At 5 a.m., I reluctantly crawled on my indoor stationary bike in the dark. I had already gone through every excuse that morning to avoid my workout. I could exercise after work. I deserved a rest and should take the day off. If I rode my bike, I might be late for my morning meeting.

Once I overcame these excuses and started pedaling, I turned on a Martin Scorsese HBO documentary to get me through the assigned workout. In the final episode, Sorcese explains to his assistant how much he was looking forward to his root canal that day. His dentist was a “nice man.”

I perked up. What?

I have had a root canal, and it is not something I would look forward to under any circumstances. I don’t even know if my oral surgeon is a nice man or not. I never noticed. I was too upset about what was coming when I got in the dental chair to take note of his demeanor.

Why on earth was Martin Scorsese looking forward to a root canal?

He explained that he was looking forward to his appointment because for an hour and a half, no one could bother him. His phone wouldn’t ring. No one expected anything from him, and he did not have to work. Even the pressures he put on himself weren’t present during a root canal.

I certainly understand the need to get away from work. All lawyers understand how demanding their daily work is. We can relate to the desire to get away if only for an hour or so. But we don’t have to sign up for root canals to do that.

For me I find that downtime on my bicycle. In the summer months, I take off on the gravel forest roads of East Tennessee. These roads wind up steep mountain cliffs and eventually open up to expansive views of the mountains. There is no service in the hills. My mind quiets in a way that I cannot accomplish at any other time.

Even at night when I sleep, I dream that I’ve failed the bar exam, or I haven’t prepared for trial and can’t find the courtroom, or I am taking a deposition and things aren’t going well. For me, and I know for many lawyers, this profession is inescapable.

When I turn the lights out, I know that I won’t sleep through the night. I keep a pad next to the bed so I can write down the calls I meant to return and didn’t, the emails that went unanswered and the deadlines for the following day.

For the last two winters, I have signed up for an online coaching experience called Basecamp. This is the only way I am disciplined to ride my bike inside in the dark mornings. During Basecamp, virtual coaches schedule workouts based on my success at FTP (Functional Threshold Power) tests. I find that the training pushes me to the limit. For me, the workouts are my solace. When I am fighting to keep my power and watts at the level designated by the coach, I don’t and can’t think about work. The noise of deadlines is muted. The pressure of client expectations melts away. The only thing I can think about is pedaling. And for an hour, I find joy.

At the recent swearing in for Tennessee lawyers who just passed the bar examination after three years of study,  I encouraged the new lawyers to take care of themselves. No matter how many years of practice you have logged, self-care is important to your longevity. A body in motion stays in motion. Beyond that, lawyers must find a way to escape the stress of our profession.

If you have a regular routine, that’s wonderful. Keep it up. As we begin a new calendar year, commit to maintaining that routine. If, over time, you have drifted away from your routine, take some time to identify what activity you can engage in that will help you get away and quiet your mind. It doesn’t have to be as unpleasant as a root canal or some workout designed by a coach to push you to the limit. If you like to walk, walk. Even a short walk around the block at work will make you feel better. If you like to hike, dust off those boots. If you like to swim, buy a new suit. Sign up for Hot Yoga or a boxing class. It doesn’t matter. Just find a way to move and disconnect. Take care of yourself so you can take care of everyone else.

At 6:30, I uploaded my workout, logged the miles and started my day. I felt better than I had when I started pedaling. I was ready and energized for the day. I wasn’t late for my meeting. I was glad I had found time for myself, and it hadn’t required a root canal. |||

HEIDI BARCUS is a shareholder in Lewis Thomason’s Knoxville office where she practices health care liability law. Before joining Lewis Thomason, she served as a staff attorney and assistant general counsel at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, a Level IV trauma center. Barcus received her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law (now Winston College of Law) and is a past chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Law Practice Division and currently serves on the ABA’s TECHSHOW Board. She is chair of the Knoxville Bar Foundation and a former president of the Knoxville Bar Association.