I have not posted for a while. My life has been over-busy (writing, editing, helping students to and through the end of the semester, constructing exams, attending celebrations for graduating students, etc.), and at times like these, I need to step back and re-prioritize. So, while I have had a lot to say over the past few weeks, I have not prioritized saying it to you.

But I am taking time out today to write because, at this busy time in the semester, it is important that we recognize the need for self-care. (Of course prioritizing tasks is part of that . . . .) This week, the Institute for Well-Being in Law is again hosting its annual Well-Being in Law Week. Ben, Colleen, and I have posted on this before. See here for a post authored by Ben, here for Colleen’s most recent post, and here for my 2021 post.

Even though I am still up to my eyeballs in work, I am planning on popping into some of the programs. This year’s theme, The Social Rx: Boosting Well-Being with Connection, is especially salient to me. A few years ago, I was trying to do too much and also dealing with personal and family health issues. At the same time, a colleague chose to badger and bully me. In consultation with a health coach provided by The University of Tennessee’s wellness program, I decided to put a pause certain things in my long agenda of objectives and focus on connections with friends and family. I increased my group of walking partners, and we would “solve the problems of the world” on our walks in local parks and neighborhoods. I set up breakfast, lunch, and coffee dates with friends whose company I enjoyed so we could catch up and appreciate each other’s company, and I gave more emphasis to family time and communications–all of this with relative success, despite my busy weeks.

You may wonder why that was where I ended up–taking on more engagements at a busy time. That is a solid question! It is because those encounters gave me joy. They helped recharge my battery so that I could re-engage with my work and my management of personal and family affairs with renewed energy (and often with better perspective, in some cases fueled directly by the substance of those conversations with friends and family). These encounters relieved my stress and prevented it from descending into anxiety or depression.

Anyway, that may be too much sharing. But I am a wellness practitioner. A bunch of us here at the Business Law Prof Blog are. And candor is a strong trait for me. I hope this post empowers and encourages you to tackle your wellness nemeses, whatever they may be. And for those of you attending the SEALS conference this summer, do remember that I am leading a discussion session on physical wellness that you may want to attend. There will be lots of sharing there, too, hopefully to good effect.