Judicial Stress & Quality of Life

Isaiah M. Zimmerman, PhD

Stress!! The word is

Over-used Over-extended Over-generalized

It can be cited as A Cause An Effect A Specific Stressor

Levels of Stress Normal:

Positive, Motivating, Challenging with full recovery

Borderline Harmful: Partial and uneven recovery

Harmful: Little recovery Signs of depression

BASIC CONCEPT INSTRESS RESEARCH

BloodPressure

Time

Research on Decision Making Under Heavy Time Pressure

Under continual time pressure of highvolume production, decision makers… Lump issues and types of cases into

fewer categories Skip research Skim documents and numbers Isolate themselves

Research on Decision Making Under Heavy Time Pressure

cont’d

Increase blaming and excuses Lose feeling for others Tend to give more weight to the source,

less to evidence Have high inclination to agree

Progressive Signs of Danger

Fatigue not relieved by rest Irritability and impatience Blaming others Denial of any problem Emotional distance Excess in food, drink, medication

Progressive Signs of Dangercont’d

Social withdrawal Loss of priorities Drop in hygiene & self-care Clinical depression Paralysis and inability to function

Basic, Irreducible, DailyLifelong Self-Care

Exercise of: Large Muscle Small Muscle Heart and Lung Agility and Stretch

Nutrition Balance, Reduce intake of saturated fats, salt and sugar

Adequate sleep and emotional discharge

A Daily Balance Between

INNER and OUTER

Judge RequiresProfessional Talk

to get work done

Private and Family Talk

to promote home life

Personal Reaction Talk

to promote collegiality

Common Signs of Job Stress

32% work and eat lunch at same time 32% never leave building all day 19% feel tired, low energy 19% come to work when sick 18% delay vacation due to work 17% chronically sleep deprived

Common Signs of Job Stresscont’d

14% work late & weekends 8% fear falling behind if sick

Sleep Sleep provides:

Emotional rebalance Energy restoration Metabolic rebalance Preps waste removal Resets hormone cycles Allots memory storage

Sleep cont’d Sleep deficiency leads to:

Memory impairment Rise in stress hormones Reduced concentration Shorter attention span Lowered vigilance Reduced muscle mass Weight gain

Biology of Timing Learn your sleep cycle Stay on schedule Stabilize workplace Alcohol disrupts sleep Learn your best times for

Thinking Alertness

Biology of Timing cont’d

Light meal at night Weekend naps Best workout time Best sex arousal cycle

Anger

Anger is a hard-wired, built-in reaction to a perceived threat to control and dignity

Train yourself to work to restore control and dignity in the situation for yourself and other parties

The Anger Process is Set Off By…

Any perception of loss of control

Any perception of loss of dignity

Research on Family and Social Support

Widows & Widowers who have an active family and social circle live longer

Breast cancer patients who attend a support group live longer

Coronary patients who regularly attend a support group and keep regular contact with a health worker live longer

Hospital patients who have a close family member or advocate get better care and aftercare

Person to Person Help & Counseling

Listen, keep good eye contact & don’t interrupt Prove accurate listening by feedback Encourage further thoughts Guide to alternative solutions Prioritize alternative solutions If pressed for advice, give it respectfully, sensitively and

briefly - don’t lecture Follow up by showing interest in how things worked out

Stress on the Judge in High Profile Trials

Enough knowledge/experience? Extensive pretrial preparation Opinion/regard of colleagues Jury selection & media attention Preparation of staff

Stresses on the Judge in High-Profile Trials

cont’d Media coverage demands Security requirements Regular workload continues Care/Management of Jury Protecting Family/Private Life Conclusion/Post-Trial

Juror Stress Mixed emotions about summons Demand on job & family Sizing up other jurors Stress of decision process Dependency on judge Closure on decision Delivery of decision Post-trial emotions and attention

Stress on Court Staff Regular workload continues Overtime demands and compensation? Comments from family and friends Extra requests from lawyers/press/security How to be most helpful to judge? Tensions between staff members Wind up and closure of trial

Judicial Quality of Life

Judge-to-Judge support Three Breaks a Day Wellness Maintenance Hobby/Recreation/Sports Daily decompression I and Decompression II

Judicial Quality of Life cont’d

Religious/Spiritual Orientation Personal Talk Time with

Family/Friends/Colleagues Insight about anger process Separate public from private life space

Terrorism & the Courts

Denial & Discounting Planning & Coordination Survival through Dispersal & Cross-Training Stages of Response to Attack Recovery of People & Records Resiliency of the Court Team Pride in Keeping Courts Open