Stress and overwhelm are some of the main reasons that so many SLPs are leaving their current job setting or leaving the field entirely. As an SLPs, you have more than likely experienced some level of stress, and perhaps have either contemplated leaving or have made the leap and left, with no other option to combat your stress.

This stress seems to build and build, getting worse as you stay where you are, or can even seem to follow you to the new job. One of the reasons is that you brain will try to stay stuck in “stress-mode” looking for more and more things that are stressful, negative and, overall, not working. And once you start looking for these, you end up staying stuck in this mode, what we call the “Cycle of Stress” in the SLP Stress Management Course.

There are a lot of different ways to help reduce stress, bring you out of the constant searching for it, and give you some relief. These practices are things that can help you to rewire the stress response (make it so you aren’t as affected by the stress around you) and shift your brain’s focus away from looking for stress (and to notice some other things). One of the simplest, and most concrete, ways is to have a gratitude journal practice.

Gratitude Journals help you to train your brain to see what is working for you and the positive pieces of your day, instead of being fixated on the things that are not going well or that are stressful.

Gratitude journaling for SLP stress can be as simple as writing down 3 things that are going well for you that day. It could be something like bullet points.

For example:

• I am grateful for my hot coffee
• I am grateful for talking to my mom
• I am grateful for snuggles from my dog

Or it could be something more elaborate:

I am grateful for my hot coffee today. I was able to find a few moments of quiet to sip on my coffee and reflect on my intentions for the day, before having to get to work or help anyone else get ready for the day. It was the perfect temperature and really helped me ease into my day.

Your gratitude doesn’t have to negate the stressful things, or be the opposite of them (aka I am grateful for my hot coffee, because usually it is cold by the time I drink it) or be in spite of it ( I am grateful for my job, no matter how stressful, because at least I have one and get paid regularly. It could be worse. I need to smile and see the bright side. This is bordering on toxic positivity).

If you need some help getting started with gratitude journaling for SLP stress, there are some really great journals, including the one from my latest podcast guest, Marie Muratalla, on her site, Thank Morris.

Here is a little more about Marie:

“Hello & Welcome! I’m Marie, although some call me Morris. I am an adventurer, speech therapizer (in a preschool setting), magic seeker, and comedy improv-er. Oh! Also, I like to sing, play piano, take photos, and cook healthy meals (and that’s not all). Yes, I wear many hats throughout my days and I wouldn’t change a single thing. In fact, I tend to gladly add to the list as exciting things come my way. This site is a way for me to bring some areas from my world together as I share the things I find magical with you.”

In the episode, we talk about things like:

• Maries’ journey with journaling
• Marie’s experience with stress in grad school and how she found support
• How to start and keep going with a daily gratitude journal practice
• Prompts to use for your journaling practice
• The practice of ongoing gratitude for stress management
• The “Say Thanks More” movement and journal

You can tune in below, or in your favorite app, or at the SLP Stress Management Podcast page.

If you are looking for more ways to manage stress, make sure to sign up for the free resources in the SLP Toolbox (such as meditations audios, mindful movement audios, journal templates and more). You can subscribe to this free resource below.

And if you are ready to dive deeper into your stress management, you can check out the SLP Stress Management Course, enrolling now.

Much Love,

Jessi