Learning to Excel While Under Stress

You don’t have to be considering a career in law to know that while everyone wants to excel in law school, it is stressful; the challenges are notorious, and well documented in dramas on television and in the movies too. If you are a law student entering your first year, words like organization, preparation, and participation will be drummed into your head, along with an ongoing emphasis on why you should never give into procrastination, and always have stellar studying skills. You may have even spent the entire summer before law school getting ahead of the game, leaping into your first year with a great attitude, off to excellence in your classes, with entrance to every study group possible, and leads on internships already in the works.

The hours may begin to weigh on you, though, and especially if you are giving ten hours a day, seven days a week—and sometimes more, divided by classes and assignments afterward. You can count on law school taking up as much of your time as a full-time job, and then some, but it is vital to pace yourself. Stress is inevitable at some point. You may feel time slipping away from you, worries over competition with other students, exhaustion from lack of sleep, and confusion over how to handle what can be an enormous juggling act.

Be prepared for the stress:

• Stay focused on your goal, which is to complete all your reading, prepare for classes, and enjoy for what will be some of the most formative years in your life.
• Understand what triggers stress for you and take measures to not only decrease such issues but strategize on how to manage those scenarios.
• Remind yourself continually of the endgame—an amazing one—in attaining your law degree and going on to have a rewarding career for decades to come.
• Be aware of how stress can affect you physically and take time out for yourself. Even though the rigors of law school may consume most of your time, it is still important to make sure your body is in proper form. This means exercise, and eating right, no matter how tempting it is to turn into a couch potato and eat junk food.
• Remember that you are not alone and consider how many other students have made the same journey you have. It may help to speak with an older student, especially if you’re still going through the first year and trying to manage your stress levels.
• Reach out for the student resources available and speak to someone as soon as possible if anxiety or depression begin to take over.

Our mission at CDTA College of Law is to educate, train, and develop extraordinary legal advocates. Your legal education will be comprised of bar-tested academic subjects, skills training, and values reinforcement. Upon completion of your 4-year course of study, you will be fully qualified to take and pass the California Bar examination. Call us today at (760) 342-0900 or find out more online here.