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7Dec

Gratitude Activities for Speech Therapy

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Gratitude Mindfulness mindfulness in speech therapy New SLP yoga for kids
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gratitude activities for speech therapy

Gratitude season is upon us, with Thanksgiving happening here in the US, and the rest of the holiday season to follow. While not everyone celebrates, or celebrates the same way, it can be a wonderful time to pause and practice gratitude – something that we can all benefit from and connect with, no matter what we celebrate, where we live, or what our traditions are. 

Gratitude is a mindfulness practice and a big part of positive psychology, which looks at strengths and shifts your brain to notice the things that are good, positive, and working well. Your brain, and mine, is trained to naturally look at what is not working or going well, to help protect you from threats and stress. It can create a cycle where the more you see, the more you are looking for, and turn these into the pathways that you are using consistently. Gratitude helps you tune into the opposite. When you do this, it helps to create new pathways in your brain that see the parts that often go unnoticed – the things that are positive, bring joy to your world, and are going well for you. It helps you to pull away from the stress and not get stuck in it, so you can feel more at ease, more at peace, and for your brain to work more optimally. 

And it can do the same for your students, specifically with the parts of the brain that help with learning, cognition, executive functioning, and language – all things that we work on in speech therapy and in school. 

Gratitude doesn’t have to be anything super complicated – it can be as simple as thinking of 3 things that are positive in your day, or maybe writing down three things that went well for you. These small practices can build up and create big shifts in your outlook and mindset. 

With students, this can be a fun way to engage with them, help them to put this into practice, and create or share some wonderful practices that will help them their entire life. 

Here are Gratitude Activities for Speech Therapy or your Classroom:

Gratitude Books: Books are always a great option, because they promote and help support so many things, in speech therapy and beyond. You can use them for articulation, literacy, vocabulary building (expressive language skills), inference and wh?’s (receptive language skills), fluency, and more. Gratitude books are extra fun because they can help share gratitude practices, give unique topics to talk about, and lead into another activity, like a craft, gratitude list, or mediation.One of my favorite books is “Zen Pig”, which share s the journey of a pig who seems effortlessly happy to others, but really has the practice of gratitude to help him out.

Gratitude Crafts: I am not crafty, but I do love a good gratitude craft. The focus on these is usually to make a list of things you are grateful for, but make it more fun than just a “list” for the students. Turn it into a Thankful Turkey or a Positivity PIg (perhaps after reading Zen Pig), or a gratitude rainbow. You can take the things you are grateful for and attach them somehow. For a gratitude/thankful turkey, you can put together the body of it (great for following directions and sequencing) and then place the feathers. For each feather, you can write down one thing you are grateful or thankful for. You can then use these to target the students goals, either language or articulation. And If they celebrate Thanksgiving, you have a fantastic decoration to send home – which parents will appreciate 🙂

Gratitude Meditations: You could even use a gratitude meditation to start/end your session, to help bring in more mindfulness, and help promote that less stressed state, which enhances learning and the brain’s functioning. Maybe focus on different parts of the body ( i am grateful for my strong arms that carry my books, etc), or focus on things they are grateful for (they can silently name them in their head). 

Gratitude Games: You could also get creative in a non-crafty way and use gratitude for a game, targeting your goals. Maybe use it to create a word list and then do your drills from there. Or create  a list of things you are grateful for and play pictionary/charades, drawing or acting each one out, then practicing your specific skill. You could even create a word search or worksheet activity of some kind, if you need a little more downtime with it. 

No matter what, at the end, be sure to pause and talk about gratitude, bring it back to a place to notice and breathe and reflect. 

How do you incorporate gratitude into your speech room or classroom? Share below!

Want more resources to help you bring mindfulness and gratitude to your speech room or classroom? Enter your email below for instant access to my resource list, full of my favorite tools, tips, and places to find all things mindfulness. You’ll find anything from books to use in speech therapy, to yoga dice, to fidgets and more. 

