The Only One Still Working: How to Stay Sane When Everyone Else is on Break
You know it is the holidays when your group chats go quiet because everyone is “taking time off,” yet your brain is still running case deadlines in the background like a browser with too many tabs open.
Your friends are posting pictures of cozy mornings, family dinners, weekend getaways, and hot chocolate in matching pajamas. Meanwhile, you are refreshing your inbox, double-checking timelines, and trying not to think about what will be waiting for you the moment January arrives.
You are not technically working the whole time, but you are definitely not not working. And watching everyone else truly unplug somehow makes it feel even heavier.
You don’t resent them. You just wish you could access that kind of ease without having to file a motion to get it.
The Myth of “It’ll Be Quiet”
Every December, someone says, “Don’t worry, this time of year is always slow.”
But “slow” for lawyers does not mean nothing is happening. It means clients save all their last-minute emergencies for the exact moment you are trying to relax. It means you are mentally running through unfinished tasks while sitting at the dinner table. It means you are checking email under the blanket while everyone else is watching a movie.
It is not the workload that wears you down as much as the mental split-screen: one part of you trying to be present, and the other part reminding you that January deadlines do not care that it is a holiday.
When Resentment Creeps In
Burnout does not always show up as exhaustion. Sometimes it looks like irritability, the kind where:
one more “hope you’re enjoying your break!” message feels like a personal attack
someone’s “I haven’t checked email in days!” comment makes you want to flip a table
your partner suggests relaxing, and all you can think is “How?”
Resentment is not a character flaw. It is a signal that you have been stretched too thin for too long.
You have been taught that reliability is a strength, but reliability without rest turns into depletion. And depletion turns into resentment, even if you feel guilty for feeling that way.
Finding the Reset Button
You cannot pause the legal profession for the holidays, but you can pause yourself for a few minutes at a time.
Try small shifts like:
stepping outside for air before diving back into family conversations
silencing email notifications during actual meals
turning off your phone for ten minutes without apologizing for it
letting yourself do nothing, even if it is only for a moment
The goal is not to transform your life during a break. The goal is to create enough space to remember that you have one.
As a former attorney turned therapist for attorneys, I know how hard it is to slow down when your brain is trained to anticipate every responsibility. You are not doing it wrong. You are simply carrying too much.
Therapy can help you untangle that pressure, set boundaries that do not feel impossible, and rebuild your capacity to rest in a way that actually works for your life.
Before your next client email pings, take one small step for yourself.
Download The Lawyer’s Reset Kit: How to Step Back Without Falling Behind
