Managing Stress and Maintaining Well-Being as a Mother in Law School

To put it simply, law school is hard. From having to internalize a substantial amount of complicated information regularly to making a huge monetary commitment, the path to becoming a lawyer can be riddled with challenges. 

Being a mother while in law school, however, can be described as nothing less than a truly herculean task. Often, the stress associated with this pursuit can drive mothers to experience an array of mental health ailments that harm them in many ways. 

Fortunately, there are ways for mothers to stay afloat and feel good while pursuing their career as a lawyer. Becoming familiar with some key tips and techniques is vital for mothers pursuing a law degree intent on maintaining, at least some, of their sanity. 

Here are a few ways mothers can manage their stress and maintain their well-being while going to law school. 

Prioritize Alone Time

As a mother pursuing an education in law, it’s easy to feel like one is always being pulled in a certain direction by outside forces. Whether it’s trying to write an essay about contractual law or pacifying a crying toddler, always having to be on is enough to make anyone feel like they’re losing their mind. 

For this reason, it’s vital that mothers prioritize alone time. This will be a space in which aspiring legal professional mothers get to be completely alone and not have to worry about anyone else. This may require asking one’s partner to look after the children or enlisting the help of a babysitter. 

Strict and Consistent Scheduling

On their own, both being a law student and being a mother come with their fair share of commitments. When paired, the amount that one singular human is expected to get done is unbelievable. 

This colossal list of tasks is often enough to paralyze and overwhelm even those with the staunchest and most resolute resolves. This being the case, it’s important to engage in habits or practices that lessen the stress associated with these tasks. 

For mothers going to law school, this means becoming a scheduling wiz. This includes scheduling everything on one’s to-do list from learning about the newest legal technology to picking up children from school. 

By getting all these tasks into an organized schedule list, it will lose some of that overwhelming power it typically holds. But, like anything else, sticking to a schedule isn’t always easy at first. This is why it’s important for mothers not to get dissuaded if they aren’t able to stick to the schedule at first. 

Over time, this form of intense scheduling will become a superpower that enables mothers to complete all of their duties.

Get Adequate Sleep and Exercise

Though adding more tasks to one’s list may seem like an ineffective way to maintain one’s well-being as a mother going to law school, getting adequate sleep and exercise can make a world of difference. 

When it comes to getting great sleep, the benefits are nothing short of amazing. Not only will mothers feel more energized and motivated, but they’ll also have a higher threshold for handling stress. Ultimately, this can result in one performing better as a student and a mother, all while feeling less stressed as well. 

Similarly, consistently exercising can also benefit mothers in many ways. For one, consistent exercise has been shown to both boost one’s mood and lower levels of stress. In addition, it’s a great way to shake off the stress and anxiety one naturally feels as both a law student and a mother.

For soon-to-be lawyer mothers, getting the proper amounts of sleep and exercise are nothing short of vital for maintaining good mental health states. As such, any mother pursuing law should strive to develop these habits as soon as possible. 

Get Advice from Those Who Have Done It Before

While almost everyone will have advice to share with one, the truth is that only other people who have been mothers while pursuing a law degree truly know what it’s like to walk in one’s shoes. This being the case, it can be incredibly beneficial to gain advice and guidance from these people. 

However, though one may be convinced this is a good idea, one may not know where to start finding such people. Though it may seem tricky, it’s not impossible. 

A great place for one to start is by asking any legal professionals and professors in one’s network. More than likely someone will have some sort of connection to someone who has done it before. In addition, having gone through this trying experience themselves, many lawyer-mothers will likely be more than willing to help. 

Being a Mother in Law School is Possible

Though no one would call the experience easy, mothers are more than capable of receiving a law education. Though it can be difficult at times to juggle the duties that come with these two roles, it is well within the possibility for those committed to achieving their goals. 

As such, any mother pursuing a law degree should give these tips a try. For these tips may help them maintain their well-being in their career and parental journey.