EDITORIAL
2 Obiter Dicta
Stress Less
Our Advice for Increasing Productivity, not Blood Pressure
Editorial Note: Karolina and Kendall were on such
a roll after their Mock Trial review, he decided to join
her as a co-writer for this issue’s editorial. So read on,
Ozzies, for double the fun and none of the stress.
R
eturning to school after a sumptuous
break (or even worse, a dreadfully stressful one, replete with hours spent preparing
summaries or participating in job interviews) is, undoubtedly, not an experience many of
us look forward to. The library’s fluorescent lights
seem a little more blinding, the course material a
little less interesting, and the wind chills more agonizing. We’re all too familiar with the mental health
concerns that plague our profession: sky-high rates of
depression, substance abuse, and divorce plague lawyers, placing us at the bottom of the proverbial happiness ladder. But it doesn’t have to be so. Inspired by
the uplifting and joyous send-off that was Mock Trial,
we’re here to wipe the clouds away and bring a bit of
sunshine to your post-reading week blues.
Get organized: Ok, so this one is kind of a drag, but it
is endlessly helpful. We’re all familiar with the benefits of mindfulness (even if none of us really know
what it means) – this extends to creating order.
The practice of organizing the external world will
instantly deliver a sense of inner peace. Organization
tips are ubiquitous, but the easiest ones to begin with
include using lists and calendars to help you prioritize, as well as keeping a clean and sleek workspace,
both literal and technological – those hard drives
need a thorough cleanse too!
Get involved: Take action, and do something that
matters – whether to only you or the whole world. It
may seem like adding anything to your to-do list is a
perfect recipe for a nervous breakdown, but hear us
out. Identifying something (preferably outside of law)
that engages your passion and drive is an incredibly
meaningful and grounding exercise. Identify an emotional or ideological commitment you already hold,
and find a way to engage with it. The road to activism
of any kind may seem daunting, but selecting goals
for yourself to work toward – at however slow a pace,
given our undeniably busy lives – not only gives you a
sense of accomplishment (from something other than
an A! Imagine that!), but the time away from textbooks will feel like a breath of fresh air.
Eat better: Sorry, had to. Seriously, how many of us
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have given into the craving for a pastry or an extra
glass of wine as a form of stress relief? And who can
blame us, the perpetually overbooked and overtired,
for indulging once in a while? But the truth is that
these bad habits do nothing to increase overall happiness or decrease overall stress. We all know that
healthy lifestyles strengthen our immune system
and improve mental alertness, two things which are
immediately helpful for our studies. However, it’s
true that fitting in adequate time at the gym can be
difficult to do during the school year. But the maintenance of a healthy (or at leas t reasonably healthy) diet
requires much less effort or time than making sure
you run 10km each day. Swap out sugary sweets for
snacks like fruits and nuts, switch coffee for tea, and
avoid deep-fried foods – these small and easy changes
will put you miles ahead.
Worry about today, not tomorrow: I haven’t started
summaries! Exams are in six weeks! I don’t have
summer work lined up! Silence that voice in your
head that wants to jump five steps ahead and worry
about what’s to come; focus on what you can tackle
now, today. Spinning the mental wheels is notoriously common in type-A persons, but incredibly
editorial board
editor-in-chief | Karolina Wisniewski
managing editor | Sam Michaels
layout editor | Heather Pringle
editorial staff
business managers | Alvin Qian,
Adam Cepler
communications manager | Carla Marti
copy editor | Subban Jama
news editor | Mike Capitano
opinions editor | Carla Marti
arts & culture editor | Marie Park
sports editor | Evan Ivkovic
website editor | Asad Akhtar
destructive. It saps energy which you could be channelling into working towards goals and deadlines,
and redirects it into stress, anxiety, and a general lack
of productivity. Stop this destructive cycle before it
becomes unwieldy (because as we all know, anxiety
breeds anxiety). Insufficient summaries? Stop panicking and start them (or find a generous upper-year).
No summer work? Relax! This brings me to my next
point…
Be flexible: Many law students assume there’s a correct path for them to travel, and any variation will
mean a narrowing of opportunities down the line.
Nothing could be further from the truth. This is especially valuable advice to 1Ls who are returning from
job interviews, or returning to Osgoode only to hear
about everyone else’s interviews. The only limit on
how you can spend your summer is your own imagination. Working outside of the legal sphere is perfectly fine (and it may even be preferred), but even
more unconventionally, time spent travelling can be a
surprising advantage later on. Apart from the obvious
staff writers
Kate Henley, Gleb Matushansky, Erin Garbett,
Hannah de Jong, Kenneth Cheak Kwan
Lam, Kendall Grant, Rob Hamilton, Esther
Mendelsohn, Parmbir Singh Gill, Michael
Silver, Nabila Khan, Sabreena Delhon,
Benjamin Hognestad
contributors
Natalie Livshitz,Professor Jinyan Li,
Chelsea Caldwell, Justin Philpott, Darcel
Bullen, Doug Judson, Henry Limheng
Submissions for the March 9 issue are
due at 5pm on Febrary 28, and should be
» see editorial, page 20
submitted to: [email protected]
The Obiter Dicta is published biweekly
during the school year, and is printed by
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Obiter Dicta is the official student newspaper
of Osgoode Hall Law School. The opinions
expressed in the articles contained herein are
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