With Love, Light, and Gratitude, 

Jessi

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7Sep

5 Types of Mindfulness Activities to Use in Your Speech (Class) Room

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: mindfulness in speech therapy yoga for kids
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mindfulness activities to use in your speech room

Mindfulness is not something I ever learned about or even thought of using when I started out as an SLP in 2008. Yoga and mindfulness were things I dabbled in but they were hard to come by in my community and absolutely not talked about them where I worked, let alone used in a classroom or speech room. But things have changed, and as these have become more mainstream and the benefits of them are more well-known, they are used more often.

Last year, I started branching out and teaching some yoga for kids classes, and finding ways to use mindfulness in my speech room, and sharing strategies with others. It is what my new course “Mindfulness in your Speech Room”, launching later this September, is all about.


If you have ever thought about using these in your class, needed mindfulness activities to use in your speech room, or wondered how to incorporate them into a speech session, it is probably a lot easier (and more fun!) than you ever imagined.

Here are 5 Types of Mindfulness Activities to Use in Your Speech Room:

Games: If you like to play games in your therapy or class, to help foster receptive language skills such as following directions, with social.pragmatic groups, to build up some vocabulary, or as a simple reward/positive moment, there are several ways to bring in yoga and mindfulness. One way is to play a game like “Yogi/Simon says”, using yoga poses. Call out a pose and demo it, and see if they follow when “yogi/Simon” says. You could also try using some yoga dice and take turns creating a mini sequence. Another fun game is to have a hoberman sphere have students take a few breaths with it or name a pose then throw it to another student to do the same. It builds community, works the brain, creates play, and can be something new for the students.

Breathing Breaks: If you need something to help students find their focus or to regain self-control or calm, breathing breaks can be helpful. You can use tactile cues, like a hand on their chest/belly, toy on their belly, a hoberman sphere, or color-changing apps. It can be a pause that helps students to regroup, much like it does for adults.

Yoga Poses/Names: If you are working on articulation or language skills, using yoga pose names can be a fun way to practice sounds and build sentences. Write down a few on a board to choose from, grab some yoga cards, or give the students a new pose to try doing and name.

Check-In: Having a mindful moment when you first step into the class can be a great way to check-in with students and help them get settled for the session. It could be breathing, choosing the “color” they feel emotionally, or shaking it out on a wiggly day.

Books: If you love to incorporate books into your speech therapy sessions, there are a TON of yoga and mindfulness books that you could use, and then create activities, movement, vocabulary, articulation, etc from. You can search on google, head to the library, or reach out to me for some suggestions. Personally, I like the “I am” series by Susan Verde.

There are so many ways that you can infuse yoga speech sessions with mindfulness, either a little bit here and there or with the activity itself. They can help students to find a new way of learning, a new way of having fun, or to get settled and prepared for the session, shifting their brain for speech time.

Which one do you think you are going to try? Share in the comments and let me know! Or DM me on IG at jessiandricks.

Want to bring some mindfulness to your classroom? If you are looking for some fun and out of the box ways to connect, that can help you to feel truly authentic and supportive of your students, make sure to sign up for the waitlist for my newest course “Mindfulness in Your (Speech) Room”. It is a course for SLPs and educators that will share who you can bring mindfulness and yoga into your classroom, as little or as much as you’d like, and how it can change everything – for the better. You can sign up for the waitlist here (and snag an exclusive discount when doors open later in September).

With Love and Light,
Jessi

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17Aug

5 Things that are Working for me as a School SLP

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Podcast Stress Management
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working for me as a school slp

The 2022-2023 school year was my first full school year as an SLP, even though I graduated in 2008. I worked in the schools before, either in teletherapy, where I felt a little disconnected with the school itself, or covering portions of school years. In both of those, I felt a lot of stress and didn’t really feel connected in the way I did this year. This year was not perfect – I learned a lot, made mistakes, and have some things I want to tweak and shift moving forward. I’ve spent some time reflecting on these things and on how I can take it into the year ahead. 

However, the focus doesn’t always have to be on what you can shift, change or do better with. It is amazing to reflect on what you learned and how you can grow from it. It is also pretty darn amazing to stop and notice your strengths, what you did well, and what totally flipping worked for you. 

And, in truth, there was a lot that I liked and wanted to keep doing. 

