Why Your Law Job Feels More Unsustainable Than It Used To

Your law job may feel more unsustainable than it used to, even if you were managing it fairly well before. Maybe you already knew the environment was not great, or that the work itself was never especially sustainable, but you were making it work. Now, all of a sudden, it feels completely impossible and you are wondering what changed. For a lot of lawyers, the instinct is to turn that question inward. Is it because you are weak? Is it because you cannot hack it anymore? Sarah talks about why being impacted by what is happening around you does not mean there is something wrong with you. If your nervous system is constantly being primed for threats and hypervigilance has become the baseline, it makes sense that you do not have the same capacity you had before. In this episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah Cottrell talks about why your law job may feel more unsustainable than it used to and what may actually be behind that shift. She explains how the broader environment can affect your nervous system, why lawyers in particular may be feeling that impact, and why listening to what your body and your nervous system are telling you can help you figure out what the best next step is for you career-wise. 0:53 - When a law job that felt manageable starts to feel unsustainable 1:44 - Why lawyers may be especially affected by what is happening around them 2:29 - Feeling like you can’t keep doing this doesn’t mean you’re weak 4:12 - What your nervous system may be recognizing about your work environment 6:00 - Hypervigilance as a baseline and how it affects your capacity 7:10 - What to do when your work suddenly feels unsustainable 8:31 - Listening to your body and nervous system as you consider what comes next Mentioned In Why Your Law Job Feels More Unsustainable Than It Used To First Steps to Leaving the Law