When we think of being grounded, we often think of taking deep breaths or feeling our feet on the earth below us. We don’t always think of our food as grounding, probably because we assume it might be unhealthy, but food can be a wonderful way to stay grounded and stay sane when things get stressful.

When I am stressed, I often reach for really simple things to eat (some not so great, some pretty awesome), because I am short on time and even shorter on space in my brain to plan and execute a lengthy meal. It is what happens to many of us, especially in the mornings, when we are feeling the pressure to get out tot work on time and feeling rushed. It can be an incredibly stressful and ungrounding time of day, and one that might leave you forgetting to eat or feeling like it’s just one more thing that takes up your time.

Having something ready to go, like Overnight Oats, can help you have breakfast ready when you need it and give you some warming (even though it’s cold), comforting feelings of being grounded.

This recipe is tweaked from a food show I love to indulge in when I have a chance. It contains oats, flax seeds, chia seeds, apples, dried cranberries, all of which have loads of benefits for you.

Health Benefits of Overnight Oats:

  • Oats: High in fiber, protein and iron. A great source of sustained energy and whole grains.
  • Flax seeds: High in omega 3’s (healthy fats) and fiber.
  • Chia seeds: High in omega 3’s (healthy fats), fiber, protein and iron.
  • Almond Milk: easier to digest than dairy milk, less fat and calories (if you watch those things), good source of calcium
  • Apples: Good source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fiber.
  • Dried Cranberries: Anti-oxidants

It is also an incredibly simple recipe to make, so you are able to make it quick and have enough for the week. If you have the time, you can even heat it up for a really warming, grounding bowl of oats. Breakfast. Done.

Apple and Cranberry Overnight Oats

 Serves: 4 to 6  Cooking Time: 4 hours

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 chopped apple
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruits)
  • 1-2 cups oats
  • 2-3 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tbsp flax seeds (ground)
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 2 tbsp organic sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Add all ingredients into a bowl.
  2. Mix until combined. If the liquid doesn’t cover your oat mixture, add a little more as needed.
  3. Store in the refrigerator overnight.
  4. Scoop and serve for breakfast. You can even scoop into a jar and take for work.

Try adding in different dried fruits, nut or flavors (honey, maple syrup, vanilla) to make it your own. You could even bring a few jars to keep at work, so it is ready for you when you arrive.

Enjoy!

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quit your SLP job

Quit SLP Job Pinterest

Being an SLP can be incredibly wonderful at times, and at other times incredibly stressful. A great deal of this stress comes from the parts of the job that are outside of the therapy realm and often seem to have more and more rules around them, such as paperwork and productivity rates. Some of the stress, though, comes from the nature of the job itself. As SLPs, it is our job and our mission to help people communicate, nourish and thrive, as best they can with the situation they are in. Our schooling and career are set up around us being able to give our tine and energy to these, sometimes without a break during the day. It is highly rewarding at times, and also highly frustrating and draining. It can be enough to make you want to quit your SLP job at times.  (more…)

Manage Stress Better PinterestThere is a common saying and feeling in the Speech Therapy world: I just need to make it through until Summer. It is often heard and seen, especially once the second part of the year and Spring Break rolls around. This is usually due to the “IEP season”, where you are having to not only complete all the IEPs for your huge caseload, but also attend and hold the meetings, as well as provide therapy for your kiddos. It is also progress report time, again, and time to wrap things up for the end of the year. If there was any small glimmer of stress earlier in the year that you were able to push aside, this is the time of year it will ooze out and saturate your day.

It is not a saying that I particularly care for, since it is seems more hopeless than hopeful, but it was one I found myself repeating over and over again in the last few months of the school year. (more…)

Cost of Staying Where You Are PinterestI recently attended a 1-day seminar, where we learned all about how our thoughts create and shape what we see as out reality, and how, because of this, we are able to change how we feel about things, by changing the way we think about them. It might sound a little “woo-woo” or “out there”, but this was all evidence-based and related to the fields of psychology and coaching.

There were many parts that absolutely blew my mind, but one of the biggest pieces was a question that was asked, of us (for those moments we felt stuck or defeated) and of our clients: “How is that working for you?” (more…)

5 Ways to Stop Feeling Drained from SLP Work PinterestA few weeks ago I was having one of those days where I realized I was feeling completely drained. It was near the end of a long week (but not quite the end yet) and I was just feeling wiped out. It wasn’t that anything huge had happened, but I was just feeling completely exhausted and wiped out. What I realized was that I was working all week, non-stop. Even though I enjoyed a great deal of the work, it was still the constant state of being “on” and productive that had me feeling this exhaustion. (more…)

SLP Self Care Pinterest
Lately I have been making an extra effort to really dig deep and take care of myself. I used to be pretty darn good at this, but got off track since pregnancy, becoming a mom, career changes and a big move. I have been so focused on self care and mindfulness, and really thought I had a handle on it, but I began to see that I was taking shortcuts in my self care. I would go on a walk or a hike, but bring my dogs with me or push the stroller with my daughter in it. I would practice yoga, but in short spurts and never at a studio. I would enjoy coffee several times a day, when I really needed proper fuel for my body. (more…)

Face SLP Stress Pinterest

I recently had a talk with some people about stress. The conversation was about feeling stressed by others stress and walking away from it. It was about how to avoid feeling stressed by work and life. It was about how hearing stories form others about how much they are struggling is too much, and makes you want to turn away. It was a conversation about daily stress. Mostly, about running away from it.

It is a conversation that I have had come up more than once over the last few months.

In the Stressed Out SLPs Facebook group, we often share the things at work that leave us feeling the most stressed. Then other people can comment, give you a boost or help you figure out a solution. I often share some of the tips and tricks that I write about here, as well as do LIVE videos and leave additional information or share articles. It is place that is meant to lift you up, not by constantly making you laugh (which is a good thing at times), but by helping you to really take charge and make changes to your schedule, job, caseload, etc, or at least to let you know that you are not alone in the struggle. (more…)