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This podcast is for high achieving attorneys whose passion for the practice of law may have been extinguished by years of stress, self doubt and anxiety. Cheyne Scott gives advice from the inside of the profession and can relate to other attorneys who experience the pressures of the billable hour, the hierarchy of a mid-sized law firm and the day to day pressures of circumstances out of our control, such as the actions and attitudes of adversaries, clients, supervisors and judges. Mindfulnes ...
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In this week’s episode, I talk about “5 Types of People Who Can Ruin Your Life” by Bill Eddy, a lawyer and a therapist. In the book he goes into detail about high-conflict personality (“HCP”) types that are the source of many of the most intense relationship conflicts experienced by attorneys. If you think about the people you interact with (client…
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In this week's episode, I talk about how I use routines to manage my morning anxiety. We have all experienced it: your alarm goes off in the morning and your body fills with dread, anxiety and worry about everything that happened yesterday and everything that is going to happen today. This carries on throughout the day and negatively impacts your p…
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In this week's episode, I discuss why identifying your case as your "baby" can trigger your primal fight or flight response any time that "baby" is threatened. 99% of the time, this new case is not a special snowflake, not going to change the world and is not your "baby" to save. If the case is your baby, every threat to its success is a threat to …
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In this week's episode, I talk about three main reasons why criticism leads to beliefs that cause such intense negative emotion. The fear of losing your tribe, fear of failure and fear of punishment is engrained in us by our biology, traditional educational system and our respective upbringings. I discuss how I struggled so much in the first few ye…
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I am happy to report that my goal of reading one book per month has been successful so far. Studies have shown that reading can reduce stress, increase focus and increase analytical thinking. It's a wonderful mindfulness tool and I try to set aside at least 30 minutes per day to just sit and read. In this week's podcast episode, I talk about "Grit"…
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In this week's podcast episode, I discuss how to use mindfulness to change the beliefs that cause lawyers to panic when working on a legal writing assignment or project such as a brief or memo. Sometimes we can turn a brief into a monster of an assignment. We associate our overall self-worth with the outcome of the underlying motion. We start to pa…
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My fellow litigators: sometimes you will be so sure that your case strategy will work and that someone else’s suggestion will not. And sometimes you will be completely and utterly wrong. If you do not accept that, you will experience the unnecessary emotional and physical consequences of failing to manage your mind. In this week’s podcast episode I…
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While doing some research on the intersection of mindfulness and psychology in preparation for a mindfulness seminar, I found something that clicked with me: the cognitive model by psychologist Albert Ellis that has been the backbone of cognitive behavioral science for decades and is extremely simple. A – Activating Event; B- Beliefs; and C- Conseq…
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In this week’s podcast episode, I discuss being a present lawyer. My fellow litigators: do you often emotionally cry wolf every time you promise yourself that you will feel better when you [insert future event here]? Do you tell your family, friends or significant other that when you finish this case, trial or project, you will be less stressed out…
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In this week’s podcast episode, I discuss setting realistic boundaries in your law practice. If you do not set boundaries with your clients, adversaries, or partners, your productivity and motivation can suffer. Additionally, if you don’t set boundaries in your personal relationships, you may end up with less of them. This episode gives some exampl…
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n this week’s podcast episode, I discuss stress, why its effect on lawyers is important and how to use mindfulness to manage it. The cognitive model introduced by American psychologist Albert Ellis set forth the A to E process in which humans process events that lead to stress: An Activating event, your Belief about that event and your Consequentia…
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This week's podcast is about starting a spiritual routine. All busy lawyers know that it is difficult to take time out of their busy schedules for a spiritual routine. However, in my personal experience, a spiritual routine is essential for stress management and its effects are evident in my everyday life. If you would like to implement a spiritual…
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In this week’s podcast, I discuss a study I recently came across on happiness in the legal profession. In 2015, Lawrence S. Krieger from the Florida State University College of Law and Kennon M. Sheldon from the University of Missouri at Columbia – Department of Psychological Sciences conducted a survey of over 6,000 lawyers in various practice are…
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In this week's podcast, I talk about how lawyers are among the loneliest professionals. That should be of no surprise to us. This profession rewards isolation, there is a constant fear of being behind on billable hours and our workaholism can have a negative impact on our personal relationships, leading to further isolation and disconnection outsid…
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As litigators, our jobs generally are to listen to the arguments of our opposing counsel, conduct extensive research to the contrary, and apply facts and law to oppose the argument. Why are we so good at challenging the arguments of others but we cannot seem to challenge the opposing counsel in our minds? You know: the voice that tells you that you…
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In this episode, I discuss the panic drug, why lawyers may be addicted to it, and how mindfulness can help lawyers identify it and replace it with healthier alternatives. To read more about the psychological study I mention, click here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/emotional-freedom/201104/are-you-addicted-anxiety-learn-how-not-be If you ar…
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Why are lawyers always focused on the worst case scenario? Well, that’s what they were taught to do in law school and what they are required to do in practice. Unfortunately, lawyers have a difficult time turning that worst case scenario switch off which can lead to paralyzing fear and anxiety that can reduce your productivity, strain your personal…
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Can being mindful help you during especially tough times? In this week’s episode of Being Mindful with the Spiritual Litigator, I talk about how mindfulness helped me cope with the emotional stress caused by a car accident I had in January. I talk about how I worked through guilt, decided not to go for the quick emotional fix that alcohol offered a…
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In this episode, I discuss how gratitude journaling can help lawyers be mindful of the present moment, focus more positively and increase productivity. Find information on the gratitude study I mention in the episode here. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with a fellow attorney. Contact me at TheSpiritualLitigator@gmail.co…
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In this episode, I discuss how meditation can help attorneys decompress after work, detach from the stresses of the day and reduce overall anxiety. I discuss how to meditate, the types of meditation that I typically practice, when to meditate and what to do if your mind wanders or if you get distracted during the meditation. Access my 5 Minute Medi…
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On this episode, I will talk to you about who I am and what to expect from this podcast. Download This Episode!Di Cheyne Scott
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