The Mindfulness Memo

Question Presented

Can mindfulness help establish a less urgent sense of time and pressing need to rush on order to get things done?

Answer

Yes. To be sure, there are moments when time is tight, deadlines loom, and the stress is on. In law school, as in the practice of law, these moments arise more often than many would like to be the case. A key question is whether the perception of urgency -- of “not-enough-time” -- which can lead one to feel overwhelmed, to rush and make careless mistakes, and to endure a host of physiological insults, is genuine. If not, it may be a “thought” arising in the mind that is an overreaction based on fear. Accepted as true, it can do damage to the quality of work product and the body. Mindfulness can help one see more clearly the thoughts arising moment by moment.

Time:
In the first semester of law school, when so much is new and exciting, there is a natural tendency to absorb the rich detail and novelty to each experience. The feel of a classroom filled with students on the first day of class, the presence of the professor, the design and weight of the case books, the weather and temperature, the food, the feeling of starting fresh, with an world open to possibility. When this happens matter-of-factly, time proceeds at a comfortable pace. Sure there is tension and excitement, but everything will get done. They’ll be time enough for counting.

But something happens when panic sets in, when the mind begins to flirt with doubt. Understandably, because everything is new and uncertain, there is reason to wonder and to not be sure of things, to feel a need to figure out a game plan, and to organize the work that is assigned. At the same time, because feedback is slow to come (it may take a whole semester), it can be easy to interject deeply held beliefs (i.e., doubts) into the equation. Better safe than sorry.

One key question is what happens as the winds of doubt and second guessing begin to blow. What happens when thoughts arise that second guess that there is enough time to get things done?

Mindfulness Exercise

Mindfulness Meditation
There are many wonderful approaches to developing and deepening a contemplative practice like mindfulness. To get a taste of this experience, take five minutes and explore/experience what it means to sit in mindful awareness.

• Sit in a comfortable position.
• Keep your back straight but not rigid.
• Rest your hands on your knees, thighs, or in your lap.
• Close or lower your eyes and bring awareness to your breathing.
• Follow your breath for a few moments, observing it with curious interest.
• Move awareness from the breath to your mind, watching the coming and going of thoughts.
• You may notice a busy mind, a restless mind, or a quiet mind.
• Watch your thoughts arise, letting them come and go.
• If your find yourself distracted, or your mind wandering, that’s okay. That is what the mind does. What’s amazing is that you notice it. And that you have a choice what to do next.
• After you notice your mind’s wandering, bring awareness back to your breathing.
• After a few breaths, move awareness to your thoughts and observe your mind.
• At the end of the practice, whether 2 minutes or 20, smile and savor the moment.


Legal Resources

Books

Halpern, C., Making Waves and Riding The Currents: Activism and the Practice of Wisdom (2008).

Krieger, L., The Hidden Sources of Law School Stress (Booklet 2005).

Rogers, S., Mindfulness for Law Students: Using the Power of Mindfulness to Find Balance and Success in law School (2009).

Articles

Riskin, L. Awareness in Lawyering: A Primer on Paying Attention, in The Affective Assistance of Counsel: Practicing law as a Healing Profession, 447-71 (Marjorie Silver, ed., Carolina Academic Press, 2007).