7 Tips for Resilience, Positivity and Mindfulness

In this article, we discuss some simple resilient and positive mindset choices you can make whilst working at home for the legal industry, particularly post Corona times.

Once we were seeing the light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel as Melbourne came out of the second lockdown, workers were left wondering whether remote work and flexibility would stay with us and whether Covid-19 normal workplaces would mean less people on public transport or dining out at Melbourne’s plethora of café’s, restaurants and bars.

Then we hit a speed bump. Community transmission of Covid-19 grew in metropolitan Melbourne and stage 3 restrictions resumed. Legal industry workers returned to their homes, with no visitors, and restaurants pivoted back to serving takeaway only. Any fantasies of returning to water cooler chit chat in workplaces were firmly shoved to one side. When we moved into Stage 4, 5 and 6 restrictions, Melbourne felt cut off from the rest of Australia, who returned to more relaxed social distancing measures.

At Legal People we do our best to keep up the spirits of our team, our candidates and our clients. We adore Melbourne and all its quirks, multiculturalism, coffee, laneways and rooftops. We also love its people who we know are strong, resilient and do powerful things when they come together.

These are the tips we used ourselves to keep up our spirits and continue to use today. Give them a try yourself!

1. Exercise

 Walk your dog, ride a bike, go for a run, or invest some time in one of the many online exercise classes that are available on YouTube. Exercise delivers positive endorphins to the brain and feel good chemicals to the body.

2. Reach Out to Friends, Family and Colleagues

Staying in close contact with family, friends and workmates on the phone, video calls, text or whatsapp can help ensure you don’t feel isolated. Everyone is experiencing their own version of this global pandemic with each family circumstance unique with its own worries, challenges and demands. Support each other, check in on the most vulnerable and lend an ear to those who need it most.

3. Choose Kind

Have you noticed that when you help people, it makes you feel good? Is there a neighbour, friend or colleague that could do with some easy to provide, practical help. Consider paying forward a coffee, cook something for a local friend, or simply make the choice to respond with kindness when you are faced with someone who is getting on your nerves. Give it a try!

4. Have a Daily Routine

Even on the days you are not working, it can help to stick to a routine. Get up at the same time and go to bed at the same time.

Try and keep working hours – it can be way too easy to work all the daylight hours and even into the night when your laptop is within easy reach.

5. Look Hard for the Positives

Watch a sunrise or a sunset. Step outside and soak up some nature. See how the seasons change the landscapes of the suburbs around you. Watch a game of footy or a Broadway show on YouTube.

Consider any positives you gained from the lockdown experience. Did you spend more quality time with family? Did you enjoyed not rushing around? Are you enjoying working from home? Has it given your manager a better perspective into how remote working or flexible working can work? Has your office adopted an innovative new way of dealing with a challenge? Have you found a new skill or hobby? (Everyone remembers the sourdough craze!)

Have you used this time to up-skill in an area of your legal career? Could you?

6. The Power of Music

Make yourself an upbeat playlist to listen to whilst you work or tend your garden or do the housework. Music has the power to uplift and change your mood instantaneously. Consider listening to the music of a time when you were the happiest.

7. Find a Glimpse of Humour

We didn't need to look too far to find something humorous about the crazy situation we found ourselves in during lockdowns, even on days when grim statistics or further restrictions were being delivered. It was ok to find some humour in our day (and still be empathetic and sympathetic to the horrible situation globally). Is there a comedian you can follow? Is there a classic comedy you can watch? Is there a meme that makes you smile?

8. Ask for Help

Governments, Not-for-Profits and medical professionals all worked tirelessly to provide information, resources, funding and to raise awareness of the mental health challenges particularly in the wake of the pandemic and its economic consequences. Always seek help if you are feeling anxious or depressed. Never discount how you are feeling.

Beyond Blue and Lifeline resources are a great source of advice and information.

ALPMA resources can also be found here.

9. Try Mindfulness (really!)

A touch of meditation is surprisingly effective and there are some great free apps available to get you started. We particularly like the Smiling Minds app, but there are many other available and free to use.

10. Start a Gratitude Journal

Did you know that if you write down 3 things you are grateful for each day, by the end of 21 days, your brain will start to look for positive things? Worth a try.

Remember when you wrote a list of all the fun things you were going to do when the lockdowns were over? The theatre? Dinner somewhere fabulous? Dumplings in China Town? Write yourself a nice long list of fun things you can do in the future. It could be as simple as having a nice big hug with an elderly relative. Melburnians in particular learnt the hard way to appreciate the little things.

The one catch-22 with the highly prized skill of resilience is that it tends to be a learned skill. That is, you need to have lived through, overcome or faced a challenging situation to become resilient. That's what 2020 was for Melburnians in the legal industry. Together, we got through it!

Are you looking for a new and challenging role in the legal industry in Victoria? Legal People is your gateway to legal career opportunities. We are specialists in the Legal Industry. We recruit Lawyers, Support staff and HR professionals in Melbourne, Australia. If you enjoyed reading this article, you can follow our Company Page on LinkedIn for regular updates. To browse our currently available roles click here.