My reflections of this year are that a lot of things went well for me. I had a great place to work, one that welcomed helping people thrive and grow. I had students who were happy and wanted to come to speech, and thought of it as a fun place and a safe place. And I enjoyed being there each day. That’s not to say sometimes I wouldn’t have rather been chilling at home. But I wasn’t dreading it, searching for any way to be anywhere but there. It was a pretty big shift from my last two times working in the schools, both in person in a school and in teletherapy. 

When I look back, it was the things that worked for me, that helped me to want to be there and to feel less stress and overwhelm. 

5 Things that are Working for Me as a School SLP

Here are a few things that worked and that made a big difference for me, and that I want to keep doing:

Ditched tables and plopped down on the floor:

I had several tables and stations in my room. One was a “horseshoe” table, where I had a few (wobble) seats set up around it. Another was a square table that had 4 seats. I also had a rug in the middle of my room, and a few throw pillows and a shag circle rug, and THIS is where the majority of sessions were held. Not in the seats at the table, not even in the wobble seats (although we did pull those over to the rug from time to time). The students were allowed to sit or lay down while we played games and did our work – as long as it didn’t distract them from participating more than it helped. I had one or two groups who preferred sitting at a table, and I used the horseshoe one for evals. 

Used the materials they were using:

If I pushed into a teacher’s class, I would use the items they were already using or had on hand. Most of the time, that looked like using whatever materials were at the station the student was at. If there was a certain station that worked better for speech therapy, I would try to see the students when they were at that one. If it was different materials each day (preschool), I would dive in and play with them for the session. It wasn’t always perfect or my ideal material, but I didn’t have to worry about supplying any or lugging them around, and it was more in line with what they were actually doing in the class  – because that’s exactly what it was 😉

Word lists over flashcards:

I do love flashcards, I really do, but it was also fun to have the students help me come up with some target to work on and just have a wordlist that we wrote down together. It helped them feel more excited about using the words, and then we would use them as the main part of the activity or drill before their turn for the game of the day. And I didn’t have to hunt down a pack of flashcards in the exact sound I needed for that day 🙂

Community and connection:

I mentioned before that connection made such a difference. It was how I connected with coworkers, but also with my students. I made sure to connect with my students, and let them know it was about growing, not about being perfect or “fixing” them.  We had the “foundations” for our speech room listed on our wall, and would refer to them if needed. Everyone is different here, but the vibe was that they were a part of “team speech” if they came to my room, and I was part of their class if I went to their room. 

Mindfulness mixed in:

This is not what you might think. I absolutely did not do straight up yoga or meditation or breathing for the speech session. It was not taking a yoga class and twisting it to become a speech class. It was more infusing the classroom and the activities with mindfulness (which is exactly what Mindfulness in Your Speech Room is all about). I would use some of the tools (like some deep breathing) if needed, especially on days where I noticed that attention or focus was drifting. I had an area that students could go to if they were feeling overwhelmed and needed to pause before joining, or to grab a fidget or sensory item. And we referenced our class motto/foundation based around Growth Mindset. And I am excited to bring even more of this into my room in the upcoming year. 

It is really easy to look at what you need to do better or change, or even shift because you learned something. But it is also important to look at what worked for you and what went well, so you can continue to use it, not let ist get pushed aside, and to help recognize that, yes, you are the SLP and you did some really awesome things and worked with some awesome humans.

What went well for you this year? Share in the comments or DM me @jessiandricks on IG

Want to bring mindfulness to your class or speechroom for the upcoming year? Make sure to sign up for the waitlist and be the first to know when my new course on Mindfulness in your SLP Room opens, plus snag an exclusive discount on enrollment. Click here, enter your email, and confirm your sign up for all the details!

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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8Aug

4 Places I’m Making Shifts as a School SLP

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Podcast Stress Management
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making shifts as a school slp

As one school year ends and another begins, one thing I am absolutely sure of is that I don’t want to be under a pile of paperwork at the end again. While I know this is not absolutely realistic, there are a few things that I plan on doing next time that I didn’t do this year. They are not deal breakers or things that HAVE to be done (maybe would be better to get done), but that if I can, I will try to shift to more of this in the upcoming year. 

As I end this school year and get ready for the next, one thing I am absolutely sure of is that I don’t want to be under a pile of paperwork at the end again. While I know this is not absolutely realistic, there are a few things that I plan on doing next time that I didn’t do this year. They are not deal breakers or things that HAVE to be done (maybe would be better to get done), but that if I can, I will try to shift to more of this in the upcoming year. 

