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16Sep

5 Ways to Feel Less Stressed this School Year

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Stress Management
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less stressed this school year

One of the things that happens at the start of the school year, is that you dive into it with the thought of “this year will be different” or, maybe, “I hope this year will be different”. Chances are the year before ended on a highly stressful note, even amongst the joy and bittersweetness of the end of the year, and you have spent the summer trying to decompress, often by ignoring the work, pushing it away, or continuing it work to “get ahead” for the new year. 

And, yet, despite all of this work and positive thinking, the year usually ends up pretty much the same, or even worse if your stress never really turned down at all from the previous year.

As an SLP who is back working in the schools after a (long) hiatus, I am seeing a lot of this happening in the way we go about our work and daily routines. Mostly, because it’s the only way we know how, and it’s how we teach each other.  

It’s no wonder so many SLPs face burnout and chronic stress (even before the pandemic). 

Chronic stress is what happens when those small, daily stressors begin to grow or last longer, and you have less time between them to process and regroup. When they start to become more frequent, or the importance of them grows, your brain doesn’t have the time to work through it and recover before another stressor hits. And with each one, the stress grows and your brain looks out for more things that could be stressful, kind of like being on “high alert”. 

This is where so many of us SLPs leave each day and feel stuck in. 

And, when this is left unchecked, the only place it can go is into burnout – a place where stress grows so much that you no longer feel driven or motivated to work through it and you kind of give up and disconnect from your work. And this can be really, really challenging to work through and come back from – but it is not impossible. 

If you are in burnout or chronic stress, you can begin to shift out of it by setting up your day to support yourself and looking at your stress management and resilience building strategies a little differently. This will help you come out of burnout, and stop chronic stress from growing further, while you start to turn it down as well. 

As you move into a new school year, and are looking for some ways to create some real changes in your stress this year, here are a few things you can try. 

5 Ways to Feel Less Stressed this School Year

Take time for yourself 

Ugh, this has been the most overused phrase of the last two years. Mostly because it is thrown out there with the hopes of being helpful, but in reality is just a phrase that is pretty useless without some action behind it. It’s not the message itself that doesn’t really help, but giving it without any way to actually do it. 

Because, truly, this is one of the most important things you can do to help keep stress low, to build resilience to it, and to work your way out of chronic stress and/or burnout when you find you’ve somehow landed there. 

Take 5 minutes at the start of your day, and end of the day, to check-in with yourself. See how you are doing, maybe grab a drink or snack, go for a quick walk or stretch, or turn out the lights and have some quiet while you breathe. And, if you need a moment or two during the day, pause to breathe for 5-10 deep breaths. These actions seem small, but they can make a big difference and help counteract the “rush” and “push” mentalities that can add to stress and build it. 

Pause before you react

Similar to pausing for a breath to take care of yourself, you can use this to help with reaction. There are many, many times when, yes, the stressor itself is stressful, but it is our reaction that adds to the stress and takes it to another level. This is when we see ourselves and other SLPs or professionals getting really worked up when a session doesn’t go exactly as planned, when a student doesn’t show up or someone forgets to send them, or when you have to change the plan completely for the day at a moment’s notice. It is so frustrating and the reactions we have can add to our stress – fuming, sending an angry email, etc. These are natural and human responses, so it’s not that you should ignore them. But you could take a mindful approach to observe rather than react to them. They are not you (which is also part of the next segment). They are the reaction that you are having at a really challenging and frustrating moment. 

So, before you react to the situation, pause and take a few deep breaths, or even step away for a few moments. Taking this pause gives you a moment to think, to find clarity, to ask yourself “what has this brought up for me”, and shifts you into a place where you can observe, explore, and let the stress of it go – another place of action. 

Remember – Stress is not you

It sure does feel like the stress is you, and that is part of your makeup, but it is not you. Stress is real and it is a survival mechanism. And the things we consider “stress” are really the triggers of the reaction in your brain and your body. It is an automatic thing that happens, for some more than others, depending on your circumstances, past experiences, and how much you are already trying to process and filter through in that moment. AND the tools you have been given to cope and work through (with) it in your life so far. 

So, while it does get really big and scary and seems like it is going to take over everything…it is not who you are. YOU are not Stress. Stress is happening TO you and within you. You can look at it as the enemy, or look at it as a survival instinct that is a natural part of being a human, and then try some strategies to work through it and manage it from here on out. 

Make friends with breaks and downtime

One of the biggest challenges I have heard about from SLPs is the guilt and uncertainty when there does happen to be a break or amount of time in the schedule that is not direct therapy sessions scheduled. I haven’t really had a problem with this before (lol), but there has been a little inkling or two when I look at my schedule and see space – even after I have scheduled over 30 students for 3 partial days.  

