CBA Record November-December 2022

YOUNG L AWYERS S EC T I ON : BU I LD I NG BR I DGE S

Resilience: The Bounce-Back Factor By Kernisha Padilla

R esilience is a term we hear quite often in personal as well as profes sional contexts. The American Psy chological Association defines resilience as “the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustments to external and internal demands.” Resilience means how quickly a person or community that experiences tough challenges adapts (and, ideally, remains positive) while working through internal and external challenges, in essence, resilience is the bounce-back factor. Why Does Resilience Matter? Cultivating habits of resilience can make us more resilient, and therefore better, lawyers. As humans, we all experience everyday life struggles: work-life balance, student loans, rent, mortgage, mental health, relationships, and many more. As young lawyers, these experiences are often com pounded by unique challenges we face as attorneys. You already know what some of those are: cold-calling anxiety; billable

hours; imposter syndrome; upset clients; filing mistakes; pressure to excel; perfec tionism; lack of opportunity stemming from discrimination based on gender, race, or sexual preferences; and others. Some of these adversities are internalized and overlooked, while others are expressed and blatant. The essence of toughness doesn’t mean that we must face every challenge with a smile and proceed as if we are unphased. Instead, it means surviving challenges, coping in a healthy way, and maintaining a perspective that allows you to grow from the experiences. Learning how to power through challenges and to remain resil ient during trying times helps us become better professionals. Building the Bounce-Back Factor & Professional Success A good start to building resilience as a habit is to recognize and acknowledge these difficult situations. Next, focus on the best approach to overcome the issues so that the experience neither worsens nor spirals. To do this, start by planning out and developing positive coping habits

such as setting personal boundaries, cre ating a support system you can turn to, attending therapy, doing yoga, praying regularly, practicing breathing exercises, or some other method of self-care that best suits you. That way, in moments of anxiety or panic, you can turn to these coping strategies to help push through even the hardest moments. That work first starts from within; uti lize your inner strength to stabilize the situation by knowing that you can bounce back from adversity. The goal is to excel beyond the challenge. A huge part of success as a young lawyer is self-awareness. Remaining cognizant of the journey and reflecting on what works or not in overcoming adversity will help propel you professionally and person ally. At worst, this awareness makes you humble and allows faster growth. At best, this awareness makes your legal practice psychologically sustainable. Additionally, recognizing resilience in others makes you a better advocate. Achieving success through perseverance and resilience demonstrates an ability to effectively tap into your inner strength

32 November/December 2022