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16Jan

How to Set an Intention that Lasts for Years to Come

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Perfectionism Podcast Stress Management
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set an intention

I was brushing my teeth the other morning when my husband came in and said “Did you set any intentions for this year?”. I laughed and reminded him that, yes, I set so many and we had talked about them, remember? He looked at me and said, “I thought those were all jokes?”. And he was right, they kind of were – finally finish rewatching The OC, bake/eat more cookies, continue to be awesome (j/k), eat more guacamole. 

I thought about it for a minute and asked him “What are your intentions?” and he shared his and I thought about what I really wanted to set as an intention – to get back to walking/hiking more, visit our trails and parks more, have a regular fitness routine. And to wake up and get out of the house on time. 

This was the big one that got me thinking. Logistically, to get out of the house by a certain time, we would need to wake up earlier than we had been last year, which meant get to bed earlier than we had been, which meant a more streamlined evening and nighttime routine. Easier said than done with kids. 

The first week, we maybe got out at the ideal time 3 out of 5 days. 

So, we could look at it two ways:

  1. We didn’t do it. In our first week, we failed at getting out of the house on time watch day. And maybe, it was too hard and we should just forget about it, or push ourselves to do better because we are not good enough yet. It’s pass/fail and we failed. 
  2. We didn’t do it every day, BUT we got three out of 5! That’s an improvement and it is making steps towards this becoming more routine and more easily done. On those days that things did not align ro get out in time, what was going on? Did we not sleep well, were the kids up at night, or did something else happen? What could make it easier – maybe pack lunches or plan clothes the night before, know where our bags are, etc. it’s all about the small wins. 

It’s still the same situation and scenario. Neither way of looking at it changes what happened, but it does change how we continue to move forward with it and what can happen in the future. 

The first viewpoint focuses on what went wrong and how it will not work. It gives no timeframe, no room to improve, and expects it to be right immediately. The second focuses on the truth – it didn’t happen every day – and also on what went well and worked, and ways to shift what didn’t. It gives more time, expects less to start, and focuses on continuing to learn, grow, and move forward. 

It takes it from being a thing to check off on a Resolution “To-Do List” and turns it into a skill to learn and use. 

While this is my intention for the year, it can also transfer into how you go about your stress management and mindset as an SLP this year, especially as you set intentions for the year ahead. 

New Year’s goals aren’t meant to make you perfect, but they can definitely drive perfectionism, which most likely is something you are already grappling with as an SLP. 

One way to shift out of this is to look at your intention for the year (or just for a fresh start at any time) is to look at the goal as a progression, not as perfection. Much like the goals you set for your students. Goals aren’t meant to be mastered immediately. They are meant to be worked up to, little by little, while learning the skills needed to master those goals as you go.

Imagine if you set a goal for your student and expected them to achieve it right away. They (and you) would feel defeated and likely give up after not being able to perfect the enormous amount of skill that reaching that goal right away entailed. You would both probably give up, feel stressed, and feel like you had “failed”. All because you expected it to be perfect right away. 

The same goes for the intention you have for yourself. If you want to work on reducing and managing your stress, then it is ok if you are still feeling stress for days, weeks, or months, or even years, after you begin working on it. It is not about getting it perfect, or reducing it entirely, but about learning new things and growing along the way. 

With perfectionism, the idea is that there aren’t challenges. If things are challenging, and you have to try to learn them and figure it out, then it must be wrong and not for you. But in order to grow and continue to learn, challenge is to only an OK thing, but a welcomed thing. While it seems nice for everything to be simple, easy and challenge-free, if it was that way, life would be stagnant.

Whether your intention is to recycle more, meditate regularly, move your body each day, have a morning routine, hold amazing SLP sessions, or feel less stressed in your work overall, aim for growth rather than perfection. 

Look at the two viewpoints I could take from my intention I mentioned before. 

The first viewpoint focuses on what went wrong and how it will not work. It gives no timeframe, no room to improve, and expects it to be right immediately. The second focuses on the truth – it didn’t happen every day – and also on what went well and worked, and ways to shift what didn’t. It gives more time, expects less to start, and focuses on continuing to learn, grow, and move forward. 