I had some good systems set up, but, being my first year, there was a lot of learning to do and set up for those systems, so things got a little clogged up. For example, I had a spreadsheet for every grade, with a separate sheet for each person. It included their goals and services times, so I could plug in each day, materials if needed, and then my note. This took forever to set up, and will be faster now that I can copy/paste them and change the info. 

4 Places I’m Making Shifts as a School SLP

Little side note – this is not about perfection or to make you feel you have to “go for type B to type A” or that you have to do this or you are not good enough. SO not that way – these are just some strategies that I am going to try and thought I would share in case you are looking for ways to try or in case you have one that I could try, too. 

Consult: Ah the students who are on the caseload but not direct therapy. I for sure need a more solid plan for checking in, keeping track, and getting these efficiently done and entered. I had a few spreadsheets and plans to enter notes, and ways to check in, but I also had a few ideas that never developed. I wanted to have them on a separate spreadsheet, rather than grade level. And I also wanted to have set check in times throughout the year, with reminders in my calendar or spreadsheet if needed. I never got around to it, but I know I can easily plan for this in the upcoming year. For this, it’s not an overhaul or change, more just refining. 

Notes: This year, I entered them into a spreadsheet, from a bunch of sticky notes, not exactly right away. And then form that spreadsheet into the system way, way, way later than was needed. I kept thinking I’ll do it when_” but then “when “ would show up, pass by, and another thing would pop up – evals, screens, sicknesses, etc. I ended up way more behind than ever and it took a long time to catch up. Not super awesome. Not the worst, but not how I want to do it again. My new plan: Enter in at the end of each week. Daily would be ideal, right? But I do not see that as absolutely possible. So having a solid time set aside to get these notes in is my plan. I know that sometimes things will pop up, but if I have a nearly non-negotiable time set up, then I know, notes at this time and then other things later. Realistically, this will not always happen and things will come up, but most of the time, I’m aiming for weekly. (Ask me mid September how this is going, lol). 

Progress Reports: My strategy this year was urgently waiting until the last minute or few days, and feeling pretty overwhelmed. This definitely got easier as the year went on. I remember that first batch took me days and an entire weekend to get done. Later in the year, it took a few parts (large parts) of my days to get done. I have no real change or efficient way, besides starting earlier. That’s all. No huge overhaul or system, just start a few weeks earlier, if possible, instead of the week of. It might work, might not, but that’s my slight shift with this one. 

Evaluations: My current style – not scheduling them in or writing them up right away, not entering them into the system until the end of year. For evals, I’m not a drop everything and do it now kind of person, unless it is an urgent request. Then I’m all for it and it is fine. Otherwise, I kind of wait and get backlogged. So trying to have an eval day or time in my schedule, or to see when one comes in where I can schedule it, rather than keep it in my head, could be worth trying. Mainly though, I plan on entering these when they happen, rather than waiting until the end or much later. It will be more efficient and not a hard thing to get done. 

There is definitely more, for sure, but this is my start and my reflection on what I learned after a year of working in the schools, and the shifts I plan to make in the upcoming year. My plan next year is this – not rush at the end to do what I could have done at the beginning (because yes, I still had some filing from the summer to finish up at the end of the school year, lol), and to use the tools I set in place before to be able to use them more efficiently this year. 

What is a small shift you are making going into the upcoming school year? Share in the comments or DM me @jessiandricks on IG

Want more resources to help you as you move into a new year (or if you are still in it)? Subscribe below for FREE resources in the SLP Toolbox, including meditations audio, movement videos, and self-care tips and templates. 

And, if you want to gain a skill in bringing mindfulness to your class or speechroom for the upcoming year, make sure to sign up for the waitlist and be the first to know when my new course on Mindfulness in your SLP Room opens, plus snag an exclusive discount on enrollment. Click here, enter your email, and confirm your sign up for all the details!

