Prioritizing self-care is essential for lawyers. As we enter the new year, we don’t need to create more pressure for ourselves. Here are five ways to use this season to restore and build energy for what’s ahead.
Table of contents
- 1. Stop the Stress Cycle: Nourishment as the New Resolution for Attorneys
- The Lawyer’s Lunch: Warm Foods That Replenish Energy (Not Just Calories)
- 3. Defend Your Daylight: Bringing Light and Focus Back to Your Legal Day
- 4. Strategic Rest: Small, Warm Rituals for Attorney Stress Reduction
- 5. Beyond Billables: Setting Sustainable New Year Goals for Lawyer Well-Being
- Create a Healthier New Year
- More Health and Well-being Tips on Attorney at Work
As winter settles in, many of us feel the natural pull toward warmth, comfort and reflection. Yet every year, the New Year’s resolution mindset arrives, urging us to do the opposite by overhauling our diets, cutting out all “bad” habits, and pushing ourselves even harder.
Unfortunately, just when we need habits that nourish us through the cold months, we may opt to take on new goals and habits that instead drain our energy. This can add an unhelpful layer of self-restriction to our already exhausting schedules.
Thankfully, there is another way to approach winter and the start of a new year by working with the season rather than against it. Winter can be a time for nourishing and replenishing. Here are five ways to restore and build energy for the new year.
1. Stop the Stress Cycle: Nourishment as the New Resolution for Attorneys
Most traditional resolutions focus on what to cut: fewer calories, no sugar, no carbs, no alcohol, no days off. It’s the language of deprivation, and it often sets us up for a cycle of short-term compliance followed by burnout and frustration. It’s also out of sync with the reality of winter, when our bodies naturally want warmth rather than cold salads and rigid rules. Adding more restriction in our personal lives can backfire.
Rather than asking “What do I have to eliminate?” consider asking: “What can I add that will help me feel nourished and energized?” This question creates space for choices that actually sustain you. Perhaps consider adding a warm cup of tea to your afternoon, soup with your lunch, or a phone call to an old friend. The decision to shift from elimination to nourishment is a foundational principle of effective Lawyer Self-Care and sets the tone for a healthier, more sustainable new year.
The Lawyer’s Lunch: Warm Foods That Replenish Energy (Not Just Calories)
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a fresh salad, but expecting yourself to rely on cold, raw vegetables in the coldest months of the year may not be realistic. Winter is a season when your body benefits from warmth.
This is where nutrient-dense, low-calorie warm foods can make a huge difference. Think vegetable soups, roasted winter vegetables, lentil stews, and herbal teas. These foods nourish without feeling restrictive. They’re satisfying and supportive for digestion and energy.
You can batch-cook a large pot of soup on Sunday and portion it out for easy lunches during the week. You can keep pre-chopped vegetables in the fridge for quick roasting on busy evenings. You can rotate a handful of easy recipes that don’t require elaborate preparation or long cook times, all of which are ideal for busy work weeks.
The goal isn’t to create the “perfect” winter diet. It’s to replace the deprivation-based mindset with one that focuses on adding warmth, nourishment, and ease to your routine.
3. Defend Your Daylight: Bringing Light and Focus Back to Your Legal Day
Light is one of the most powerful sources of nourishment we have in winter, yet it’s often the first thing we lose in the demanding rhythm of legal work and short days. When you’re in the office before the sun fully rises and leave after it sets, it’s easy to go days with almost no natural light exposure. That affects energy, mood, focus, and even sleep.
The good news is that small, intentional bursts of light go a long way. A ten-minute walk outside between meetings can dramatically shift your mental state. Standing by a window while you return a call or review notes can brighten both your body and mind. If sunlight is hard to come by, a full-spectrum lamp at your desk can mimic natural light and boost your energy.
Think of light not as one more task on your list, but as nourishment just as essential as food or movement. Ultimately, treating light as an essential resource—rather than a luxury—is a simple, tangible component of Lawyer Self-Care that directly affects your mood, energy, and professional focus.
4. Strategic Rest: Small, Warm Rituals for Attorney Stress Reduction
Our work requires and rewards endurance—pushing through, staying late, being available, saying yes. But winter can intensify the effects of that grind. Shorter days, colder temperatures, and heavier workloads at year’s end can leave us mentally depleted.
To restore energy, think in terms of small, warm rituals that create moments of calm and connection throughout the day:
- A brief mindfulness pause before opening your inbox.
- A few minutes of stretching between meetings.
- Keeping a warm drink at your desk.
- Tidying your workspace at the end of the day so tomorrow feels lighter.
- Setting a boundary around early mornings or late nights during the darkest months.
These small rituals signal to your body and mind that you’re supported. Understanding that rest is strategic, not indulgent, is perhaps the most essential mindset shift required for successful Lawyer Self-Care. They also counteract the constant pressure to perform, giving a sense of stability in a season when energy tends to dip.
Rest isn’t indulgent, it’s strategic. When you replenish yourself in small, consistent ways, you increase your capacity to show up with clarity, patience, and focus.
5. Beyond Billables: Setting Sustainable New Year Goals for Lawyer Well-Being
Not all goals are helpful, especially those rooted in self-criticism: “I need to lose weight,” “I need to be more disciplined,” “I need to be more productive.” These kinds of goals rarely lead to the outcomes we want, in part because they don’t support us in any way.
This winter, consider setting goals that invite nourishment. For example:
Instead of “Work harder,” try “Build more focused work blocks.”
Instead of “Lose weight quickly,” try “Eat one nourishing meal each day.”
Instead of “Say yes to everything,” try “Simplify my workflow and prioritize what matters.”
These goals don’t mean lower standards. They mean better alignment. They give you the structure you need without the rigidity that can lead to burnout. They help you build habits that are sustainable all year long.
Create a Healthier New Year
As we enter another year, we don’t need to create more pressure for ourselves than already exists in our work. Rather, we need practices that support our well-being and restore our mental and physical energy. This winter, let yourself build, nourish, and replenish so you can step into the new year refreshed and ready to go!
Featured Image Licensed under the Unsplash+ License. Photo by Alex Padurariu on Unsplash.
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Join lawyer and certified health coach Jamie Jackson Spannhake in an enlightening journey. Read her bestselling book and learn how to “choose, act and think” in ways that will clarify your desires and set priorities so you can reclaim your time and enjoy your life. Includes exercises.
