Mental fatigue as an SLP is for real. When it kicks in, it feels like the only thing you can do is stare off into space, binge on a TV show or just take a nap, but instead you are trying to run sessions, see groups of students, and be “on” and happy until the work day ends.
Mental fatigue happens to everyone at some point, when you are trying to juggle a lot of different tasks, when you have something weighing on your mind, when you are feeling anxious, when you are incredibly focused and working on a project for a long time, or even when you just haven;t slept very well. It is the feeling of being totally wiped out and exhausted, even if you haven’t done anything physically exhausting that day and when you have gotten plenty of sleep. It makes it difficult to focus, process and think clearly, and it can be incredibly draining.
Having this happen once in awhile is no fun, but having it happen constantly can make it difficult to get through the week. When this mental fatigue comes from your work, it can make you start to question your career choice or if you are “cut out” to be an SLP.
Being an SLP can be incredibly challenging on a daily basis. Mental fatigue as an SLP can make it difficult to focus on your sessions, make planning them take longer, make it hard to complete your paperwork, and even leave you redoing work or spending hours trying to finish it. All of which leads to even more mental fatigue. It’s no wonder the “self-care” of choice for many is a bottle of wine and a Netflix binge each night.
This mental fatigue can come from a few different places in any job. Mental fatigue as an SLP often comes from the way you set up your day, in order to get the MOST work done in the shortest amount of time, because you are bombarded with a LOT of work each day.
If you are setting up your daily schedule with little breaks, lots of switching from task to task, and constantly combing though emails and reports on your few minutes between sessions, your brain is bound to be overloaded and you are bound to be exhausted. With a few tweaks, you can actually increase your efficiency, improve your focus, and reduce your mental fatigue as an SLP. It takes reworking the way you were often taught to go about your daily work.
To help you reduce your mental fatigue as an SLP, there are a few things you can do:
Reduce Multi-tasking:
Multi-tasking has been shown to be incredibly ineffective. Many studies show that it not only decreases your productivity, but it actually take up MORE time for you to complete tasks and leaves you feeling mentally drained. This happens because multi-tasking is like doing mental jumping jacks. If you are switching from task to task, even after 10-20 minutes, your brain has to start firing in a totally different way to work on that task. If you do this throughout your day, you are likely to feel mentally fatigued and exhausted at the end of the work day. And most of us switch back and forth a lot more frequently than 10-20 minutes at a time. It also takes time, mentally and physically, to switch between tasks (think loading a new webpage, opening your email, finding your materials, etc).
This is why multi-tasking is often referred to as task switching and has been shown to take up nearly 40% of your productivity time each day.
Instead of multi-tasking, map out specific task you can work on, and do this for a set amount of time. Set a timer if needed, so you know when to stop working on the task. You can also limit distractions by turning off phone notifications, blocking social media, not checking email, and even puttying a sign on your door not to disturb.
When you are finished, take a break and then move on to the next task. It ups your productivity and decreases your mental fatigue.
Take breaks – 90 minutes (not for paperwork or email):
Speaking of breaks, make sure you take them throughout your day. I know it can be really easy to just keep pushing through to the end of the day, or sometimes to the end of the school year, so you feel like you are getting the work finished, so then you can take a break. But breaks actually help you to be more efficient, because they allow your brain to focus more easily and to work more efficiently, so you are more efficient and effective in return. Not taking breaks has been shown to lead to slower processing time and more errors, which end up leading to more work in the long run.
Breaks also give you a shift mentally, so you are not wearing yourself out, leading to exhaustion.
Try aiming for a short break every 90 minutes. Take a 10 minutes stretch or walk, grab a glass of water or a cup of coffee, go chat with a colleague, or get a snack. Do something – not checking emails or social media or switching to a new task – that gives you a true break, so you feel mentally refreshed and ready to work again.
Batch your day:
Batching your day goes right along with reducing multi-tasking. Batching refers to grouping like things together, so you aren’t mentally switching from task to task, but also so you have set times to get things accomplished, and then move on.
Batching looks like this:
- Checking emails at specific times during the day and responding right away (maybe first thing, midday and end of day…or even less), instead of checking them every time you have a free moment throughout the day (which leads to task-switching and more exhaustion).
- Setting up times to work on reports and other “writing” tasks, instead of squeezing them in between therapy sessions
- Planning sessions at a set time each day (end of day always works great to prepare for the next day), instead of planning throughout the day.
- Scheduling therapy sessions for a certain part of the day, maybe all in the morning or all in the afternoon, or for specific chunks of each time block, so you are able to be in a therapy mindset and not thinking about the other work you were wanting to finish before the session started.
Transition at end of work day:
One of the best things you can do to help fight mental fatigue as an SLP and be more present at work and at home, is to create some kind of transition at the end of your day. This will help you shift out of work mode and into being at home, rather than still feeling like you should be doing work or thinking about the day and the work you still need to do.
A transition can help you to mentally leave work at work and instead be more present at home, which leads you to being more well-rested, and really feel like you get a break form your work day.
You can create a transition by doing some sort of routine or ritual at the end of the day that mentally lets you know it is time to be finished with work. It could be big or small. Here are some examples:
- Stretch or take a walk at the end of the day
- Stop for coffee or tea on the way home
- Head to the gym or a yoga class
- Go for a hike
- Call a friend
- Listen to your favorite song or podcast
- Read a book, blog, or magazine
The transition helps you to mentally prepare for work to end, leaving you to feel more relaxed and present at home, so you can really soak up that time off.
If you are looking for ways to improve mental fatigue as an SLP, give these a try. For even more, make sure to check out my Professional Development Courses (CEUs available) that dive even deeper into managing your overall stress and reducing fatigue and burn out.
- 3 Common SLP Stressors and How to Manage Them on Xceptional ED (1.5 CMH Hours)
- Managing Common SLP Stressors before Burn Out Occurs on Northern Speech Services (2.5 ASHA CEU hours 2.5 units)
- 3 Biggest Stressors for SLPs and What to do About Them on SpeechPathology.com (1.5 ASHA CEU hours .15 units
- SLP Stress Management: Using Mindfulness to Reduce and Manage Stress on SHAV Webinars (1 ASHA CEU hour, .1 units)
Plus, if you are ready to finally be DONE with the constant battle of stress as an SLP, check out the SLP Stress Management Online Course, an 8-week online course designed to help you manage stress, reduce burnout and find more balance in your life, no matter what gets thrown at you (teletherapy, pandemic, paperwork x 1000, you name it).
You can also get some free resources by signing up for the #SLPToolbox, that will help you start implementing some of these practices today, Sign up below for access:
Much Love,
