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8Aug

3 Mindset Shifts for the Upcoming School Year

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Burn Out Career Advice New SLP Perfectionism Stress Management
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mindset shifts for the school year

When I started working in the schools, way back when, I was terrified and confused and had NO idea what I was doing. All of my previous jobs, and most of my grad school training and focus,  had been on working with adults in the medical field. I had worked in schools before, in undergrad, but this was totally new to me and I felt completely unprepared. And, so my stress grew. I tried to figure out ways to make the school year more enjoyable and more steady, but I either felt like I was falling behind or not doing enough.

I worked at a school with very lovely people, and multiple SLPs. I had administrators that supported me and we enjoyed working together. And, that first year, the school psych, who was also new to the building, would show up at my office door so we could try to figure out needs and reports and all the things together. 

But, even so, I still felt a little alone and that I was not enough as an SLP. The disconnect that I felt was not something that was talked about much, and I felt that I was wrong for not being as enthusiastic and excited and driven as the other SLPs – basically, I was not constantly frazzled and in an uproar about therapy materials, laminating things, going to extra meetings, putting in time before and after school, and living and breathing “SLP” life. 

My mindset and perspective were focused on the lack, the negative, and the “wrong” things I was doing. And with that, I only really saw those things and my focus was on all that was not how I wanted it to be. 

It kept me from making more connections, from seeing my students as people, and from really and truly being able to see the parts of my job and work that were  working and that were maybe even a bit more functional than the things others were doing each day. 

It took me a very long time, and a lot of perspective shifts, to finally feel comfortable with the way I approached my work, and to feel that I did not have to do it all and be all things in order to do good work, to help my students thrive, and to BE an SLP. 

It was not easy to shift into a new mindset, and at times those former voices and outlooks come to pull me back in. The biggest difference now is that I can recognize them, bring my awareness to them, and use them to learn rather than be pulled down by them. 

If you are feeling this way in your work, here are 3 mindset shifts for the upcoming school year:

  • There is no need to strive for perfection.
    • Being an SLP means that there is a tendency to lean towards perfectionism (chicken and the egg situation – did this come from grad school or is it why you chose the profession? Either way, it is still happening). You want things to be done perfectly and to do them perfectly, and you want to be perfect each day to show you are good enough for this job (hello, Imposter Syndrome!). When it doesn’t happen (because we are humans, working with humans), it can be frustrating and make you feel defeated and annoyed. And this can lead to a lot of stress when it happens over and over again. 
    • Instead of aiming for perfection, focus on two things: what is working and what you can learn. When you look at what is working, it helps you to see the strengths you have and gives you a direction to keep moving forward in. What works for you, and what you are good at doing as an SLP, may look different than another SLP or colleague. This is good, because it keeps things growing, and gives opportunities to learn and for students to have different experiences. When you look at what you can learn, it takes the stigma and shame away from making a mistake or not fully knowing something, and gives you a place to shift, grow, and make changes within it. Not being perfect is no longer a flaw, but a chance to learn more about a therapy material, practice, or way of doing something. 
  • Check in with yourself:
    • No one is going to show up at 100% each day. If you expect this (there’s that perfectionism kicking in again), it will lead you to feeling frustrated and that you are not enough. Some days will be easier, some will be harder. Your students will have days that are easy for them and days that are not. And all of this is ok and very, very human. 
    • Instead of pushing to be 100% all the time, meet yourself where you are and aim for the best of that. Check in with yourself in the morning when you wake up or right before you begin your day. See how you are doing and where you are at. If you are tired and overwhelmed and feeling more 35% than 100%, give yourself some grace – shift to an easier session or allow yourself to not bring as much energy, understanding it is because you are tired and not because you are a horrible SLP. 
  • Don’t expect it to be good right away/the first try.
    • I was terrible at anything athletic or body related growing up. And so I was told I was not and would not be good at them. It kept me from trying anything new or related to them. But I loved moving my body and working out, and, eventually, I learned that I could just keep trying, set a goal, and make small steps to improve in my way. And now I teach yoga and mind-body fitness classes, have run 2 half marathons, and am known as the “active mom” around my daughters school. But it could have been different if I kept expecting to be good at things right away.
    • Being an SLP is a lot like that. You might not be very good at first, at least not at everything. Or you might just have some questions or need to try a few ways of doing therapy (books, crafts, games, tabletops, active activities) before you find what works for the way you work.
    • Give yourself time to try a few things and come back to that “what did I learn? ” question. This keeps you in a growth mindset and a place of learning. Not because you don;t know enough but because you want to learn more. 

As the school year begins, again, or you are just looking to have a new start at your work, consider coming at it with a new mindset. This can help to let go of some of the pressure that creates stress, and give you more space, connection, and enjoyment from the work you do. 