It takes it from being a thing to check off on a Resolution “To-Do List” and turns it into a skill to learn and use. 

When you are setting a goal or intention for yourself, or if you already have, here are a few things to try.

How to Set an Intention that Lasts All Year

  1. What is my expectation? Check in and see if this is something you are planning to have perfect right away or are going to keep working with over time. 
  2. What is my reason for this? Look at what you are setting and connect with it – what is the reason behind it. If you want to get up early, is it because you “should” and you “fail” at mornings, or because you want to ease into your day instead of rush. 
  3. What are some small steps you can take? Instead of an overhaul, look at one tiny thing you can do each week to build into the bigger picture you envision. 
  4. Where is this working? When you restart and as you go, check in and notice the places you are putting into practice, or where your strengths for this are. Then play off of those to help out the places you’re struggling. 

Here is something to remember and to remind yourself of: A little makes a difference.

Even if you are not seeing huge leaps towards your students goals, or you yourself are not making giant steps towards your intentions, that little bit makes all the difference. It is a small step forward, keeping the momentum building and the growth happening. It is not perfect and that means it is not stagnant. It is likely messy and that is learning. 

In fact, small shifts and changes, even little tiny baby steps, are more effective than giant, sweeping changes, because they build gradually over time and are easier to stick with once they are learned. 

So, rather than overhaul your life immediately with your intentions this year, and expect immediate changes with a pass/fail indicator, go for a big intention with small steps to reach it all year and into the years to come. 

When you take this perspective, it can help to give you more freedom and space, to feel less stuck and stressed, and to help with preventing added stress and burnout. 

What small wins did you have with your intentions this year? Share below!

Want some resources to help you keep taking those small steps towards less stress? Make sure to sign up for the FREE resources in The Resilient SLP Toolbox, including yoga classes, meditations and more. 

Sign up below for immediate 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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22Jul

3 Important Boundaries to Set as an SLP

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Career Advice Reduce Stress Stress Management
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boundaries to set as an SLP

The life of an SLP – bringing work home, staying late, going in early, taking on way more than is possible (not always by choice), never feeling like you did enough, always having more work to do, working on weekends, bringing it home (to either work at night or feel guilty about the pile of papers still in your bag)…and the list goes on. 

Yes, there are also super enjoyable and rewarding parts of the job as well. 

Things like, helping people communicate more efficiently and with function, educating families and providers and educators on the best practices and the ones that remember to bring humanity back in, that moment when you see the student or patients hard work pay off and they reach that big goal. The feeling that you made a difference in the world and that even bigger feeling that the person you work with is making a difference in the world. 

And, sometimes, it’s just fun. It can be a really fun profession to work in.

You can sing songs with kids, have dance parties to follow directions, play silly games, read and make-up stories, and have conversations with adults about alllllll kinds of things while working in their communication. 

Unfortunately, those parts that are super hard often outweigh or start to erase the other pieces. 

For one – it is how your brain is wired. You are automatically going to look for the negative and the challenge (without looking for the opportunity to grow), and start to focus more and more on these things. It does not mean there is something wrong with you, it is the way your brain tries to protect you and alert you to potential stress and threats that could harm you. But really, its the constant alerts that do the most harm – keeping your stress response turned up and leaving you in a constant state of stress, overwhelm, and , eventually, burnout. 

So what can you do to make it better?

This like advocating, changing the system, reworking policies, and the like are always hot topics and ABSOLUTELY need to be done. BUT there will still be stress in them. The real thing to do – so that you can be grounded and ready to take those bigger actions – is to start managing and turning down the stress response, so that you can start to see not only the negatives and challenges, but those good and beautiful pieces again. 

A super helpful way to do this, and to create much more ease in your day, is by creating better boundaries as an SLP. 

The lines of work and home are often very blurred for SLPs, due to the nature of the work, the workloads that many face (especially in the school systems), and the need to so it *perfectly* or fear that you are not enough (aka Imposter Syndrome, which runs wild in our field – thanks grad schools!). It is more common than not to bring work home or stay late, to work outside of your paid hours, and to not feel you’re able to say “no” – or just not be used to saying “no”, so it is really hard to do. 

All of these breakdown any boundaries that help you have time to shift your brain to new things, process your day, and work through the stress, while finding time for joy, hobbies, and just life that is not revolving around being an SLP. 

