RELATIONAL HEALTH

More Than Brains: Why Law Needs the Body and Spirit Too

The legal profession is intellectually intense — no question. It's a job that demands razor-sharp thinking, emotional resilience, and relentless stamina. But too often, the focus rests solely on the mind — intellect, performance, output. What’s missing in that picture? The whole person.

At its best, a sustainable legal career isn't just about mental prowess. It requires a foundation of physical well-being, emotional grounding, and even spiritual nourishment — whatever that might look like to the individual. Not everyone is a "believer" in the traditional sense, but everyone needs something that connects them to meaning, values, or inner peace.

Getting Out of My Head (And Into My Body)

I say this not as a distant observer, but as someone who’s lived it.

I was a lawyer. Like many in the profession, I lived in my head — constantly analysing, anticipating, overthinking. I struggled to switch off, and slowly (without even noticing at first), I lost the connection to my body and to the rest of my life outside work.

Eventually, I pivoted into a different discipline, but that didn’t automatically restore balance. I realised I needed a way to anchor this new version of myself. That anchor, unexpectedly, turned out to be sport. Not for performance. Not to prove anything. But for space. For breath. For movement.

Running. Boxing. Yoga. Swimming. It didn’t matter what it was — it mattered that it gave me a chance to reconnect. To be in my body, not just use it to carry my head around.

Let’s Talk About Sport — As a De-Stresser, Not Just a Goal

We don’t talk enough about sport in the legal world. And when we do, it’s often through a performance lens — endurance events, marathons, Peloton milestones. That’s great for some. But sport doesn’t have to be goal-driven. It can be play. It can be release.

Movement is medicine — for your brain, your nervous system, your creativity. It’s the antidote to desk-chair living. It’s how many of us come back to ourselves after long days filled with conflict, deadlines, or decision fatigue.

Nutrition: A Work in Progress

Full disclosure — nutrition is where I’m still learning. Unless I’m prepping for an event and really invested, I can fall into patchy habits. Skipping meals. Grabbing what’s quick. Forgetting to drink water.

But every time I bring attention back to what fuels me, I feel the difference. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about noticing. About checking in.

My mother often says, “Health is wealth.” And the older I get, the more I know she’s right. Keeping fit and well isn’t something we save for retirement or the mythical “when things quieten down.” It’s for the here and now.

Spiritual Care — In Whatever Form It Takes

This one can be tricky to define — especially in a profession where certainty and logic reign supreme. But spiritual care isn’t always religious. It can be about finding quiet, finding meaning, or finding practices that connect you to something bigger than the to-do list.

For some, that’s meditation. For others, it's time in nature, journaling, breathwork, volunteering, or simply being present with people you love. It looks different for everyone — and that’s the point. What matters is giving yourself the permission to nourish the part of you that doesn’t live on logic alone.

A Profession That Values the Whole Person

As recruiters, mentors, and colleagues, we need to keep pushing this message: The best legal professionals aren’t the ones who sacrifice their health and soul for the job. They’re the ones who build a life — and a practice — that works with who they are, not against it.

Let’s talk more about sport. About nourishment. About rest and joy. About what makes a career sustainable, not just impressive.

Because longevity in law doesn’t come from brilliance alone.

It comes from balance.

Mairi MacLean
MacLean Legal Search Ltd
07951156442