You are an amazing SLP, even when you feel that you are struggling and unsure. Give yourself grace, look at what you can learn, see what is working, and know that you can reach out, ask questions, and you do not have to be perfect. 

What mindset shift are you looking to make this year? Share in the comments below!

For more resources to help with stress and build resilience, sign up for the FREE resource library, The Resilient SLP Toolbox. You’ll get meditation audios, yoga class videos and more. Enter your email below to subscribe.

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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9Feb

5 Big Myths about Mindfulness

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Mindfulness
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myths about mindfulness

Mindfulness is pretty mainstream these days. There are apps and shows. Your mom might call you up to chat about an article she read. You might even have your boss recommending mindfulness, even when it seems really impossible to do. Even with this, there are still a lot of misconceptions and myths when it comes to the term mindfulness. 

You may have heard someone talk about these, or you might have a thought pop up in your remind when you go to do a practice or read about one. Mindfulness can still seem kind of out there – some thoughts or comments bring up images of sitting on a mountaintop in silence or pockets full of various crystals. And some just think of someone sitting and meditating for 10 hours a day. (Hey – no offense, I do like some of these, but also find them not always realistic. Looking at you 10 hours a day). 

But it’s not necessarily this way. Mindfulness, by definition, is paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, and without judgment. With that being said, there are still a lot of misconceptions, and even myths about what mindfulness really is. 

Here are 5 myths about mindfulness and the truth behind them:

  • It’s too “woo” and new-aged
    • Mindfulness might seem like a new-age or “woo” thing that has to involve a lot of mystical concepts, card readings, crystals, and transcendence, but it absolutely doesn’t have to, and at its core is none of these.(FYI – I love playing around with a lot of these, and do not judge if you use these as a daily practice). And as far as being new-aged, while it might seem like this popped up as a mystical trend, mindfulness is based off of ancient practices rooted in yoga (5000 years old), Ayurveda, Hinduism and Buddhism – long before it became a “woo” and “new-aged” transcendental experience. Which brings me to…
  • It’s a religious practice
    • Sure, but only if you want it to be. While mindfulness and meditation may have come from practices that had religious roots, and many religions have mindful, meditative components (prayers, meditation, reflection, etc), mindfulness as we practice it is not religious based. It is a non-religious, science-backed practice that is designed to help you reduce the effects of stress and build resilience to them, by focusing, in the moment, and without judgment to how you are doing and what you are experiencing. Which leads to…
  • It’s doesn’t work and is not EBP (Evidence Based Practice)
    • This is an easy myth to fall into, and one you might hear a lot from naysayers, or even in the back of your mind. When it is not a tangible, physical practice that you can SEE the results of, it can be hard to know if it is working. I felt this way and wondered about this for a very long time, especially when I was a new SLP (with grad school drilling in the research part of EBP). Where is the research that shows it works?
    • Luckily, over the past decade and even more in the last few years, there has been more and more research to show that mindfulness practices help you to manage stress for the long-term and build resilience to it, so it doesn;t stick with you or take as long to recover from. 
  • It’s too easy/simple:
    • Ah, that’s the mind f*&^ of mindfulness. It is very simple and it is also very hard to do. And it’s even harder to put it into practice, in your day, consistently, in the real world. It’s like when you are working with a student or patient on a specific task and they know what to do and can tell you how to do it, but they just don’t put it into practice or know what to do when it’s time to actually do it. It’s like this – if it was so easy to do, it would already be part of your day. It takes some time and practice to start learning how to use mindfulness and how to make it consistent once you do. It is a process. 
  • It’s only meditation – nothing else
    • This one is a huge misunderstanding! Meditation is wonderful and a huge help for managing stress, and it is a mindfulness practice, but it is not the only mindfulness practice. Mindfulness can be used in any moment and with anything. Meditation is one of the most common and set ways to practice, but you could be mindful while doing the dishes or running or drinking your coffee or journaling, whatever it may be, if you are bringing awareness to it and observing what shows up. 
  • Bonus myth: It’s trendy.
    • This one is a bonus, because it’s not really a myth at all. Mindfulness, meditation, yoga, self-care, all of those are trendy right now. It’s not because they are a fad or a frivolous thing, but because they are so very needed with all that each of us continue to face and have more of each day. 

There you go – myths busted!

If you are looking to dive even deeper into mindfulness, join me in the upcoming workshop “What is Mindfulness” on February 24th, part of The Resilient SLP Monthly Workshop Series (you can also sign up for just this one workshop). 

You can find out more info here:  What is Mindfulness Workshop

Now that you have a few more insights into what mindfulness is and what it is not, I’d love to hear your thoughts: What myths about mindfulness have you heard? Leave a comment below, share on IG, or send me a message to jessi@jessiandricks.com

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

And if you are looking for some resources to get you started now, subscribe for more info and access to the SLP Toolbox resource library here:

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12Jan

How do I know when I should I step away from work or not?

