With exams looming over you, wether you are a student, faculty or staff member, reading days always signals a time of increased stress for the law school community. Learning to manage both everyday and uniquely stressful situations now can set you up for a lifetime of healthier skills moving forward. In addition to the Law Library’s own stress buster offerings, we wanted to share University-wide opportunities, apps and other resources to equip you with a mindfulness in the coming weeks – whatever life may bring. Mindfulness is the psychological process of bringing one’s attention to the internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment, which can be developed through contemplative practices and other training.
UGA’s Office of Well-being co-sponsers several events across campus which are free to attend, including:
- Every Monday morning, 8 – 8:50 a.m. Tai Chi in the Miller Learning Center, North Tower on the 3rd Floor.
- Free Yoga in the Georgia Museum of Art. Third Thursday of every month, 5:30 p.m.
- Guided Mindful Meditation at the Georgia Museum of Art every other Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Don’t have time in your schedule to make it to an in-person event? No problem! Try one of these mindfulness practices on the go with apps, videos, and simple exercises you can do on your own:
- Check out these 5 Free Mindfulness Apps:
- Insight Timer
- Stop, Breathe, Think
- Clam
- 10% Happier
- Meditation Studio
- Try this 5-minute Guided Mediation YouTube Video (the audio was recorded by a legal writing instructor to help her students crush their law finals, and the mandala pictured in the video is the Kalachakra Thangka painted in Sera Monastery, Tibet)
- 10 Best Guided Meditations on YouTube (these are great for when you feel depressed, anxious and physically/mentally exhausted; meditation can give you a break from negativity and shifts your consciousness so that you can view life in a more positive way)
Several other law schools have wonderful guides with even more resources for wellness and mindfulness, including:
Still not sold on the benefits of mindfulness? Read this article on the Benefits of Mindfulness for Lawyers or listen to this webinar from the ABA’s Young Lawyer Division on Mindfulness Mediation.