Your journey can be all consuming but remember to enjoy it and nourish your soul along the way. It does not have to be spiritual. What makes you happy? If you had a free day, what would you do? When was the last time you did that? What nourishes your soul may be as simple as enjoying a good cup of coffee or a relaxing cup of tea, it may be chocolate, a workout, lunch with a friend, a good book, or even retail therapy. It may be different depending on the day and how you are feeling and your schedule. There will be lots of peaks and valleys on your journey. Whatever it is for you, take time to invest in nourishing your soul along your journey. Self-care can help manage stress and anxiety. Without judgment, identify your needs to maximize your wellness and embrace them, to ensure wellness becomes a sustainable part of your daily routine.
Overtraining when running a marathon is common and can cause injuries. When training for endurance, more is not necessarily better. Faster is not necessarily better. Cross training and rest days are important. Give yourself some self-love by taking time off. You may feel like you are not being productive, but by taking a break and listening to what you need you are being productive.
Over studying is common in law school. Don’t study around the clock or you will burn out. Study smart instead of just studying hard. You need to get rest so you can think clearly. Taking a study break will actually make you more productive when you come back from your break and you will be able to focus more and feel refreshed and thus get more done. If you haven’t taken a break and you are reading a case and find that you need to read the same paragraph again and again, it is a sign that it is time for a study break.
Along your journey you may surround yourself with like-minded people who have similar interests. In training for the marathon this may mean other runners. In law school it may be other law students. You may find yourself talking about your journey all the time. While this is common and may be helpful, don’t forget to take some time away from the sole focus of your journey. In law school only your fellow students may know exactly what you are going through, but take time to step away and keep in touch with friends outside of law school. Spend time with family and friends and doing things that brought you joy before you went to law school. You may not be able to spend as much time as you did before you started on your journey but it may help you keep perspective along your way. Or think of it as cross training.
During my training for the marathon, I started doing yoga on a regular basis. I had previously tried yoga but didn’t like it, had no patience for it, found it too slow, and felt like I wasn’t getting enough out of it. During my training I was more open to it as I didn’t want to get injured and not make it to the start line. So I tried yoga again, with a different instructor and different mindset. I started to look forward to yoga. If I hadn’t gone in a while I missed it and both my body and mind needed it. This yoga practice helped stretch my muscles but also helped me focus and relax my mind. On the day of the marathon at the start line I remembered what I had learned in yoga. It really helped relax me. Although I was naturally a little nervous, overall, I felt pretty calm at the start line of the marathon.
It reminded me to push beyond the limits your mind (not your body) sets. A few weeks before my marathon I received a card from a friend. The card included an inspirational quote by Timothy Noakes: “Your body will argue that there is no justifiable reason to continue. Your only recourse is to rely on your spirit, which fortunately functions independently of logic.”