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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20Jul

3 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get Things Done

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Burn Out Stress Management
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stop procrastinating

Ugh, it has been awhile. The end of the school year, that last quarter, really snuck up on me and was 1000x busier than I ever imagined it would be. Nothing bad or unreasonable, just a LOT Of things to balance in life between being a parent to two young kids with lots of stuff going on in their schools, my own work to wrap up for the year, and all the joyful, celebratory events that come along with it. And COVID – twice. 

It has been a lot.

My intention was to start back with a wrap up post and insights into my first year back in the SLP world – and I totally will do that. But what is more realistic, and what I wanted to share in case it helps you along the way, is about procrastination.

You see, I have been procrastinating on a few things (some of which are announcements that I have in the newsletter, and you can subscribe to stay updated on). They are things that maybe carry some emotions with them, or that are not completely cut and dry, or that require some uncertainty and learning. And so, instead of tackling them, I push them aside, find other things that need to be done, and let those sit there. Only they don’t just sit there, they sit there and grow and fester until I can’t take the stress of them and THEN I tackle them.

Sounds familiar?

This is procrastination in a nutshell. And it can seem like a super productive way to do things, especially if you have been using this as a tool since way back in 8th grade when you have to start writing 5 paragraph essays and book reports. The more pressure, the more “in the zone” you’ll be. And, while this can be true, it can also carry with it a lot of mental load in the preceding moments and days before you jump in. Usually, this kind is linked to some kind of avoidance – at least in my experience. 

So, since stress is the thing you are here to reduce, here are a few things that I find help me when I notice I am procrastinating in order to avoid things. 

3 Ways to Stop Procrastinating

Get up and move:

It seems counterproductive to continue to NOT do the thing, but getting up and moving can help you to get out of your head and into your body. This helps to take some of the mental load off, which alleviate some stress and turns down the stress response When you do this, your brain is able to process and “think” again, which can sometimes help you find the solution, clarity, or great idea you were stuck without when you were sitting and stressing. 

Try going for a walk outside, doing some yoga, or heading to the gym for a class or some freestyle workout.

Start with a brain dump:

Honestly, this is kind of an example of a brain dump. A brain dump is when you start writing, maybe about the issue or just starting with “I am so stuck and don;t know where to start with the thing I’m stuck on” and you just keep writing. Often, it is the initial starting point that can trip you up – like when you want to workout and find 100 excuses why it won;t work but then once you start, you could keep on going longer than planned. The act of writing can help you to get going and then start brainstorming, writing, creating, ro whatever it is you need to do, by getting through that first step. It might not be exactly what you planned, but it is a step forward. 

Aim for done, not perfect:

There is no guarantee that things will go as planned or be as epic as you imagined. And those ideas of perfection or getting everything settled first can stop you from ever getting started. Sometimes it is called analysis paralysis. Going through ALL the things that could happen, that you need first, and that must be done before you start, before you can actually begin at all. It keeps you in procrastination mode, and stops you from getting started or reaching those epic ideations and goals. The thing is – most likely, things won’t live up to the epic dreams you have of it in your mind. They might be a lot simpler or less in reality, or they might be something even more amazing. So get started, and aim for letting it flow and be done, rather than getting it perfect. And remember – no one will ever know if it isn’t exactly what you envisioned, and it will seem perfectly wonderful to them.

If you, like me, are a lifetime procrastinator (from generations of procrastinators), try one of two of these to help you get into the mode of starting, and stop procrastinating, so that you can move forward and let the stress go a bit. 

Which one are you going to try? Share in the comments or send me a DM on instagram @jessiandricks

Want more resources to help you manage stress, reduce the risk of burnout and find more balance in your life? Subscribe below for access to the resources and the weekly newsletter straight to your inbox (no spam, I promise!).


With Love and light,

Jessi Andricks

PS – Get PDH for $15!! All 1 hour workshops are on sale now through August 1st – and then they’ll be gone!! Grab them now and earn your PDH here.

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30Jan

Having Control vs Controlling Your SLP Stress

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Perfectionism Podcast Stress Management
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control vs controlling

One time, in my work as a school-based SLP, I had a student I needed to screen. The team expected the screen to go smoothly, for this student to “pass” it with no issues, and for it to just be a general component to add to their overall evaluation process. So, they didn’t allow much time before the screen and results were due – not to be rude or inconsiderate, but because it seemed straight forward.  

