Gavel Gamut

By Jim Redwine

(Week of 21 September 2015)

DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY

As a member of the National Judicial College faculty I have been helping teach an internet course for rural court judges. The college asked me to teach the session on Stress Management.

When I told Peg this she was dumbfounded. She said, “You? You teach other judges about managing stress? My god, you never suffer from stress; you are a carrier!”

Now, I found her reaction somewhat offensive, but since I have no idea what she meant, I didn’t let it bother me. I will just ignore it and move on. Here’s what I shared with judges from North Carolina, Mississippi, Indiana, Arizona, Colorado, Montana and Nevada. Peg may benefit as she must read this article. I probably will hear from her.

It doesn’t matter if you are a judge or a taxi driver, stress must be dealt with for mental and physical health. Stress can also be good if properly managed. The football quarterback who sees a blitzing linebacker can be motivated to think faster and create solutions on the run. A boxer facing a superior opponent can be forced to bob and weave and counterpunch.

A rural court judge dealing with a difficult ethical situation such as an acquaintanceship with parties in court can attempt to ignore the problem, not a good idea, or bring out the facts and apply tried and true techniques to resolve the situation. Either way, the judge will be under stress. Over time the gradual accumulation of stressful cases can lead to health problems and bad judgments if steps are not taken to alleviate stress, even if the judge does not develop strategies for maintaining a healthy psyche and physique.

Gentle Reader, you are stressed every day. We all are. How can we cope? There are ways and they are not difficult to implement. They start with what our mothers always told us: eat right and do the right thing.

Eating right is pretty straightforward, but how do we know what is the right thing? A few simple tests are:

1. If you think it’s wrong, it probably is;
2. If you wouldn’t want your words or actions to be on the front page of the newspaper, you probably shouldn’t say or do them; and,
3. If you would not want your Mom to know, then don’t do it.

In addition to eating right and doing right, regular exercise is the best stress preventer and reliever. Walking, taking the stairs, stretching and swimming are helpful and not taxing for most.

More vigorous endeavors such as climbing, hiking, jogging, weight lifting and push-ups are good if one’s health allows.

An article by Jeanette Moniger on Web MD sets out ten useful techniques:

1. Meditate – sit up straight with both feet on the floor, close your eyes and repeat a mantra, such as “I feel at peace”;
2. Breathe deep – place your hand on your belly and breathe through your stomach;
3. Be aware – this is Joseph Campbell’s major advice for life. Focus on your behavior and your surroundings;
4. Reach out – our social network is vital to our well-being;
5. Tune to your body – mentally scan from your toes to your scalp while breathing slowly;
6. Decompress – put a heat wrap around your neck and shoulders for ten minutes, close your eyes, slowly roll a tennis ball over your body;
7. Soak – lie in a tub of warm water for twenty minutes with your eyes closed;
8. Music – develop a list of favorite, soothing songs;
9. Laugh out loud – think of pleasant and funny things; and,
10. Be grateful – keep a journal of blessings and review it often.

As Dr. Philip Saul says:

“Managing stress is the task of wellness. Understand your feelings, pay attention to your emotions, your physical and spiritual well-being, and the ways in which the stressors may be affecting you. Do you sleep enough? Are you drinking too much? Have you gained considerable weight? Do you feel tired a lot? Do you find little joy in life? Do you avoid close relationships?” If so, these are signs of stress.

Or as Rudyard Kipling says, “If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds of distance run”, stress can be your friend, not your enemy.