Setting up better boundaries can help you to find the space for other parts of your life again. 

Here are 3 Types of boundaries to set as an SLP (and human!): 

Physical Office Boundaries:

This is important if you share space or if you are working from home. Having a physical space that has a literal boundary is incredibly important. As SLPs, we like to joke about how we often have a closet, corner or a room, or shared space of 3 SLPs to do our work in, and we joke, because if we didn;t, then we would probably break down. It is really, really hard to do your job without a proper space. But it is also really hard to set boundaries of “sorry, I am unavailable” or “I am working on something and can;t talk right now”, or just having some quiet time to think. 

If you are working from home, make sure you have walls and a door, so you can do the work. And, if this is not possible, set up some kind of partition or divider, so you can have more of a room to work in. It helps to send the message of “this is my (sacred) space, you need permission to be here”.

And that, OMG, is a huge thing.

Emotional/Mental Boundaries:

The biggest part of this is being able to set boundaries that help with your mental health and emotional needs – specifically setting the boundary of “No”. This can seem really hard to do, and it is. You are probably not used to being able to say no in your work (again, thanks grad school), or letting someone know that it is not something you want or realistically can do. 

I get it. As an SLP, there are so many things that contribute to wanting to say yes to everything. Not wanting to disappoint or upset someone, not wanting to admit you can’t do it (perfectionism), not wanting to seem weak, fear of being fired, wanting to prove our profession is just as amazing as others, not wanting to be overlooked so you do it all to please everyone. 

But saying “No” is a huge boundary that does one thing – creates more space. 

By saying “no”, you set a boundary that protects your mental health, by reducing stress and the overwhelm of taking on more. It also gives you more room emotionally to recharge and process your day. And it frees up time for really focusing and delivering on the things you are already doing. 

And, saying “No” is the best way to advocate. If you take it all on, then it becomes expected of you and other SLPs to do the same, and then take on even more. 

PS If you fear saying “no” because of being fired, you should probably get out of there now. It’s toxic, not worth your time and effort, and there are other places to work that would honor and support you. 

Schedule/Day Boundaries

When I worked in teletherapy, I once had someone say to me “Isn’t it great you can take your work anywhere?:

I heard this a LOT when more people started working from home, and especially over the pandemic. 

And, yeah, at first that sounds great. You could go on endless “vacations” or travel, and at least in the fantasy world. In reality, it means that when you do go on a vacation, you are still working, not really on vacation, and your home-work boundaries get blurred. So there is no break, no breast and no recharge – just the added stress of everyone else checking out for vacation while you sit in a hotel room and type on your computer, or stay up until 11:45pm working after a day of fun. 

This happens on a smaller scale in your daily routines, and this is perhaps where it builds even bigger. Taking work home, going in early or staying late, not getting paid for the work outside of therapy time. All of this blurs the lines of work and home, and makes you feel like you are constantly working and constantly underpaid, with no breaks, no rest, and no time to process. This is where stress breeds. 

Having boundaries of “this is when I work and after this, even if I am not done, I don’t do more” is a necessity to make it, to survive, and to thrive as an SLP. 

It is so important to set some boundaries as an SLP. Focus on these each week, month or school year, however works for you, and stick to them, knowing that you will only feel better about the work because of it. 

If you are feeling more and more stressed from your work, or that there is not a lot of time when you are NOT working, try looking at your current boundaries. 

Where are the lines between work and home blurring? Where can you make some adjustments?

Then start to put them into practice by taking action – write it down, let someone know if needed, and mark your calendar or set up some reminders. 

It will be challenging at first, but this is the type of challenge that helps you stretch, grow, and come out the other side stronger and steadier. 

What boundary are you most struggling with? Share in the comments!

Want more tools to help you manage and reduce your stress? Check out the FREE resources in The Resilient SLP Toolbox. You can subscribe below by filling in your name and email, and you’ll get instant access to a library of audios, videos, and more to help you better manage and  reduce your stress.  

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. 

Enter your email below for immediate access. And, hey, did I mention it’s FREE!!

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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21Apr

4 Grounding Tools for Managing Your Stress

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Mindfulness Stress Management
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Grounding Tools

What comes to mind when you hear the term “grounding”?

