How to Maintain Your Support Network

This can take on a variety of forms. The starting point for maintaining your support network is identifying who your support network is. Take a moment to really think about the people that you rely on most in your life. Whether it’s a mix of family members and close friends, or a significant other, etc., these are the people that help you get through tough times and general frustrations.

When something isn’t going right in your work life or your law school life, I think people often internalize their issues and try to deal with things on their own. However, research shows that friendship has a number of benefits such as improving your self-confidence, reducing stresses, and helping you cope with life traumas. For these reasons, it’s important to maintain your relationships with your support network. Here’s some advice on how to do that:

1. Start with honesty

If someone asks you, “How are you doing? Are you okay?” You don’t need to feel compelled to say, “I’m great, how about you.” Sometimes things aren’t great and sometimes you really need to talk that out with someone. Be honest about how you’re feeling and don’t feel afraid to open up to someone close to you.

It’s important to strike a balance between being able to just have fun with someone while also being honest about what’s going on with you. However, it’s an important balance that you need to find in your personal life.

2. Focus on quality over quantity

It’s always nice to be the person with a lot of friends. However, as you get older it becomes clear as to who is really in your corner and who is just passing through your life.

Focus on the relationships that mean the most to you and prioritize them. This doesn’t mean that you need to stop seeing your large network of friends, but just remember to prioritize the people closest to you. As law students and attorneys, we already have a limited time for a personal life, so consider that the next time you’re making plans.

3. Make the effort to reach out

Part of maintaining friendships and relationships is showing you care. If you have a close family member that you haven’t spoken to in a while, make the effort to give them a call. Reach out to that friend you haven’t spoken to in a while. Make sure to put in effort on your end, and you’ll likely see that effort reflected from other people.

4. Don’t be afraid to use technology to your advantage

Both work and law school keep us pretty busy through all points in our day. We might not be able to meet regularly, but keeping in touch via Facetime or Skype is both easy and important. If you’re missing someone in your life or just don’t have time to see them, reach out and either talk to them on the phone or via video chat. There’s a lot to be said about face to face communication, and in the modern age, it’s so much easier!