By Nicholas Wall, 2L
“Sometimes you have to sharpen the knife to keep cutting.” It is a simple concept, really. To cut something, you have to have a sharp knife. No sharp knife, no cutting. In a less metaphoric sense, sometimes you have to take some time to relieve stress or do something fun, in order to continue producing your best work.
I heard it first from my girlfriend’s dad, a NJ lawyer who specializes in family law. “If you wake up and only live, breathe, and speak law school, you’re going to go crazy,” he said to me when I was stressed about potentially missing an entire Saturday of schoolwork in order to play in a rugby game. However, I don’t think he expected me to take the saying to heart as much as I have. Now more than ever we need to have a sharp knife. As Meghna pointed out in an earlier post, many of us have personal goals and expectations; and with the semester coming to a screaming, fiery, NASCAR-highlights level end, we need to have the sharpest knife possible to achieve those goals.
Now, everybody has different ways that they destress or have fun, so I won’t try to make an all-inclusive list. I asked around what people do and thought I would pass along what they said:
- Watch a new show. Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming sites are a law student’s kryptonite. However, if you’re able to do so in moderation, watching an episode of a new show while you eat or right before bed could be perfect.
- Get outside (respect the distancing). Getting outside when the weather’s nice and doing something you like to do will do wonders for your sanity. Personally, I thought this would be a great time to work on my rugby kicking. But if rugby isn’t your thing, (as it should be) go for a small hike, bike ride, or take a minute to work on your golf swing.
- Schedule Zoom meetings with friends. Just because we can’t physically hang out with our friends, doesn’t mean we can’t see them. Finding the time when everybody has a bit of free time to schedule a virtual hang out and catch up is an excellent way to destress.
- Watch a live music show or Broadway musical. In the wake of the shutdown there are a ton of channels popping up on YouTube that are offering free live shows or concerts from past performances.
- Read. No seriously, some people like to do that outside of law textbooks. Wind down at the end of the day, go outside (see above), or just take a few minutes to pick up that book that’s been waiting for you.
- Stay active. Doing yoga, running, lifting heavy things like taking out the trash, playing with your dog, these are just a few ways to continue to stay active. It is proven that keeping up with being active will mean you have a better ability to recall information when needed. This is essential for the end of the semester.
Again, this is not meant to be the end-all list. If there is something that is your go to for when you need a break, do that! Continue keep your eye on the goal, but remember, sometimes you have to sharpen the knife in order to keep cutting!