  • A punishment from your youth
  • An electrical wire in physics 
  • A flight not being able to take off
  • Or maybe a less frazzled, scattered, stressed out state of being

In yoga, mindfulness, and coaching, the term grounding often refers to the last one – a grounding tool is something you can use to connect back to the present moment, and reduce the feelings of stress, such as feeling frazzled, scattered, unsteady, and unbalanced. Being grounded offers you a way to come back to your body and out of your head, and, well sometimes, connect with the earth and ground below you for a point of reference. 

Stress occurs when a stressor has triggered a response in your body and brain. This can often lead you to start focusing on the future outcomes, on things in the past that did not go well, and to lose your connection to the present moment, which leads to more feelings of stress and overwhelm. It continues the cycle of stress and keeps you stuck, and growing, in this pattern. 

It also pulls you out of your body – an intuitive place that is part of you and can help you to reduce tension and stress, and be more aware of when it occurs – and keeps you more in your head, where thoughts spiral and stress continues to build.

If you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed, here are a few practices, using, grounding tools, that will help you reduce your stress, by getting more present, out of your head, and into your body.

4 Grounding Tools for Managing Your Stress

Yoga Poses:

Yoga is a powerful tool for getting back into your body and the present moment. Grounding in a yoga practice focuses on feeling the connection to the earth, or ground, below you in any pose, whether it is your hands, your feet, your seat, or just one foot pressing down into the mat below you. 

The action of breathing and focusing on each pose helps you to get out of your head, focus on your body (and not falling), and keep you in the present moment, which helps to shift you out of the stressful though spiral that you may have found yourself in.

Poses that are good for grounding include standing poses such as Warrior I/II, Mountain Pose, and Triangle; balancing poses like Tree or Head to Knee or even Dancer; and seated poses such as a forward fold, Child’s Pose, or Savasana. 

Breath/Pranayama

Getting grounded through breathwork, or Pranayama, can help you to reduce the stress you feel, by sending a calming response to the Nervous System and brain. It also helps you to feel the body and breath in this moment, and to feel the ground below you, where you make contact. 

You can try bringin one hand to your belly and one to your heart, and take a deep breath (a count of 4 or 5 if possible for each inhale and exhale). As you breathe, notice the belly rise and fall, and the seat supported by the chair or mat below you. If your focus starts to wander, that is ok. Shift it back to the sensations of your breath and your body, even if you feel you do this over and over again. Try breathing this way for 3 to 5 minutes if possible.

Mental Check-In

It can be really easy to keep it all in your head – all the schedules, thoughts, stressors, worries – and not really see how you are doing with processing all of that stress. A mental check-in can help you to get grounded by giving you a moment to pause, see how you are doing in your mind AND body, and be more aware of what you need next.

Try stopping for a moute to get quiet, close your eyes and breathe. Notice your body and any tension you might feel, notice your feet on the ground, and then notice any thoughts or patterns that are there. 

Sensory Meditation or Journal

This grounding tool is one of my favorites. A “Sensory” check-in is a great way to get present and grounded, either through a meditation of a journaling practice. 

This tunes you back into the here and now, by noticing the space around you via your 5 senses. 

Try this, either making mental notes (meditation style) or writing them down.

  • 5 things you see
  • 4 things you hear
  • 3 things you feel
  • 2 things you smell
  • 1 thing you taste

Getting grounded, in the balanced sense, is a powerful tool for combating stress and building resilience. 

Try these out to see which works best for you – it could change depending on the time of day, the need, and where you are. 

Want to practice these grounding tools together and figure out how they can work best in your day?

Join this month’s workshop in The Resilient SLP to explore this further and practice these tools with a guide (me!) and get PD hours. Enter your email below for more info or click here to sign up for the membership.

Which grounding tool works best for you? Share your experience with it in the comments below!

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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1Apr

Knowing how to manage stress vs managing it

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Stress Management
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manage stress

Have you ever known how to do something – like you could explain it and teach it and fully understand it in your heart of hearts – but fumble with putting it into practice?

There is a whole field dedicated to this, called Implementation Science, that talks about how to put research and evidence-based practice into use.

