It’s common to hear stories on blogs and forums about law students who only have time for school and are just hanging on until their next coffee fix. For those looking for a different perspective, I believe my experience may be helpful. I have only been on campus for two months but I have found that the Temple Law community is one that encourages law students to establish patterns of balance and structure from the beginning of their professional career while creating time for recreation and a social life.
During our 1L orientation, professors and staff emphasized the importance of scheduling one’s time, relaxing your mind, and taking time to do what you enjoy. One example that stood out to me was Professor James A. Shellenberger’s lecture on scheduling. Shellenberger, the director of the Academic Core Enrichment (ACE), suggested students schedule their schoolwork and recreational activities to maximize efficiency. Shellenberger let on that his suggestion was not only to enable students to stay up-to-date with schoolwork, but to also facilitate a balance between business and pleasure without the concern that either was being neglected. Scheduling my time is something that I have been doing for a few years and I find that it helps me meet my weekly goals and ensure that I know what my focus is each day.
Another recommendation that caught my attention was that of Professor Margaret M. deGuzman, a faculty representative for the Mindfulness in Law Society. deGuzman led my class through a short meditation period during the first week of school. Now to be frank, I used to consider meditation a little hokey. However, after practicing it, my misconceptions were dispelled. Meditation improved my ability to read comprehensively and focus on the task at hand. Studying the law requires law students, as I have seen so far, to reason about conceptual issues and rarely involves them engaging with the environment around them. Meditation has helped me clear my mind of all the thoughts of tasks, cases, and doctrine that I carry with me throughout the day. Once my mind is clear, my ability to enjoy the present moment and not think of what I want to accomplish later that day, week, or month is significantly improved.
For example, I often find myself lost in thought while on my daily commute. As we enter fall, the color of the flora and the temperature are changing. In the past, I would be too distracted with music to pay much attention to these variances in my environment. Yet after increasing my practice of meditation, I have found that I am better at pulling myself into the present to experience what is going on around me and be grateful for it. Now I am able to enjoy my fifteen-minute jaunt to school rather than seeing it as a task.
The BLSA chapter here at Temple, of which I am a 1L representative, has a Mental Health Wellness Series featuring people from different disciplines who have various approaches to managing their mental health. The series began with a seminar featuring clinical psychologist Dr. Rayvann Kee. Dr. Kee discussed different challenges that law students and lawyers face and 
methods to tackle them. Dr. Kee recommended having foundation level people in your life, whether they be mentors or a family member, to discuss challenges one is facing in their law career. He also suggested seeing a professional therapist if your stresses necessitated it. The second event of Temple BLSA’s Mental Health Wellness Series, was co-sponsored by Temple’s Health Law Society, Drexel’s BLSA branch, as well as Drexel’s Mindfulness in Law Society. The event was a mix of meditation, yoga, and trap music. I think I speak for many when I say that my impression of trap music was of Young Thug mumbling some inaudible gibberish. However, I was pleasantly surprised to be practicing yoga to a trap music beat with moderate tempo that matched all the sequences of the workout.
I have also found that socializing with friends and people who have a positive outlook on life, routinely talking to close family members, and kicking butt in my fantasy football league are important tools to ensure my mental wellness. Hanging out with people who constantly talk about their problems only encourages me to focus on my problems as well. I instantly cut out people who don’t lift me up. Talking to family is quite helpful because it allows me to decompress from law school and talk about things enjoy like football. I always video chat with my brothers during Philadelphia Eagles’ games to completely disconnect from law school. Fantasy football also gives me another opportunity to get my competitive juices flowing and have fun.
The most important tool, however, is purpose. My purpose and passion provide me with all the drive necessary to complete the daily tasks that bring me closer to my goals. It wipes out obstacles and makes them seem like speed bumps. I have found that if I want to do something well, I must know why I am doing it. I know my purpose for being in law school and I know what type of impact I want to make on the world. Others may be at different points in their journey of discovery, but I am convinced that once you find your ‘why’ and keep your eye on that ball, taking consistent action, you will be able to overcome obstacles that you never thought you could handle.
