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How to manage your wellbeing as a law student
The demands of being a law student are undeniably challenging and often overwhelming, but Cassidy Pole highlights that by prioritising one’s wellbeing, students can effectively navigate this rigorous journey while also finding fulfilment and success along the way.
Grace Robbie
Speaking on a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, Cassidy Pole, a first-year law student at the Australian National University (ANU) and a law clerk at Walker Criminal Lawyer, offered valuable insights on managing one’s wellbeing in the demanding life of a law student.
Drawing from her own experiences, Pole shared practical strategies she uses to manage stress and thrive in her studies, offering a proactive approach to maintaining academic performance and mental health.
Pole emphasised that while stress is an inevitable experience for law students, effectively managing it requires personalised strategies, given the unique nature of stress for each individual.
“Managing stress looks different to everyone, and it’s something that everyone has to deal with, but it’s really about finding what works for you and having strategies in place on a long-term basis,” she said.
She stressed that the key to maintaining a routine that nurtures wellbeing lies in making stress-mitigation practices a part of daily life rather than waiting for stress to build to a breaking point.
“You should have a routine that mitigates stress rather than having something to fall back on when life is stressful. Things like a good sleep schedule, going out into nature, getting fresh air, and exercising are really big things for me,” she said.
“These key habits shouldn’t just be for stressful times in your life. They should be things that you implement on a daily basis as stress prevention rather than intervention.”
While many students rely on coping mechanisms only when stress becomes overwhelming, Pole argued that embracing a more holistic approach is essential. This mindset allows students to better equip themselves for navigating challenges and the everyday pressures of academic life, fostering resilience and long-term wellbeing.
“Looking at stress holistically is the way to go. You want to be able to know that you’re feeling OK all the time and that you have got this basis for a really strong and sustainable career and study journey and so on and so forth and that you’re taking consistent steps to address it,” she said.
Pole shared a simple yet impactful strategy she uses when feeling overwhelmed, which entails stepping back to gain perspective and focus on the bigger picture, emphasising how it enables students to regain a sense of control and clarity, helping to restore calm and perspective during stressful moments.
“One thing when I’m feeling overwhelmed that helps is just to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. We naturally approach stressful situations with tunnel vision, and we focus on making sure that one thing goes exactly the way that we planned it.
“That can be stressful when we’re focusing so intensely on one specific event. But if you take a step back, you will see that these challenges are just one piece of the puzzle. It really helps,” she said.
“It puts everything in perspective in knowing that you have to navigate those smaller steps to sort of get to the bigger purpose.”