Having a break or a moment to breathe seems wrong, especially if you are used to a jam packed schedule, tons of testing, only being paid for direct time, or high productivity rates. 

But these small breaks are incredibly beneficial for you. For one, they give you space to shift your schedule, to test or write reports or hold a meeting, to plan and prep for the next sessions or day, and to collaborate. And they also give you time to get up and move, to take a walk, to stretch. Time to breathe, pause, check-in. To eat, hydrate, or go to the bathroom. And to sit back and process and recharge before you jump back in. 

Breaks don’t make you weak or lazy or inefficient, they make you better able to do your work. 

Remember we are all humans (even you!)

This school year, remember that you are human, You are not a computer or a robot or anything that runs perfectly (and, honestly, these aren’t perfect either). You might make mistakes, need to try things and make changes, or just have a rough day. It is ok and does not mean you have failed, things will stay that way, or that you are a terrible SLP. It means you’re a human, going through a human experience. And if others seem to have a rough day or are not perfect, remember that they are also human. We all make mistakes and can greet them with curiosity and compassion. 

As you move into the school year, give these 5 strategies a try. When stress starts to build, take a break, pause before you react, and remind yourself that the stress is not you. Utilize some downtime that you have when it shows up and remember that you and all those you meet are humans, trying to figure it all out, too. 

Which one of these can you see yourself using this year? Share in the comments!

For more resources to help manage and lessen the stress you face this year, make sure to sign up for The Resilient SLP Toolbox. It’s a free resource library full of tools such as yoga classes, meditations, journal templates and more.

Subscribe below for instant access!

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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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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15Jun

5 Ways to Shift Into Summer Mode

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Self Care Stress Management
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Shift Into Summer Mode

Summer Break, even when you don’t work in the schools, is usually a time when schedules get relaxed, vacations are taken, and there is time to finally decompress and take care of YOU.

At least in theory.

When you finally get that first day off, after the mad rush of doing it ALL to get there, it can be a little more challenging than expected to just let go.

And this goes for those shorter vacations, long weekends, and breaks during the year. 

I have spent more vacations and long weekends than I would like to admit, stressed and tense, pretty much right up until that last day or two before it ends. 

When you are used to being productive, go-go-going, and being very busy non-stop, it is super challenging to do the one thing you have been wanting to do for so long – nothing. Your brain and body have been trained to keep going and to keep doing, all year long. So, even though you are feeling mentally and physically exhausted and drained, actually relaxing and unwinding can be incredibly hard to do. 

It is not as simple as not working and feeling relaxed. There is a much bigger change and shift that might happen, or need to happen, otherwise you could end up spending the summer stressed about your inability to not be stressed. Which, of course, keeps you stuck in the Cycle of Stress, while letting it continue to grow. 

Let’s be real. Your brain is probably full. Your heart might be feeling full or feeling heavy. You are probably wanting to do a million different things with no idea when to start. You might not have the first clue on how to relax and “let go”. Or you might have a jam packed summer schedule that you are now trying to balance and figure out how to work. 

It is hard to shift out of productivity go-go-go mode, and to process the entire year, while also trying to do some other stuff. It is enjoyable, but really, it’s a temporary lifestyle change that can be welcoming and still challenging. 

To help, you can try using a few strategies to help you shift out of work mode and into whatever mode your summer needs. 

5 Ways to Shift Into Summer Mode

Allow time to shift:

Summer might start instantly, but you might not be ready in an instant – even when you soooo want to be. While ideally you would love to jump right into the summer schedules, plans, and sunshine, you might need a buffer to get you there. If you are feeling this way, try to take a day or two to just have nothing planned, or to do some things to wrap up the end of the year, so you can be ready for summer. Maybe you sleep a little more or read a bit. Maybe you grab a coffee or tea and then just relax for the day. Maybe you go to the pool alone or you let your kids know that you’ll just hang around for a day while you feel less exhausted. 

It might feel like FOMO or that you only have thismuch time to do all the things, but having that one or two days to just decompress, rest, and take it slow, can help you shift into a mindset where you will enjoy that time later even more. 

Have a transition:

Just like at the end of the workday, it helps to have a transition point – something to tell your mind to shift over into this new mode, and let the work go. 

It can be really easy to come home from work, and still be thinking about and mentally “at” work. And this is so very mentally exhausting, as you try so hard to be present but your brain is still in the office, at your desk, wondering about your paperwork piles and workload. 

The same can happen for the summer. 

You are physically floating in your pool and your mind is still thinking about how hard the year was, that one meeting that did not go as planned, how challenging that caseload was/is, and all the work that comes with the job. And you start wondering is it worth it, when will it be easier, is the stress going to continue or get worse, and on and on and on. 

Not an enjoyable float around the pool. 