But it turned out not to be. The student did not pass the screen and an evaluation was needed ASAP. And I could feel the dial of stress start to turn up a notch or five.

This could easily have gone one of two ways. 

It could have been an ongoing, growing source of stress, because it was not part of my plan and I had no room for this in my planned out schedule. If I held to my schedule strictly, all I would be able to see that I was in control, things would go the way the schedule said, and that I would not have room to do it. But, it would still have to get done, just with so much stress and pressure and guilt and surrounding it.

I could also try to loosen the reins a bit and remind myself that things do not have to stick to the schedule exactly – that a shift here or there will happen, and learn from it and do it differently next time (make sure there is always time in case both pieces are needed). 

The big difference here is not a laid back attitude, relaxed schedule, great place to work, or just rolling with it. It’s the way the control of the situation works.

One way is to control the situation in order to avoid stress, which leads to more work, more pressure, and more stress. In the other, it is about regaining control in order to not feel helpless, and to work through the stress and come out the other side with some new insights and tools. 

I see this so much with other SLPs, because I have seen it in myself. You try so hard to map it all out exactly (like your school based schedule) and then, when a small shift happens that is not in the plan, it adds more stress to the situation. So you go in and tweak it even more, perfect it just a bit further until it is “just right”, and then another thing happens and the stress grows and things get even harder, and you try to make the plan work even more. 

It is exhausting. 

When stress builds up, there is often one big player that shows up – control. Having control of a situation can make it so that you feel you are best prepared to face whatever shows up, that you are the one leading the situation, and that the outcome of it is up to you. This can leave you feeling way more settled, full of power, and, well, in control. It can also be the start of additional stress, and a spiral into what you are trying to avoid, because things rarely go *exactly* as planned. 

Having control can be great, and can help reduce stress, but controlling can be something that allows stress to build. They are very similar, but do complete opposite things when it comes to managing your stress. 

When you are controlling, you are forcing the outcome or a situation and expecting that it must go a certain way or it won’t be ok. This might look like planning out each speech therapy session precisely, leaving no wiggle room in your schedule (everything is down to the minute) and expecting that your day and life will go the way you say it will. It sounds good. It sounds like it would make things much less stressful. But it doesn’t. Instead, this often adds more pressure to keep everything going the way it is mapped out, and builds the stress you are so very much trying to control and keep from building. 

Controlling leaves no room for being human, for things to change, or for the perspective and plans of another person. 

Your students might not want to do the activity you have mapped out. They might need to stop to use the restroom or have some questions to ask you, which could take out some of the time from that detailed and rigid schedule that you mapped out. And, you might have someone stop by to talk to you about a student or you don’t feel like doing the lesson you have planned, or students are not available that day. 

Things happen, and the way you look at control can make all the difference. 

Here are questions to ask yourself to determine if you are in control or controlling your (SLP) stress:

  1. Is there room for the unexpected?

One quick way to check is to see if there is room for the unexpected. Unexpected things could be a schedule change, a student who needs to be evaluated ASAP, a colleague needing to talk to you in the middle of the session, a student needing to use the restroom, OT/PT swapping days, etc. These are all parts of life in a workplace, especially a school, and are all part of being human. You can only plan and control so much, before you are micromanaging and not allowing for others perspectives, incorporating needs of others at times, and leaving room for being human and ever-changing. 
Having a little wiggle room, or knowing things do not have to be perfect each time, can leave room for the unexpected, which is absolutely expected. 

  1. Are you avoiding stress by having control? 

There is no way to avoid stress or completely control it. There is no magic, crystal ball to tell you how everything will be laid out and what to expect from all of it. 

Controlling stress is often done to try to avoid experiencing it. If you can control the situation and get it exactly how you want and expect it to be, then you can avoid the stressful parts of it from happening. It sounds so good when you first think about it. But avoiding stress is not possible and leads to more controlling and more stress, and it never give you to the tools to manage it and reduce it

When you look at your stress and your day, are you doing things to avoid it from happening or to have a little say and understanding in how your day unfolds?

