Bench & Bar November/December 2025

LAWYER WELLBEING

BY DR. ERIC Y. DROGIN HOLIDAYS

L awyers can approach holidays in two distinct and potentially overlapping ways. One is to take advantage of the opportunity occasioned by these occasions to unplug, unwind, and retreat deep into the bosom of counsel’s family, friend circle, or binge-worthy entertain ment offerings of years gone by. Concerning the latter, for example, a M*A*S*H mara thon understandably gets trotted out every Veteran’s Day, while—for reasons less clear, but perhaps by way of second-guessing the wisdom of our having bolted so precipi tously from the Commonwealth—the Harry Potter movies are rolled ad seriatim each Fourth of July. An alternative lawyerly take on the holi days is to fashion these chunks of calendar space as the platonic ideal of the home office workday. No scheduled appointments. No back-and-forth rush hour commuting, but if it’s necessary to zip downtown and grab a file, who knew it was possible to cover those 17 miles in only 20 minutes? No phone calls! Well, at least fewer, and let’s not forget the overseas branch. No email messages!

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Cardiovascular Health Promotion: This goal reflects the ways in which taking holidays at face value can “reduce blood pressure and promote better circula tion,” with such behavior being “associated with a lower risk of heart attack and coro nary heart disease, especially in people with risk factors”; and immune system, making us more prone to infections and diseases,” truly embracing the holidays leads to a situation in which “cortisol, the stress hormone, is reduced and the immune response is strengthened,” since “even short periods of rest in nature can improve certain biomarkers of immune health.” The British Psychological Society (https:// tinyurl.com/bps-holiday) emphasizes (okay, “emphasises”) that when it comes to hol idays, “their positive effects last longer than we thought.” Relying primarily on the results of a 2025 American research study out of the University of Georgia and Immune System Bolstering: Given that “chronic stress weakens the

Well, a few more than one might think, as counsel isn’t the only one who came up with this bright idea. At any (hourly) rate, extended time with only minor interrup tions, enabling us to immerse ourselves with minimal distraction in the thorniest of legal matters. What could be better? According to the experts, quite a bit. Doc tors at the Clínic Barcelona—Spain is tied for second among European countries for the most public holidays, trailing only Cyprus in this regard (https://tinyurl.com/ euro-holidays)—the mental and physical benefits of faithfully observed, work-free holidays are legion (https://tinyurl.com/ good-holiday), including: Reduction in Perceived Stress: This includes “improvements in mood, greater mental clarity, and a sense of well-being,” associated at least in part with a recognition that holiday work abstinence schemes can “help prevent burnout and contribute to restoring motivation at work”;

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28 november/december 2025