Having a transition – something to signal to your brain that it is time to shift out of work mode – can help you at the end of the workday, but can also help at the end of the school year or before a vacation. 

Maybe you have a gathering with friends to celebrate. Maybe you toast or cheers or open the pool. Maybe you write down your thoughts and feelings about the year. Maybe you have a dance party by yourself. Maybe you find a class at the gym that you really want to go to, and now you can since it is summer time. Big or small, this can help you make the mental shift. 

Look ahead, a little:

While being in the present moment is absolutely a good thing, and the real goal of it all, it can also help to look ahead..a little bit. There might be some things that you want to do or places you want to go this summer break. Having this thing to plan and look forward to might be what you need to help you find a rhythm and routine for the summer. It can give you a purpose and a thing to do, not just for the sake of being productive, but to help you feel more fulfilled during the summer break, and like you have something that you are looking forward to doing, rather than feeling stressed about just wandering through each day with no aim. 

Grab a new hobby and keep it going

Another thing that is similar to goal setting or planning is to find a hobby – either a new one or one to get back to. This can help you find a way to do “nothing” this summer. But, it can also help you once you head back to work at the end of summer break, or your long weekend break. Having a hobby can help you set better work-life balance, and leave work at work, as well as give you that little shift to transition from work to home mode. You can get into a routine with it now, and then use that as your reason, if you need one, to not work long hours, to take time for yourself, and to have something that is your to plan to do. 

Take time to process:

Assess the year to help close it out and to process it all. There might be a LOT of things that you are feeling and thinking and still sorting out mentally from this school year. 2021-2022 was a tough one, maybe the toughest, for so many people working in the schools. And, when you are constantly going to get through, you might not have had time to process, really let it all sink in, or work through it. So that stress may bubble up to the surface, even though you’re just sitting back and reading a fantasy novel. 

One thing that can help is to try some journaling. One that is useful is the brain dump, which helps you to unload a scenario or thought that keeps swirling about your mind into a new place. Another is to look at both “what was challenging” and “what went well” as a way to look at those things that were particularly challenging and acknowledge them, and then also to see what you are doing well and what is working for you, so you can keep shifting towards those and using them. 

If you are feeling a little stressed about the ease of summer, or the lack of ease that is showing up, try one or a few of these and help yourself to shift into summer mode. 

Want more resources to help?

Join the Resilient SLP Toolbox for more resources to help you in this transition and all summer long. In the Resilient SLP Toolbox, you’ll find meditation audios, yoga and mindful movement class videos, journal templates and more. You can subscribe to this free resource, and access it immediately, by entering your email below. 

Which are you going to try to help ease into summer? Leave a comment or send a message to jessi@jessiandricks.com

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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24Aug

3 Ways to Have a Better School Year

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Career Advice New SLP Podcast Stress Management
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better school year

With many SLPs facing back to school time – either as school-based SLPs, parents (that’s me!), or just community members – it is an exciting and kind of scary time. There is so much that is new, so much that is uncertain, and so much that you know will be stressful going into it.

A new school year or work year, or just a shift in our schedule or setting, can seem incredibly daunting. There is so much that you have to learn, set up, and get ready, on top of all of the new protocols and changes that you are facing due to the ongoing pandemic/COVID (and, often, the lack of support or mixed messages from states and districts). It can be really scary, on top of the stress of being an SLP. 

But it doesn’t have to be a year of ongoing stress.

Even with all that is uncertain, and the underlying stressors of being an SLP, there are some small things and changes that you can do to help make it easier. 

These are the things I wished I knew when I started out in my first job as a school-based SLP. It would have helped me feel less lost, less overwhelmed, and maybe even more connected to what I was doing. 

3 ways to have a better school year:

  • Focus on what is working
    • Ummmm, being an SLP is no joke. There is going to be a lot that will be challenging. This isn’t meant to overwhelm you or scare you. Being an SLP is absolutely Mother Flipping amazing and it is also a lot of work. You know SO much about a lot of things, and can help people in so many ways. This is great, and it can also be incredibly stressful and overwhelming. There are things that will not go well – sessions, caseloads, workloads, productivity, scheduling, groups, activities that totally bomb, piles of paperwork, etc. But there will also be things you do really, really well, that others do not do as well. You might be really awesome at engaging your students with real world stories, or doing crafts (so not me), or picking out books and themes, or finding fun games, or just having a convo with them. 
    • These may not be what the “best” (ugh, eyeroll) SLPs are doing, but if they resonate with you, and you do them well, then they will be beneficial, more so than using someone else’s tools and strengths. THIS is what can really help your students (or clients) to thrive and flourish and grow – all the things that are truly important. 
    • Take a moment to focus on these. See what it is that is working for you, or what is going well, and shift to focusing on these first. The rest will come later. If it’s even needed at all. 
  • Add in afternoon routine or transition:
    • This is so, so crucial. Your brain needs a shift at the end of the day to help you let go of the day and be more present at home. You know when you have left work, physically, but your thoughts are still on work – the upcoming meetings, the worrying about a student, the session that went wrong, the piles of paperwork, etc? This happens when your brain is overloaded and hasn’t shifted out of work mode yet. It makes it impossible to be present and is incredibly mentally draining. 
    • Give yourself a moment at the end of the day to pause and shift, using ritual or routine of some sort to help your brain recognize that work is over and to let it go. It can be something simple, like doing a stretch, writing 3 things you are grateful for, or grabbing a cup of tea before you leave. Or it could be longer like a walk on the way home, doing some meditation or yoga before you leave your home office, or reading a book. Anything that helps you break apart the day will work.
  • Have some boundaries
    • Oh, yikes! These are really hard to do, but, also, so important. Setting boundaries will help you to prevent being overworked, overwhelmed and burned out. They can be uncomfortable to do and can seem pushy or “too much”, but they are necessary to keep going. 
    • Try utilizing the word “no”. It is hard and can seem mean, but it is absolutely not. (See, I just did it!). Saying “no” gives you space for more things that will lift you up, keep you connected and keep you thriving AND it also helps others see where you really are not able to help or take on more. Saying “yes” out of guilt only adds to your overwork and overwhelm. It takes practice, but start small and try it out. Guilt-free. Try “Sorry, I am not able to take that on right now” or “No, thank you” or “This is not possible for me. What can we do instead?”.
    • Along with “no”, leave work at work. Ok, ok, I know it is not always possible. Instead of setting huge lines of always/never take work home, try for one night a month to bring it home, and set aside time to do it. If you constantly bring it home, and leave it in the corner, staring at you, it will only make you feel guilty and pulled in opposing directions between home and work. (This goes for staying late as well – choose one day a week/month to stay and get it done). 

These won’t get rid of all the stress – I wish!! Or make things like health and safety instantly better – I really do wish on this one. But they will help to make your year more manageable, help you find more freedom, and give you a better foundation to show up, grow, and be an amazing (kick butt) SLP.

Which one of these will you start using more of? Share in the comments below or send me a message at jessi@jessiandricks.com!

For more tools to help you manage and reduce your SLP stress, make sure to subscribe to the FREE resource library, the SLP Toolbox. It is full of stress management and mindfulness resources, made for SLPs, to help you better reduce and manage your stress, without adding to it. Sign up for free below.

Much Love, 

Jessi

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24Jul

Love being a School SLP but feel like you want to quit? An Interview with SLP Toolkit: SLP Stress Management Podcast

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Podcast Stress Management Uncategorized
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SLP Toolkit

If you have ever heard me tell my “story” of how I ended up quitting being an SLP for nearly 5 years, dropped my license, and let go of my CCC’s, then you know that I often say it was the schools that “broke me”.

I worked in the school settings, after sending 2-3 years in the medical side of things, due to it being the only job available in my area. The school was lovely and my caseload was ok sized – big but not overly so. I took over from another SLP who was leaving to work in a hospital setting, and started with her schedule halfway through the school year. It was a primary school (pre-K thru 2nd grade) and had super supportive admin and staff. And I dreaded every moment of it.

The next school year, I was back on the same campus, but floated between the primary, elementary AND middle school. Again, it was a decent sized caseload and the students were all really great. I had another SLP working with me that I got along with, and the staff was ok to work with. But this is where I ended up leaving.

It wasn’t a big thing, it was a lot of small things that piled up over the year (half of 2 school years) and made me ultimately decide to quit and leave (in my mind forever and ever).

The sad realization is that I am not alone in this. There are a lot of SLPs who are feeling this way or have felt this way, and many do end up leaving or dreading every moment they are there. It sucks for them and for the students. It is especially disheartening when you LOVE the field of Speech Pathology, and enjoy working with students, but the overwhelming amount of “stuff” you need to do each day makes you want to quit.

In my recent interview with the founders of SLP Toolkit (and co-founders of SLP Summit), we talk about how this incredible stress and the desire to quit, despite LOVING the field and working with the students, led them to team up and create something to help other SLPs – SLP Toolkit. While it started as something for their school district, it ultimately became a fantastic tool to help SLPs streamline all of the “other” parts of the job, so they can enjoy the therapy, work with the students, and be the School-based SLP they always wanted to be.

You can check out the episode below or tune in here.

Resources:

SLP Toolkit

SLP Summit

If you are looking to dive deeper into managing your stress as an SLP, make sure to check out the SLP Stress Management Online Course, enrolling soon for Fall 2020.

You can also check out some FREE SLP Stress Management resources by subscribing to the SLP Toolbox below:

Much Love,

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