And, in a more relatable way, it can be because change is really difficult, even when it is something you want, need, and are excited to do. It pushes you out of your routine and, when you aren’t sure what to do, it feels like a fail before you even begin. 

Recently, I have been feeling this way in some areas and brought it up to my therapist. I shared that I have been feeling really stressed at times lately.

We shifted the topic a bit to what I have been doing for work lately and what that looks like for me in the last few years. So I talked about providing courses, teaching workshops, recording the podcast, etc.

And then I shared a big secret – if my work is based in stress management and I am feeling stressed, and needing help managing it, who am I to coach and teach and share stress management with others?

Oof.

This thought has been on my brain, especially when I am stressed. And many times it has caused me to back away a bit, because I felt like maybe I was not the right person to share this info or help people understand and manage stress.

I started to wonder if I was a phony, a fake, and totally unqualified. It was Imposter Syndrome creeping in.

So I shared this and my therapist basically gave me a real talk. It went something like  – Therapists go to therapy, too. It doesn’t mean they can’t be therapists, it means they need someone to talk to as well. And even when you “specialize” in something or have an area of expertise or passion, it is ok to flounder in it and not be perfect. It’s part of being human and is ok. You can have knowledge, knowledge that you can share, and not be executing it perfectly. And that is ok. 

It was a big wake up call. 

And, also , a totally “aha” or “duh” moment, because this is something I share in my work all the time, and talk about in workshops and courses.

It is easier to know than to do.

It is easier to understand and have knowledge of, than it is to put it into practice.

My goodness, as an SLP, I absolutely know this and have seen this with students or patients – they know but it is really hard to do in realtime. 

Have you ever felt this way about something, or about your stress?

Knowing how to manage stress is easier than managing it.

Knowing vs Doing is something that I share about in the SLP Stress Management Course, when we shift from talking about what stress is and why it happens, to what to do about it. 

It’s stuff that the members have heard of or done before, but usually are not currently doing, have taken a break from, or aren’t sure where to start. 

Because it is easier to understand than to put into practice. 

In the SLP Stress Management Course (enrollment opens THIS SUNDAY, April 3rd!!) I dive into this topic and you get to create a way to help you move forward, from knowing to doing, without feeling rushed, more stressed, or set up to “fail”. 

You can find out more information about the course, grab a HUGE discount, and learn how to enroll by subscribing to the waitlist here:

For now, here is one step for you to take to start putting your stress management tools into practice:

  • Grab a journal and write down what your current biggest stressor is.
  • What is one practice/tool that you would like to use to help you with this, or with your stress in general. Ex: You want to try a meditation to pause and check in. (Not sure what to use? Check out the tools in the SLP Toolbox, a FREE resource library for subscribers. You can get instant access when you subscribe above).
  • With the tools you are wanting to use or try, what might be difficult about it? And what might make it easy to do? Ex: You want to meditate but aren’t sure how. Downloading an app or using an audio from the SLP Toolbox makes it easier.
  • When will you do this? Having a plan, even if you know in your head when you want to do it, make it more solid and more real. Put it in your calendar or set a reminder. 
  • Give yourself some grace. You are human, not a robot. It doesn’t need to be perfect or foolproof. Just keep moving forward and learning as you go. 

I hope this helps you to get started with your stress management journey. I can’t wait to share more info with you about the SLP Stress Management Course opens for enrollment soon!

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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16Mar

Toxic Positivity vs Positivity for Stress Management

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Stress Management
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toxic positivity vs positivity

Stress, especially in the SLP and Helping Professional world, is a common thing and something that you have probably struggled with a lot in the last two years, and just as possibly before that. Without finding ways to work through and manage the stress, it can shift to full-blown burnout. This is where having some tools to help really comes in handy. 

One of the biggest tools of Stress Management is the use of Positivity. It can help you to shift out of the negative thought spirals, reduce the stress you are feeling, and prevent it from coming back by building resiliency.

But it has to be real positivity to work. Otherwise, it can backfire.

Positivity is sometimes used to tell you to just keep smiling, cheer up, and that there is no use in feeling down. And when you’re stressed, among other times, it can be a really not so great thing. In fact, this “only seeing the positive ” and “maintaining a positive mindset at all times” is known as Toxic Positivity. 

