Mindful Moment

Co-regulation as a Buffer Against Burnout

Legal work can be isolating. Whether working from home or in a busy office, we often close our doors and shut out other people in order to focus. While this can support productivity, it leaves your nervous system without another person with whom to co-regulate. Co-regulation is a process by which your nervous system “borrows” calm from another’s. In a law office, however, attempting to co-regulate with others can be challenging or ineffective if those around you are similarly stressed and there’s no calm to “borrow.” Over time, prolonged isolation combined with chronic nervous system dysregulation can erode your enthusiasm for work, drain your energy, and contribute to burnout.

The good news is that while we usually think of co-regulation as something we do with other people, it is actually possible to co-regulate with animals, nature, music, and inanimate objects, such as objects that provide sensory comfort like a smooth stone or a soft texture.

Mindfulness helps you recognize when stress is building and when a co-regulation tool is needed to bring you back to a steadier, focused state. Signs that you may need co-regulating support include any shift away from a state of physical, emotional, or mental ease. During your work day, notice when you feel:

• Physical tension (tight shoulders, clenched jaw, shallow breathing)
• Emotional overwhelm
• Increased irritability or reactivity
• Racing or repetitive thoughts
• Difficulty focusing or completing simple tasks
• Mentally checked out

When you notice yourself feeling any of the above, or any other cues of agitation, try this 60 second co-regulation practice with an object in your office and see what shifts:

60 Second Co-Regulation Practice:

1. Check your starting point: Assess your current nervous system state. On a scale of 1–10, how at ease or agitated do you feel?
2. Choose your object: Pick something in your office or outside your window with which to co-regulate (a fidget toy, a blanket, a tree outside, an indoor plant).

3. Connect: Touch or hold the object in your hand, or gaze at the object.

4. Give it your full attention: Bring your full attention to the object. Observe its color, shape, size, and if applicable, its movements, temperature, texture, weight.
5. Sync with your breath: While keeping your attention on the object, breathe in and out of your nose (when possible), slowly and steadily.

6. Notice shifts: Observe any changes in your body as you breathe, such as relaxed muscles, softened gaze, slowed heart rate, cleared mind.

7. Check in again: Release your focus on the object. Reassess your stress level on the same 1–10 scale. Notice any shift, even if subtle.

Co-regulating with an object is a simple, discreet way to interrupt stress and restore calm in the middle or at the end of a demanding workday. Used consistently over time, it can not only prevent burnout but also support clearer thinking and a more enjoyable way of practicing law.

Laura Mahr is a North Carolina and Oregon lawyer and the founder of Conscious Legal Minds LLC, providing well-being consulting, training, and resilience coaching for attorneys and law offices nationwide. Through the lens of neurobiology, Laura helps build strong leaders, happy lawyers, and effective teams. After bringing herself back from the brink of burnout with the tools she now teaches, Laura brings lived experience and compassion to thousands of lawyers, judges, and support staff each year in her writing, coaching, and CLE trainings. Her work is informed by 13 years of practice as a civil sexual assault attorney, 30 years as a teacher and student of mindfulness and yoga, and ten years studying neurobiology and neuropsychology with clinical pioneers. If you would like help with co-regulation for yourself or your legal team contact Laura at www.consciouslegalminds.com.