I practiced law for twelve years.  I was a large firm associate in IP litigation and patent prosecution, an in-house lawyer supporting R&D, and a solo for a while before pivoting to mental health counseling.  

I’m proud of what I accomplished as a lawyer.  I worked on exciting stuff that I see in real life all the time.  Yes, this is all well and good but I was also cripplingly exhausted, constantly anxious, and I was constantly burning myself out.   

Even so, I never missed a deadline.   It was hard to push and produce every day. I obsessed about work. I was terrified of making a mistake. I put myself, my wants, and my needs near the bottom of my priorities.  That was the cost to be paid. That was how it gets done.  At least, that's what I genuinely believed.  I didn't know how else to operate and I'm not sure I'll ever forget what that felt like.  

But the reality is, I would have burned out doing anything.

Years later, things turned around after I realized that the same basic rules that apply for all sciences and all technologies can also be used to understand ourselves.  

For your mental health, the rule is that there’s an equal push to each pull. For all of your strain and stress, there must be relief and fulfillment. There has to be balance.

That is what I want to help you accomplish through Sidebar.