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Mindful Moment
15 Minutes a Night to Make Life More Meaningful
As attorneys and judges, the demands of our profession often leave little room for personal reflection or creative enjoyment. However, dedicating just 15 minutes each night to meaningful activities can have a profound impact on our mental health, resilience, and neural wiring. Small, but intentional acts help create a buffer against stress, promote emotional balance, and fosters a sense of purpose—allowing us to feel more connected to what matters to us while at the same time helping us to recharge and approach our work with renewed energy.
Here’s how:
- Make a list of three of your favorite ways to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and activities from the day. For example:
- Journaling
- Sharing with a friend or family member
- Sitting quietly and reflecting/meditating
Then circle the one that sounds the most appealing to you.
- Make a list of five things that you enjoy the most (that you can do in the evening before bed). For example:
- Learn a new language on Duolingo
- Read a book on something you’re curious about
- Gratitude practice
- Dance
- Take a bath
Then circle the one that sounds the most interesting to you.
- Make a list of five things that bring you joy or deepen your life or make life feel more meaningful. For example:
- Connecting with a loved one or pet
- Playing an instrument
- Listening to music
- Learning something new
- Contemplation/prayer/meditation
Then circle the one that feels the most meaningful to you.
Commit to doing each one of the above-circled activities for five minutes every night. You may choose to do each of the three things for five minutes one after the other, totalling fifteen minutes. Or, you may choose to do each thing separately for five minutes in between other evening activities. Or, if you have the same activity circled for each of the three questions, you may do that for fifteen minutes straight.
Be as present as you can and consciously engage in your activity as you do it. Being fully present while doing what you enjoy each evening allows you to internalize the positivity of the experience. This is important for attorneys and judges as we focus on threats and harms during the workday. Focusing on what is enjoyable nurtures the strengths we want to grow within ourselves. It also strengthens positive neural pathways that enhance resilience, well-being, and creates lasting positive changes in neural structures over time. Try it and see if you get a big return on a short 15 minute investment!
Laura Mahr is a North Carolina and Oregon lawyer and the founder of Conscious Legal Minds LLC, providing well-being consulting, training, and resilience coaching for attorneys and law offices nationwide. Through the lens of neurobiology, Laura helps build strong leaders, happy lawyers, and effective teams. Her work is informed by 13 years of practice as a civil sexual assault attorney, 30 years as a teacher and student of mindfulness and yoga, and eight years studying neurobiology and neuropsychology with clinical pioneers. If you are interested in learning more about Laura’s coaching, consulting, and CLE offerings that grow your team’s resilience, contact Laura through consciouslegalminds.com