This type of positivity forces you to only look at the good, constantly seek the blessings in disguise, and believe that everything happens for a good reason – even if it includes trauma and incredibly difficult circumstances. 

This is when positivity itself can become not-so-positive.

So, with so much stress and stressful moments, is there room for positivity? Is it even a good thing?

Yes, positivity itself is great. Toxic Positivity is just that – toxic.

According to the site VeryWellMind.com, Toxic positivity is the belief that “no matter how dire or difficult a situation is, people should maintain a positive mindset. … We all know that having a positive outlook on life is good for your mental well-being. The problem is that life isn’t always positive. We all deal with painful emotions and experiences”. 

This is not the same as “positivity”.

Positivity, by definition, is “the practice of being or tendency to be positive or optimistic in attitude”. It is more than just “being happy”. Positivity is being aware and mindful of the positive aspects and moments of your day and life to help cultivate more optimism, kindness, and positive outlook, while in turn decreasing the feelings of negativity, anxiety and chronic stress.

When it comes to Toxic Positivity vs Positivity, one focuses on ignoring, invalidating feelings and creating false reality, while the other focuses on the full picture and perspective.

Here is the thing, your brain is absolutely wired to find the negative and seek out the stress and potential stress around you. And this keeps you seeking more stress and fires up the alarm system in your stress response. That is why once you have one stressful thing, if you aren’t able to process it and move on, it can feel like things start to snowball and there are SO many stressful moments happening, without anything else. 

Toxic Positivity would tell you to stop with the negative and “cheer up!”. It’s not happening and there is no room for that in your life. And, while that sounds great, it absolutely makes you feel like you are “wrong” for feeling stressed. It also doesn’t do anything to address the stress you are feeling and facing, and help manage it. 

Positivity, on the other hand, allows you to notice the stress without ignoring it – because your brain is naturally doing that – AND it helps you to also notice the things that your brain is not focusing on – the good moments of your day, the pieces that are going well, and the things you can learn and use moving forward. 

One says failure isn’t an option and doesn’t happen, the other says I failed, it sucks, what can I learn from this for the next time. 

It’s like Toxic Positivity is “this, but…..” and Positivity is “Yes, and….”. Like, you are experiencing this stress, but look at the good that comes from it. Or, you are experiencing this stress, and look at what you can learn from it. One excludes the stress you are feeling, and one includes it with a way to move forward through it. 

Toxic positivity leaves no room for the feelings of negativity and stress. Positivity knows that you are already seeing and feeling the stress, and helps you see the other pieces as well. 

Toxic positivity is about ignoring the negative. Positivity is about the full picture. 

Here are some common phrases that show Toxic Positivity vs Positivity, one being more of a “toxic” positivity, and the other true positivity.

  • Good vibes only (toxic, because it doesn’t allow for other feelings) vs Good vibes (positive)
  • Everything happens for a reason (can be toxic, especially for trauma) vs How can I find purpose or meaning in this
  • Always look on the brightside (toxic, because it doesn’t allow for other feelings) vs What is going well (positive)
  • Failure is not an option (toxic because no room for other things) vs What can I learn from this (positive)
  • Smile!! Be happy!! (toxic, because, ew) vs Are you doing ok today? I’m here if you need anything. 

Where have you experienced toxic positivity when you are feeling stressed in your life? Sometimes it comes from others and sometimes it comes from our own inner voice and pressure. 

How can you start to make a shift in the language you use, to create true positivity, and lessen the toxic positivity?

Share in the comments below! Or send me an email at jessi@jessiandricks.com, or share in your IG stories and tag @jessiandricks 

For more tools that can help you to shift to the positive and reduce the stress you face, without negating how you feel, make sure to check out the upcoming SLP Stress Management Course. You can get on the waitlist to be the first to know when it opens for enrollment, and get some free resources to use in the meantime, by subscribing below. (I promise, I won’t ever spam you or share your details). 

And if you want more info on stress management, make sure to check out these CEU/CMH courses. 

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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9Feb

5 Big Myths about Mindfulness

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Mindfulness
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myths about mindfulness

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

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

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

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

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

There you go – myths busted!

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

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

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

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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

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