  1. Is the control adding to your stress? 

If you are trying to work on stress, the worst thing is when you are feeling it grow more and more, despite doing more and more to make it stop. This is usually a huge red flag that you are controlling vs having some control. Having some control (say, knowing who your students are that day and what activity will be going on in the class at that time) lessens the stress by giving you a little foundation and ground to stand on vs controlling (only seeing these students form a specific time, no matter if they have other needs, and planning an activity that they will do, because it has to be done to meet the goals they way you want them to get done today) which keeps you in the stress loop in your body and brain and keeps you in a pass/fail mindset. 

If the control is adding to your stress, it is time to try something new. Look at what you absolutely need to do (it is way less than you probably think) and give yourself 1-2 things to get done that day, and plan a session with a little more wiggle room. Maybe choose 1 game for the week to use in all your sessions. Have the students help you decide on some activities. And know that it doesn’t have to be perfect or exact to help them reach their goals and to give you data to report as needed. 

I know it is all easier said than done. But just having some awareness of it, and realizing that the control might be more controlling than helpful can be the first step towards unwinding some of the stress and really learning how to manage it. 

Give this a try:

  1. Take 10 minutes to work through these questions. Grab a journal and write them down, and explore the answers you come up with. Allow yourself to be honest – there is no grade or right/wrong, or better than. It is where you are and what you can do next.
  2. When you’re ready, write down 3 swaps you can make to shift from controlling to having control. 
  3. Add in 1 stress management tool to use that day – and make it flexible if needed. 

Want some tools to help you manage your stress? Check out the FREE resources in The Resilient SLP Toolbox. You can subscribe to this FREE resource and get access to yoga classes, meditation audios, and more. 

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Do you feel you are stressed from controlling your day, or less stress from having a little control? Share in the comments,

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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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.

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With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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15Jul

4 Ways to Help Stop Imposter Syndrome in its Tracks

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Burn Out Career Advice Perfectionism Stress Management
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Stop Imposter Syndrome

There is this thing that we SLPs experience regularly, in a huge amount, that likes to come calling when we are suddenly not 100% sure of a therapy protocol, if a session went differently than planned, when a parent asks us a question and catches us off guard, or when your supervisor says “are you sure?”. It’s that little voice, calling you from afar, like a creature luring you into a forbidden fairytale forest, only to trick you once you follow it.

And it is Imposter Syndrome. 

The feeling that you are a fraud. That you know nothing. That you are lucky you have made it this far, And that today might be the day when you are exposed and found out. 

I know I have experienced this as an SLP, as a yoga teacher, and as a writer, author, and coach here in this space. That sudden panic or thoughts that “oh no, I can’t be enough”.

I know I am not alone in these feelings, especially as an SLP. 

So many SLPs, maybe even you, head to work each day with their fingers-crossed, hoping that no one notices they have absolutely no clue what they are doing. Or, at least, it feels that way. That even though you have spent 6 or so years learning all of the ins and outs of the field and how to do therapy, and how to evaluate someone, and you are the expert in this, that, somehow, you are really just a fraud, disguised as the expert and the one who is knowledgeable about all of this stuff. 

Imposter Syndrome can be a huge block when it comes to letting go of stress, connecting to your work, and growing in it, even when challenges arise. It can come from perfectionism, and the competitiveness that is often in our field and in grad school. 

And it is really no wonder when you look at a few things about Imposter Syndrome. 

What is Imposter Syndrome?

According to the APA, “impostor phenomenon [also called Imposter Syndrome] occurs among high achievers who are unable to internalize and accept their success. They often attribute their accomplishments to luck rather than to ability, and fear that others will eventually unmask them as a fraud.”

This means that Imposter Syndrome happens to those who are used to striving for more, reaching high productivity levels and caseloads, and wanting to do the best, and do it “right” with no mistakes. It means feeling the need to be perfect and to do more than is expected, or more than is possible, to prove you are worthy of the position, of the work you do, and of being the SLP for these students or clients. 

And it sums up the realities of being an SLP better than any grad school flier or job recruiter ever could. 

Imposter Syndrome can happen when you are in grad school or in your CF year, or as a brand new CCC-SLP, but it can also happen when you are a “seasoned” SLP, who has been practicing in the same setting and building for decades. If you are leaning towards perfectionism or having to meet high expectations all the time, Imposter Syndrome is likely to hit and likely to keep you from reaching out for help. 

