-care plan in place. I meditated daily, attended a local yoga class two times per week, and prioritized taking time to relax with friends and family. Because my background includes counseling individuals with anxiety and depression, I knew firsthand how important it was going to be for me to take care of myself as I entered this new law school world.

However, as the semester waned on and my workload grew more demanding, I found that my self-care lapsed. It was easy to justify skipping yoga class during crunch time. After all, finals are temporary, and yoga would always be waiting for me. It seemed like everyone around me was equally caught up in their schoolwork, and I wound up falling into the trap I promised myself I would avoid. Fortunately, I was able to recognize this and get myself back on track, but I know I wasn’t the only one who wound up feeling stressed out and overwhelmed at least a few times throughout the 1L year.

“Our goal is to provide a support system that can step in when students feel that urge to sacrifice their self-care, and to serve as a reminder to the community that going for that run or making that phone call to an old friend can be just as important as reading over that case one more time.”

At their worst, the effects of these types of stressors can prove to be toxic. Lawyers are twice as likely as other professionals to develop drug or alcohol addictions, and the Dave Nee Foundation reports that lawyers are 3.6 times more likely to suffer from depression than non-lawyers. When it comes to law students, an American Bar Association survey found that 17.4% of law students screened positive for depression, and many of those students turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism. Overall, when law students stop taking care of themselves, there can be long lasting effects that cause harm well after those last finals have been submitted.

This is where the Student Wellness Association comes in. Our organization was founded with the mission of promoting physical, mental, and emotional wellness among the Temple Law student body. To us, that means creating a space where law students can come for that much needed “reality check,” and to meet with other students who are also seeking to incorporate healthier habits into their law school routine. Our goal is to provide a support system that can step in when students feel that urge to sacrifice their self-care, and to serve as a reminder to the community that going for that run or making that phone call to an old friend can be just as important as reading over that case one more time.

Over the course of the upcoming school year, SWA hopes to provide students with a forum where they can reconnect with some of the self-care habits they may have lost, or to pick up some new activities to assist in coping with the realities of this new law school lifestyle. We plan to coordinate opportunities for students to engage in mindfulness and meditation practices, participate in 5k runs, attend local yoga events, and enjoy alcohol-free social events. We also hope to bring some unique speakers and special events onto campus to help us all figure out what we should be doing to maintain our sanity, prevent burnout, and to have a little fun in the process.

When it comes to the law school experience, it’s true that encountering some stressors may be inevitable. The key to coping with these challenges is to maintain a healthy balance in life, and we hope that the addition of SWA to the Temple Law community will help us all to achieve that balance as we prepare for our future.

The Student Wellness Association is a new student organization, and we would love to hear your ideas! If you’re interested in learning more about our organization, or if you would like to get involved, please reach out to kthackray@temple.edu or matthew.leili@temple.edu.