As a Hispanic first-generation law student, the journey to pursuing a legal career can be an uphill battle that can significantly impact mental health and overall well-being. The law school experience is already known to be incredibly challenging, but for first-generation students from underrepresented backgrounds, these challenges can be even more daunting.

If I have learned anything about wellness and the six principles of well-being (emotional, physical, spiritual, social, intellectual and occupational), it is that they do not exist on their own. Each of them weave into the others and support each other. Each principle is important, but emotional well-being seems to be the one that creates the bedrock for the others.

A colleague once described a vacation he took. He detailed with great enthusiasm how he really enjoyed the Airbnb he and his wife rented for a week because it had an extra bedroom that allowed him to set up an entirely separate office. That way, his work did not interfere with their "vacation time."

We recently had our firm picnic where both adults and children in attendance could participate in a wide variety of activities and games, including kickball, washers, cornhole, a hula hoop contest, and an obstacle course relay. Prizes were given out to the winner of each event. In many areas of life, success is perceived by wins and losses. This is true for the activities that we participated in during the firm picnic and in the practice of law. In a law practice, success might be measured by having the judge rule in favor of your client at trial or an associate billing the firm mandatory number of hours.

BAMSL's Well-Being Committee is challenging all members to get some outside time enjoying the wonderful fall weather and explore some of St. Louis' beauty during the month of October. Get out and explore your neighborhood park or do a destination walk/hike/run. Take a picture of your hiking buddy (two- or four-legged), or a captivating nature shot. Send it to the Well-Being Committee at dbarnett@bamsl.org and it will be posted on BAMSL's social media pages each week. Let's get outside and improve our physical well-being.

[CW: suicide] It may seem unlikely that you will ever experience a moment when someone tells you that he or she doesn’t want to live anymore and is going to end their life. Right then. Yet I have been faced with what I believed to be that situation on two occasions.

[CW: Suicide] I looked at my phone and noticed I had an inordinate number of missed calls. I immediately called the first number I saw and upon listening to the other person, dropped my phone in disbelief: my best friend had taken their own life.

With the 2021 Summer Olympics, a different spotlight started to shine on the athletes, those that we hold to a very high physical standard and who we likely assume have a very high level of physical well-being. When Simone Biles, the most decorated U.S. female gymnast (with 32 World/Olympic medals) withdrew from most events, the conversation started to shift to athletes' mental health. Discussions started happening everywhere about how one may be physically well, but not mentally well. It is impossible to ignore that our mental health affects our physical health and performance.

The culture we work in asks us to make several sacrifices in the name of going for gold. To make matters worse, we internalize this culture in the name of "job security," performing at our best, or fitting in. It can be a little too easy to confuse your definition of success with the one the firm gives you. We quickly learn to give up sleep, nutrition, and leisure. (Read: things that keep us healthy.) The hang up is that health is not an impediment to success. Success is wholly dependent on it.

Join the BAMSL team (in-person or virtually) at the 2021 Biz Dash 5K run/walk on September 2.