As WebMD puts it, professionally “If you  believe your career success is due to luck instead of your skills, you may be less likely to ask for a promotion or raise. You could also feel you need to overwork to meet the unrealistically high standard you’ve created for yourself.

Studies show that imposter syndrome can cause more burnout, lower job performance, and less job satisfaction.”

As an SLP, it is likely that you already know how hard burnout can hit in this field, and that chronic stress can lead to it. But you might not have realized that the perfectionist tendencies or doing more and doing the job *just right* might be leading to that same burnout and overwhelm, rather than helping with it. 

If you are facing Imposter Syndrome, here are a few things you can do.

4 Ways to Stop Imposter Syndrome in its Tracks

Bring in awareness: Where is it that you are currently struggling to do more or do perfectly? Where are you feeling that you are not enough, and possibly striving to prove you can do it?

Just observing this part of your day and your habits, brings awareness to it. In mindfulness, awareness is often the first step towards creating new habits or making a change. It is about seeing what is happening, so you can understand it better, without forcing it to be different or labeling it as “bad”, “wrong”, or “not good enough”.

Reflect on it: Ask yourself, what is the purpose here? What is not working and what is working?

You might be familiar with hearing people say “remember your why?”. So, when I say, “what is the purpose here”, this is not quite what I am talking about. Remembering your why can be helpful when you feel disconnected and have had a really tough day. But this is something a little different. 

Here, take a movement to pause and reflect on what the purpose of what you are doing, the Imposter Syndrome-inducing, perfectionist-driven things, and what the point of them is. If you are working really, really hard to do more and take on more, to prove you can do it, stop and ask yourself, “Why this action? What is the purpose?”. It can help you to take the awareness to the next level  – to move from noticing what is happening to understanding why it is happening and why this is what you are using to work with. 

Often, when you go back to the purpose of it all, you can see how the habits and strategies you are using, that are leading to Imposter Syndrome, are keeping you from reaching that purpose, rather than bringing you towards it. 

Take note of what is not working for you, and, in the next step, find some ways to help shift and move forward. 

Shift your focus: What is working and going well?

 If you are stuck in Imposter Syndrome, you are likely very hard on yourself and critical of the work you do each day. This means your focus is on what is not going well, what you are not doing “right” and what is not working, over and over and over again. If you start consciously shifting ot what is working, and train yourself to make this a habit and routine each day, it can help you to see all the things that you are doing well, give you motivation to do more of those, and connect you back to your work, without the need to prove you are worthy of it. 

Reach out for support. Find an SLP friend or mentor that you can reach out to and share your feelings of Imposter Syndrome with.

When I was a new SLP, especially in the school setting, I felt really alone with my struggles of feeling disconnected from my work. It seemed like everyone else LOVED their work, enjoyed coming in early and staying late, and lived to be an SLP with each and every breath. And I just didn’t. And that was ok. I just didn’t know it then. 

Having people who I can reach out to now, and seeing that others are going through similar things and other things, helps to know that we don’t need to be perfect to be an SLP. We just need to keep showing up. And we don’t know it all or won’t always to it *just right*. 

Social media can make this seem even worse, when you see people talking about how they would NEVER do therapy this way, or showcasing all the perfect and wonderful things in their day while leaving out the challenges, or judging others for not being perfect. It is NOT the reality of most things and is typically one-sided (another post for another day).

Finding a group of SLPs online that are kind (not judgmental or snarky) or a mentor you can reach out to when things are confusing or a friend you can go grab a coffee/wine or zoom call with, can help you to work through it and not feel like the only one who doesn’t know it all. 

If you are feeling that you are not good enough or in the wrong field or that you have no idea what you are doing, first know that you are not alone, and second, now that it is Imposter Syndrome calling you in. 

Stop, become aware of it, reflect on it, focusing on what is working for you, and find someone to connect to where you can share your feelings and frustrations or ask a question or twelve. 

When do you feel Imposter Syndrome the most? Share in the comments below!

For more resources, to help with Imposter Syndrome and Managing Stress, make sure to sign up for The Resilient SLP Toolbox. You’ll get access to online yoga classes, meditation audios, journal templates, guides and more. 

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With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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