When I was in graduate school, I spent a lot of time (way too much, especially during class, I’ll admit) researching this newer movement about “going green”. I was fascinated by it and was so excited to learn more and revamp a lot of the things I was doing, eating, and cleaning with. It was my first time living alone and the first time I really went all in and had a strong opinion and stance on something. And I loved it. 

It became part of my lifestyle and something I wanted to bring into more aspects of my daily living and learning. 

• There were TV shows devoted to green-living
• Magazines and book being published
• New products launching for cleaning (some obscure brands and some from household brands jumping in on the trend)
• There were new ways of exercising (for me), that were more mindful
• There were new grocery stores for me to explore and wander around
• New products that were “eco-friendly” were popping up everywhere

Honestly, I really enjoyed this time and learning about so many new things, exploring and finding new products, and making shifts in my lifestyle. There were so many days and years where I felt like I talked about this a LOT and so much of what I was doing, thinking and reading was devoted to these “greener” practices. 

And then, one day, I felt like I had kind of lost it. I hadn’t explored a new store in awhile, found a new product to try, or been surprised to see a new product launched that I wanted to test out. I was a little dismayed and thought “I guess it’s not as important to me anymore”, and maybe, not to anyone else either. For a moment, I was really, really frustrated by that. 

How could I have gone so far in the opposite direction, to not be thinking about this ALL.THE.TIME. anymore. I mean, I dedicated a lot of my small, precious time in grad school (I also worked 5 days a week at a restaurant, serving and managing) to researching this, when I very well could have been studying a bit more (It’s ok. I got good grades and graduated. Just not “perfect”). 

And then I realized something:

• I didn’t need lists of what foods to buy, because I had already learned it and the options were available pretty much everywhere I shopped.
• I wasn’t exploring new stores, because I was frequenting the ones that worked best for me. And most places had a lot to offer.
• Nope. I wasn’t testing out new products that popped up, because these were ABUNDANT and now widely available – not some obscure thing. 

Basically, I wasn’t constantly thinking about “going-green” anymore, because “going-green” was a lot more mainstream and it was a huge part of my daily life – without having to think about it constantly.

I had been practicing it for so long, that it was not just part of what I did automatically. It’s not nearly as fun as the exploring phase, but it is much deeper and more sustainable. It’s just part of life now. 

The same might be true for where you stand with your stress management and utilizing, learning, and exploring the tools and techniques, such as mindfulness, meditation, movement, journaling, and more. These things are more mainstream than ever, and could be viewed as trendy, or could be viewed as our culture finally catching up to what we all need, and realizing that not having these practices was creating more harm than good. 

Right now, you might feel immersed in it or even overwhelmed by it all. Or even feel that people are pushing it without actually offering help (like your boss or admin saying “remember self-care!”). There can be a lot to try, experiment with and to figure out what works for you and what doesn’t, and what really is just a trend. That can sometimes feel more stressful, or exciting, than you are looking for. 

But, one day, it will just be part of your routine – so much so, that you might not even realize you are using these on a daily basis. You’ll feel like you aren;t doing enough, or that you aren’t doing anything, because it is just part of who you are and how your day goes. Not stress-free, but more mindful and more aware, with tools to use when you need them and foundational practices built in. 

No matter where you are starting at now, here are a few things for you to reflect on, and see where you can go or how far you have already come: 

• Awareness is the first step: If you are simply aware that you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, and you can recognize the why or when, this is a huge step. 
• Mindfulness is familiar vocabulary: The terms mindfulness, yoga, meditation, journal, self-care, stress management, etc are nothing new to you. You’ve been reading about them, listening to podcasts or courses on them, or trying them out. 
• You’re stressed about your stress management: Yay! That can be hard, but it means you are working on it and on the right path (and, if you are feeling left out and alone, things like the SLP Stress Management Podcast or SLP Toolbox can help make it easier to figure out). 
• Hearing about self-care from supervisor or admin makes you cringe, or cheer: Yay, again! Even if your reaction is an eyeroll, it means you know it is important, and are just overwhelmed at the thought of doing it. But you are still in that awareness place. 
• You feel like you aren’t doing enough to try and look up new self-care routines, or you don’t talk about it as much or have it on your mind: It might make you feel guilty, or like you “aren’t doing enough” (imagine that, as an SLP, cue the sarcasm). It might mean that, if you are honestly avoiding facing your stress, but, most likely, if you have been working on this for a while, you are in it. You are doing things and incorporating them into your life without having to struggle or think about it constantly. It has been infused into your day and, even though stress might still be there, you are able to see it, see where you have stopped some of your practices, and get back into it with more ease and awareness. 

These might not feel like enough or like you have changed your world completely, but any small step or change can be a huge shift and can become part of your routine and day. Over time, these just become how you live your life. 

And being an SLP, it is quite possible that you will doubt how much you do, tell yourself it is not enough, and feel pushed to do more. It comes with the perfectionism we all face being in our field. 

If you are feeling this way, or you are in the beginning stages of creating some of these patterns, it can help to have some accountability, or to keep track of what you are doing. This gets it out of your head and onto paper (or a tablet), so you can really see what you are doing and living. And that it is always enough. Having a “Tracker” can help you not to be perfectly on track, but to see what you are already doing and how far you have really come. 

I use a daily tracker-style journal to help me, in a non-stressful or perfectionist way, see what habits I am doing, how I am really doing a lot more than I give myself credit for, and to see how these habits work (and when I stop doing them, how it shows up in my world). 

These can be found in journals or you can create your own, or you can use one of the “Self-Care Trackers” that I have available in my brand new digital product shop. These really are key to help you track your self-care practice

You can download the “Self-Care Tracker Journal” of your choice, available in the SLP Stress Management Shop, then get started with some stress management and self-care resources in the SLP Toolbox (for free).

They are available as Monthly, Weekly, or in a bundle with both. Each comes with a guided journal practice to help you get started figuring out your Self-Care practices that you are currently using or not, and what you would like to do, as well as two versions of each tracker page. These can be downloaded, printed out, or used in a digital pdf app. 

You can download the “Self-Care Tracker Journal” of your choice, available in the SLP Stress Management Shop, then get started with some stress management and self-care resources in the SLP Toolbox (for free).

You can also join the FREE SLP Toolbox, and get access to those Self-Care tools you’ll be tracking, by subscribing below.

How do you track your self-care practice? Share in the comments below!

Much Love,

Jessi