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Career Advice
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step away from work or not

I was recently asked this question by a fellow SLP…

This year has been so overwhelming I’m thinking of taking time off from being an SLP. I know your platform is a lot of stress management and prevention but did you feel some time away gave you a fresh perspective?

When I was in my third year as an SLP, I had worked in 4 different settings; had anywhere from a 15 minute to a full hour commute (before traffic); had been fired, laid off, and quit due to legal issues; and went through 4 different CF supervisors before earning my CCC-SLP. Looking back, it is no wonder I hit burnout hard and found it nearly impossible to recover. Any one of those things would have been overwhelming, while learning to BE an SLP, but all of them combined was a real poo-storm of a few first years. 

It wasn;t all terrible. I really enjoyed a lot of the facilities I worked at and had wonderful co-workers. I had people there who supported me in my early career and who believed in me as a clinician. There were a lot of really good times and things I loved and learned so much from. And there was a lot of frustration that built up and became all I could see after a while. 

So, I quit in order to teach yoga and swore I would never return (which, of course, I did after 5 years away and some life changes). 

This isn’t meant to be some “and look how far I’ve come” story – because it is not that. It is more of would I do it again or do I recommend it to others……..not necessarily.

One question that I get asked a lot, and was asked recently, is if I think a person should leave their SLP (or other Helping Profession) job due to the overwhelming stress, or if they should stay with it. It is one of the toughest questions to answer, so here are my thoughts on it, especially with the extra demands and ongoing stress (and triggered stress response) of the pandemic. Do I recommend it? For some, it is not needed and other things would help, but for some people it is absolutely what is needed. It really depends on a few things that you would know better than me. But there are some ways to figure out which is for you.

Should I take time away from my work as an SLP or Helping Professional?

Here are some things to consider when deciding to step away from work or not:

  • Have you really and truly tried to manage or reduce your stress?
    • It sounds mean and a little like it’s all on you. That is not quite how it is meant to be. Here is the truth, even when you want to change, it is really hard to undo the patterns and habits you have been using and living with. It doesn’t matter if they are working or good for you. They are familiar and change is hard and it is scary. So, you have to ask yourself, have you really tried? If yes, have you given the tools time to work and time to work through them?
    • If you have done that, and have been working to reduce your stress, but it still seems to be on the rise and work is the main source, then it might be time to step away in order to better manage your stress.
  • What do you want from stepping away? 
    • Another big thing to look at is what you want when you step away. If it is to take time to reflect and work through stress, and you are unable to do that with the overwhelming amount of work you face,  then taking the time to step back might be exactly what is needed. If you are unable to have a moment throughout your day to pause or breathe or stop working, mentally and physically, then taking a step back might be the best bet. 
    • If taking a step back is to have the stress instantly go away, it is probably not a realistic thing to do, or at least not the only thing to do. 
    • If you step away from your work, without managing your stress, it will not go away (exceptions of course for toxic workplaces). Yes, it might feel great to be free from those obligations. That will make the stress feel like it has lifted, and a little bit may have. But it does not help you to turn down the stress response or give you tools to reduce and manage it in the future. It teaches you to keep leaving when things are overwhelming, not what to do when they are. And it will show up quickly in the next setting or when the next stressful thing passes by you. Managing your stress helps you to turn down the stress response, so it doesn’t keep taking over and keep you in overwhelm. 
  • Do you have a plan for the next step?
    • Yes, taking time away usually means time to recharge, regroup, and step away from the productivity hamster wheel you are currently stuck on. But – it can lead to more stress and overwhelm if you do so without some sort of plan or next step. 
    • Before you step away, if you decide to, ask yourself these questions
      • How long will I do this?
      • Is this permanent?
      • What do I want to try to do instead or for a while?

Now that you have a little more guidance in deciding if you should step away form work or not, start to work through this on your own. Grab a journal or notebook or a blank google doc and ask yourself each of these questions. Write down anything that comes to mind, even if you think it is silly, you’ve never thought it before, or you are unsure of it. Once you get it all out on paper, you can go over it again to help you come up with your plan and next steps. 

Want a little more support? Send me an email and we can set up a time to chat, jessi@jessiandricks.com. If you come up with a next step or have a little clarity – share it in the comments or in your IG stories, and tag me @jessiandricks. You can also subscribe here for more free resources: SLP Toolbox

No matter what you decide, it is your decision to make (whether it is the right step for you, for your family, for your future goals and dreams). You’ve got this!

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

PS Want to do more than manage your stress? Build resilience to it, no matter what is thrown your way. Check out more with The Resilient SLP.

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