How Lawyers Can Reduce Anxiety
5.8.2026
As part of Well-Being in Law Week, the New York State Bar Association hosted a seminar on how attorneys can manage perfectionism, burnout, and fatigue. Jessica Bedziner, a licensed psychologist and owner of Long Island OCD & Anxiety Therapy, led the discussion.
“Anxiety is a threat detection system,” Bedziner said. “That means it’s designed to help you stay safe, which can also be a good thing at times. But in some people and situations, it tends to stay on too much, or it fires too much, when it is actually not even needed. It tends to be very future-focused. It has the potential to be helpful, but it can turn chronic when it becomes overactive, when it’s constantly firing.”
Bedziner said that while anxiety can make lawyers successful – like being detail-oriented enough to catch errors and anticipate opposing arguments – it can become overactive when it is too sensitive, frequent, and intense. Being overly prepared can turn into ruminating on issues and fear of making mistakes.
Similarly, perfectionism can become problematic when it is driven by fear and unrealistic standards.
“That would mean expecting every legal task to be flawless, even though legal work might involve things like a judgment call, ambiguity, and revision,” said Bedziner. “Additionally, in perfectionism, one’s self-worth tends to get tied to performance. A person might link their personal value to their work outcomes. So feedback or mistakes may feel like a reflection of someone’s identity, rather than just performance or an area of improvement.”
Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, can also occur. In those cases, a person may have obsessive thoughts or urges that lead to compulsions. Bedziner said that while giving into a compulsion can temporarily reduce anxiety, it only continues the cycle in the long run.
“Think of it as like a bully who’s looking to get your lunch money,” said Bedziner. “If you give him your lunch money, your anxiety goes down, but then he wants more and more and more. That is pretty much what OCD looks like.”
For lawyers, checking a document repeatedly may ease anxiety, but there comes a point where it impedes other work and leads to decision fatigue – like not being able to decide what to have for dinner after a long day.
Breaking Out of Anxious Thought Patterns
One step to break out of anxious thought patterns is to notice those thoughts and urges as they happen and naming them for what they are.
“So, for instance, saying something like, ‘I notice I’m feeling anxious right now. I notice my mind is trying to solve a problem before I even finish the task. I noticed the urge to recheck this again,’” said Bedziner. “You are just noticing what’s happening right now, what’s going on in your mind, what feelings are coming up for you, and this has a tendency to increase one’s awareness.”
Another step is accepting uncertainty – that even with careful review, it is not possible to eliminate every risk or possible mistake.
“I want to clarify that this isn’t about being careless,” said Bedziner. “But really, it is about teaching that over-checking does not lead to better outcomes. Burnout actually has the ability to increase errors.”
Bedziner also suggests only checking a document a certain number of times, or setting a time limit for a task – and then moving on. She also said that when these issues spiral into a loss of control, high emotional distress, or sleep problems, it is time to seek professional help.
“Rest and limits are actually part of being effective,” said Bedziner. “Those are things that are important. They’re not a failure of commitment, and having separation between work and personal life can actually help you be more effective. Taking breaks and having boundaries – it isn’t laziness, but instead, it has the potential to improve your focus, reduce your errors, and prevent burnout.”
