The Heart of the Matter: How the Heart and Brain Cooperate for Both Good and Bad

April 17, 2023

Look for the article published by Megan, with help from Demetria Mantalis, and our coach Lexlee Overton in the Spring 2023 publication of “The Solo and Small Firm Practitioner Magazine!” It’s available online as a self-study MCLE (click here to access the article).

It isn’t just lawyers who experience stress. Stress affects us all. But did you know that it can quite literally wreak havoc on the brain and the body’s ability to function? The article explores the connection between external stressors and their impact on our physical wellbeing. More specifically, there's a connection between the messages sent by the heart and received by the brain. When we’re under stress the heart’s electric activity changes, which in turn directly impacts cognitive function (and not in a good way). Feelings of indecision, forgetfulness, irritability can be explained by how the brain is interpreting information from the heart and other organs under stress. The article cites a number of scientific articles that explain the science behind it all. And given how stressful the practice of law can be, and how much we need our cognitive skills to help our clients, it's incredibly important to be aware of our physical well-being.

And to learn more about some of what we incorporate into our law firm culture to help our clients and our team, check out one of our coaches, Lexlee Overton of Mind Over Law.