Although not yet lawyers, law students are still a part of the legal community, and therefore the Ohio Lawyers Assistance Program is still here to provide law students with problems related to substance abuse, drug addiction, and mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression. 

While law school provides a great opportunity to study the legal profession it can be a very stressful time time due to the heavy workload, high expectations, competition, time commitment, financial debt, and competition for landing the right job. 

Maintaining a balance between your workload and social life can be a challenging but necessary task to help avoid many of the pitfalls associated with law school such as depression and anxiety. While moderate levels of stress can have a positive impact on performance, excessive and prolonged stress can negatively impact not only your schoolwork but also your social relationships. 

Lawrence Krieger, Clinical Professor of Law at Florida State University, emphasizes that law students should recognize the most significant and potentially harmful demands, then eliminate those demands that you can, and moderate your response to those that are unavoidable. By identifying your core values and focusing on achievable goals like doing your best and learning as much as you can, you can achieve a sense of balance. 

Taking care of yourself, your health and well-being is the best way to manage law school stress, but if you do have problems, the responsible thing to do is to get help. The Ohio Lawyer's Assistance Program is a safe place to turn for confidential assistance. 

A Terrible Melancholy

OLAP is a member of the American Bar Association Commission on Lawyers Assistance Programs