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For this year’s World Health Day, virtual networking lunches series held in partnership with ����ɫ���� UK and featured keynote speaker (In-house lawyer at ) for a discussion around mental health and wellbeing in law. She is passionate about positive wellbeing in the workplace and co-leads Capital One’s mental health and wellbeing business resource group.

The pandemic has brought many things to the forefront but primarily the importance of good mental health. With most people working from home, having blurred work/life boundaries and restrictions preventing meeting friends and families, feeling isolated has never felt more relevant. 

The defines mental health as: 

“Mental health is a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to society.”

In the legal profession, you are often gatekeepers managing risks on a day-to-day basis. This often breeds a culture focused on perfectionisms with long hours and many responsibilities creating a perfect storm to feel overwhelmed, being tired, and the inability to switch off. As an in-house counsel, being supported by your organisation becomes vital to maintain good mental health.

Attendees highlighted their mental health concerns: 

Tips to manage good mental health 

1. Have a morning routine and set boundaries

• Set clear boundaries with people to set the precedent and manage your time appropriately 
• Have a morning routine to set you up for the day. This could include waking up earlier and journaling to ease you into the day. 
• Talk to someone about your mental health issues whether that is a friend, family or GP. You are never alone.

2. 

• LawCare is a charity offering a free confidential phone line and webchat service open to all legal professionals to support mental health within the legal industry - Ran by legal professionals for legal professionals. Additionally, LawCare provides peer support, training, and webinars to support your struggles and challenges within the legal industry.

3. Go on a social media detox

• Take time off from social media even if it’s just for the morning. If you can, try putting your phone on airplane mode and not looking at it for a day.

4. Schedule your mental health activities into your diary 

• Put meetings in your diary to remind yourself to go on a walk, stretch or do some exercise and make sure your company prioritises these exercises and not schedule other meetings at the same time.

5. Focus on self-care 

• Look into a wide range of self-care activities including reading a good book, having a bath, and making sure that you do something to give your work and home life a clear boundary. This could be moving rooms in your home where you work and sleep or going for a walk after work to end the working day.

6. Get some fresh air 

• Every weekday morning, prioritise some time to get fresh air whether that is a morning walk or having your breakfast outside to ease into the morning. 

(here's a few additional tips from our own ����ɫ���� peers) 

7. Plan your weekly meals beforehand

• Overindulging on ready meals/takeaways/junk food can affect your mood, make you feel lethargic and unmotivated. By preparing a weekly list she is able to prepare ahead, ensure the rights things are on her plate to fuel her body to avoid the sluggish feeling.

8. Get some exercise during the day - invest in a fitness watch if you can!

• Maintaining motivation to exercise during the pandemic has been difficult. Having a fitness watch with daily reminders to go on walks and the ability to set goals has kept her accountable and motivated to reach her fitness goals. 

The next hosted with and will be looking at keeping productive - having good mental health and being productive have often been neglected as being intertwined. With some good mental health tips under your belt, come along to the next virtual lunch to see how you can keep productive!