Charity Scott, Catherine C. Henson Professor of Law, will kick off this year’s Women Inspire Speaker Series at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, in the Centennial Hall auditorium.
Charity Scott, Catherine C. Henson Professor of Law, will kick off this year’s Women Inspire Speaker Series on Tuesday, Oct. 4, in the Centennial Hall auditorium. Scott will present "Mind Full or Mindful? Bringing Mindfulness to Lawyers (And to Anyone Else Who Wants Less Stress and More Happiness in Their Lives)," from 12:30 to 1 p.m.
Scott pioneered a mindfulness program at the College of Law in 2015-16, and recently completed a yearlong mindfulness-in-law teacher training program with Warrior One.
Mindfulness is a practice that involves focusing on the present moment—not the distractions of a wandering mind — and acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and physical sensations in that moment.
Many people spend their waking hours engaged in thoughts about the past — feeling despair or depression about an earlier argument, mistake or painful memory; or feeling anxiety about the future — will I meet the deadline, will I find a significant other, will the children be safe, will I find a job, will I get a good grade, and on and on and on, Scott said.
“For all that we ruminate about what happened in past, we can’t change that, and for all that we fear the future, those are just imaginings, not the present reality,” Scott said. “All that time travel to the past or future is mostly just wasted mental energy.”
Mindfulness teaches how to focus on yourself in the present, the one thing you can control, Scott said.
Practicing mindfulness trains you to focus on the present when you find yourself falling in the trap of listening to the mind that’s full of distractions — when you are feeling stressed out, burnt out or overwhelmed by the responsibilities of work life and home life.
“Bringing more equanimity, balance and centeredness to your life will ultimately make you a happier person, and also a more productive person for the things you want to do,” Scott said. “The better able you are to understand yourself in stressful situations, and the better able you are to control yourself or monitor yourself, the more equipped you are to be the person and professional you want to be.”
The challenge for lawyers and law students, Scott said, is to strike a balance between the critical-thinking mind that is crucial in the legal profession and the nonjudgmental mind necessary for wellbeing.
“In law school we teach how to critique arguments, to find flaws in judicial rulings, to make swift judgments about who should win or lose a case, and to endlessly debate whose fault it is,” Scott said.
While this mindset is reinforced in law school, most people have a natural tendency to make judgments about everything — whether it’s self-criticism or being critical of others or things happening in their environment.
“All that arguing, critiquing and judging creates problems when it bleeds into home life after office hours — it’s not a skill set to promote good interpersonal relationships,” Scott said. “And it generates a lot of stress at work that spills over into home life.”
Mindfulness can improve interpersonal and professional relationships by fostering empathy and compassion. New reports show that good interpersonal relationships with clients are essential for a successful business, and “necessary if you’re going to do good legal work,” Scott said.
The feedback she received from the students participating in the mindfulness program last year was overwhelmingly positive — reports of more sleep, less stress, and less dependence on unhealthy habits. Within 24 hours of opening up this year’s session, 85 students enrolled.
At the talk, Scott will discuss the benefits of mindfulness training and share a few of the techniques taught in the law school’s program.
The speaker series is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and First Lady Laura Voisinet to celebrate the achievement of Georgia State University women who motivate and inspire others. Centennial Hall auditorium is located at 100 Auburn Ave. R.S.V.P. to attend.