Lawyer Wellness

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Studies have shown those who win bronze at the Olympics are happier than the silver medal winners. It is because they know their hard work paid off, but they very easily could not have been on the medal stand.

Tal Ben-Shahar is a teacher and writer in the areas of happiness, positive psychology, and leadership. In his book, Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment (2007), he informs us that people who are pursuing self-concordant goals…
Continue Reading HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY, JOY!

Close up of a female psychologist taking notes and a students knees
Close up of a psychologist notes and a students knees during a mental health meeting in a stylish office
You’ve never been in therapy before. You’ve heard the lingo and you recognize that it’s talked about quite a lot, especially since COVID. But the idea of doing it yourself is strangely intimidating. There are things that you’re not terribly comfortable talking about, things you’ve never really discussed with another person, and even things you have never said out loud. The idea of actually saying them to another person is daunting.

At the same time, you’re continuing to run…
Continue Reading Starting Therapy for the First Time: What to Expect When You’ve Never Done This Before

Stress, migraine and motion blur with a business man in a meeting feeling frustrated, tired or overworked. Mental health, anxiety and headache with an exhausted male employee suffering from fatigue

Picture this: You’ve just submitted a project you’ve spent weeks perfecting. Instead of feeling satisfied, you’re already mentally reviewing every detail, wondering if you could have done something better. Sound familiar? You’re not alone—and you might be experiencing the double-edged sword of perfectionism in the workplace.
For professionals in Wisconsin’s competitive business environment, from attorneys to executives, these perfectionist patterns are increasingly common. Perfectionism often gets praised in business settings. After all, who doesn’t want high standards and attention…
Continue Reading When Perfectionism Becomes a Problem: Understanding Workplace Perfectionism and Mental Health

Feeling like anxiety is running the show at work? You’re not alone. Here’s a research-backed framework that’s helping professionals regain control without adding to their already packed to-do list.

Sarah stared at her computer screen, the cursor blinking mockingly in her empty email draft. The presentation to the board was tomorrow, and despite weeks of preparation, her mind was spinning with worst-case scenarios. What if they ask a question I can’t answer? What if the projector doesn’t work? What…
Continue Reading From Overwhelmed to Optimized: Evidence-Based CBT Techniques for Busy Professionals Managing Anxiety

 
The Power to Switch Off: Take Control of Lawyer Burnout
Just like a light switch, you have the power to disconnect from work stress and create boundaries that protect your well-being while maintaining professional excellence.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re feeling the weight of an unsustainable workload, the pressure of always being “on,” and the creeping sense that your legal career is demanding more than you can give. You’re not alone—and more importantly, there’s a path…
Continue Reading Running Hot Without Burning Out: A Lawyer’s Guide to Sustainable Performance

stock photoJuly 10, 2025 – The State Bar of Wisconsin is proud to participate in a new nationwide research initiative focused on lawyer mental health and well-being.

This important study – led by Patrick Krill (J.D., LL.M., M.A.), a nationally recognized expert on lawyer behavioral health, and his research partner Dr. Justin Anker of the University of Minnesota Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences – is a collaboration with the American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs.

​This national

…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Lawyers Invited to Participate in National Mental Health Study

You’ve probably heard the steps in the “Scientific Method.” There are lots of versions of it, but it boils down to this:

  • Make an observation or two
  • Form a hypothesis based on the observations
  • Experiment to test the hypothesis
  • Accept or reject the hypothesis
  • Repeat

We hear it in business, too. And, I love it. I apply this all over life. New recipes, new driving routes, all sorts of things. It is not unusual to hear me grumble about…
Continue Reading The Null Hypothesis

As a senior in high school, I must make a lot of decisions for the next steps in my life. The questions people always have for me these days are; “How is senior year going?” “Do you know what you want to do or where you want to go?” I always reply that I am ready to be done and move on to the next chapter in life! Or that I plan to go for political science, but I…
Continue Reading Build stress reduction into your routine

Pamela J. TillmanPamela J. Tillman, a Shareholder Attorney at Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols S.C., has built a remarkable career in the legal field, particularly in representing businesses in complex litigation matters. With a focus on insurance coverage issues, commercial litigation, employment disputes, and professional liability, Pam has developed a reputation for her deep understanding of the intricacies of litigation.

Reflecting on her journey, Pam offers a wealth of advice to younger colleagues, sharing the lessons she wishes she had…
Continue Reading What I Wish I’d Known – Thought Leadership with Pam J. Tillman

There are two processes for processing thoughts. One process addresses a lot of our needs. It monitors for threats and opportunities. It is mostly controlled by the amygdala, which means it is a lot of emotion and actions being acted upon unconsciously and automatically. It bypasses the neocortex. The other process lives in the neocortex and is conscious and rational. This takes a little longer (sometimes only seconds longer, but often much longer). It weighs and analyzes.

Stuff…
Continue Reading State Your Intentions

Behavior activation is a branch of psychology focusing on how one’s environment shapes their actions and their mental health. By deliberately practicing certain behaviors, you can activate an emotional state. Go for one of the positive ones because that can lead to virtuous cycles. The opposite leads to vicious cycles, and ain’t nobody got time for that. By simply acting, you actually start finding yourself in the situation that leads to the desired feeling – including one of feeling…
Continue Reading Do; be. Do; be. Do.

Last week, I mentioned that while we can’t control others, we can and must control ourselves. We have to understand our strengths, weakness, and desires, then we need to use those to figure out what to do. As we discussed several weeks ago, not everything is equal. Some things have to come ahead of others and some things have to be let go – either to be done by someone else or not be done at all. In other…
Continue Reading Take the Reins

Nov. 1, 2023 – Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Annette Ziegler used her third State of the Judiciary address on Nov. 1 to highlight ongoing concerns with judicial security and statewide mental health.

For the second straight year, Ziegler began her address, which took place at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Wisconsin Judicial Conference, by discussing the ongoing threat to judicial security.

In last year’s address, Chief Justice Ziegler used the murder of Juneau County Circuit Court Judge

…
Continue Reading State of the Judiciary: Chief Justice Ziegler Again Highlights Judicial Security

A big lie is that we just need more discipline. “If you really wanted to get stuff done, you would. You simply have to be (more) disciplined. No pain, no gain. Just do it!” We’ve all heard it from all sides, including our inner voices. Yeah, and if it were that easy, we’d all have our to-do lists done, be at our goal weight, and have all sorts of medals and trophies displayed to be admired.

But the truth…
Continue Reading Be Disciplined About Not Needing Discipline 

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A new WisLawNOW podcast called “Bottom Up,” produced by the State Bar of Wisconsin, features frank discussions and relatable stories that highlight the interests, challenges, and opportunities for attorneys in their first decade of practice.

Hosted by Emil Ovbiagele, founder of a small law firm based in Milwaukee and immediate past president of the State Bar’s Young Lawyer Division, the Bottom Up podcast is an extension of the WisLawNOW community of legal bloggers in Wisconsin.

Why the…
Continue Reading New Podcast: ‘Bottom Up’ Focuses on Issues of Interest to Young Lawyers

The past year has been a time of disruption and maybe even a little bit of chaos. Practicing law can bring stress and anxiety in “normal” times, but during the pandemic, even more so. Challenges brought by the needs and demands of clients, changing rules for court proceedings, and personal pressures have all combined to keep us constantly working on ways to stay balanced in a topsy-turvy world.

Mary Spranger, Manager of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Lawyers Assistance…
Continue Reading It’s Okay To Feel Stress and Anxiety, But Don’t Ignore It and Hope It Goes Away