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13Dec

5 Benefits of Using Mindfulness in Your Speech Room or Classroom

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: mindfulness in speech therapy yoga for kids
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benefits of using mindfulness

Have you ever had a moment when you felt immense pressure, and needed to recall some information (maybe in a debate, in grad school for comps or the praxis, or when your supervisor asked you what your plan was), only to find that your brain emptied out, you felt panicked, and you could not focus, explain, or 

Or maybe you’ve felt that after taking a pause to regroups and find some silence, a cup of tea/coffee/diet coke, or to go outside, you felt completely recharged and able to focus on our work again. 

Perhaps you have felt unsettled, scattered, and like you couldn’t process another single piece of information, but then you got up and moved or wrote down some thoughts or took a few breaths, maybe squeezed a fidget, and felt like you were able to sink into the moment and be present again?

These moments of stress, decreased focus, and dysregulation.

All of this happens to us pretty regularly as adults, and we are learning how to manage this and reduce the overwhelm that comes with it. You have probably had a few of these happen and have tried some of the strategies – either consciously or out of habit. 

If you really take a second to look at them, they are all based out of mindfulness.

And they can help you,a s an adult, but also can help students, who are feeling some of these same pressures, lack of focus, and dysregulation. 

Going through each of these can make it really, really hard to learn – not only due to inability to focus, but the inability to retain the info and use or build critical thinking skills. And if a student is already struggling with language disorder or learning disability, this will only make it that much more difficult.

It is one of the BEST reasons to bring mindfulness into your Speech Sessions and classroom. To help give students some tools to use so they feel more prepared and ready, to the best of their abilities, in their bodies and brains. 

Mindfulness is a powerful resource, made up of many different tools, that helps the brain, in both adults and children, to turn down the stress response, turn back on the parts of the brain that help problem solve, recall, and learn, and to build new pathways that help get these strategies on board even easier. 

Here are 5 benefits of using mindfulness in your speech room or classroom:

Stress: When you think of stress, you think of it as being an adult or late teen/early adulthood issue, and not something that younger children are having to deal with. But, unfortunately, they are, too. It could be stress from the amount of school work, and issue with their peers, or the upcoming testing. When you are stressed, your brain has gone into a “survival” mode, where the parts that process information, help you recall, and store memories and learn new info, are turned down and even can shrink over time. And this can happen for kids with their developing brians, too. USing some mindfulness, such as deep breathing or movement breaks, can help to reduce the stress they face by turning down the stress response and helping those other parts of their brain to  turn on and grow. It could look like taking a few moments to breathe during the day (start or before a big activity) or taking breaks to stretch or get some wiggles out. 

Focus: It is really easy to lose focus, and kids, as I am sure you are aware, have a hard time with this too. It is not always due to an attention deficit or challenge, sometimes it is just a really tiring day. Kids can feel drained and mentally exhausted, too, especially if they are on the go ALL day or don;t have much time to take a break. Or they might be tired, hungry, or thirsty, or need to get up and move, and so they feel more foggy-headed. Mindfulness comes into place in two ways here – you can be mindful (more of a mindset) of these moments and notice them, and then be able to give a strategy. It is also the tool or strategy you can use. Do a mindful activity like deep breaths, going for a walk around the class, or pausing to check in between activities to help give the brain a reset and a break. 

Regulation: When there is a lot of information, or just life, students can feel dysregulated. This doesn;t always mean hyperactive. It can also mean low energy. Either way, they are dysregulated and might start to show “behaviors” in order to try to bring the energy up or down. They might need some kind of sensory input on the regular, or in that moment. Doing something like moving and stretching, deep breaths, squeezing, or belly breathing might be what they need to reset and regulate. (Um, I am totally not an expert in this field and am constantly learning more in this aspect. SO please, be mindful of that fact, and know it is a LOT to learn). 

Language/Communication: Mindfulness helps to turn down the stress response, even in kids, which helps your brain to function easier (as mentioned above). This means that when you are stressed or anxious, it is a LOT harder to use those parts of the brain that communicate and use language skills, such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (which is developing in kids). By using mindfulness, you reduce the stress response, and allow thesis parts of the brain to work at their highest, or at least higher, capacity, as best the student can. It gives them the best chance and the ability to really use these skills. 

Fun! : It might be one of the most important reasons – kids like it and it’s fun! Mindfulness, and the different activities that you can use with it, are a little different and new. It can be fun, exciting in a good way, and give them a moment to pause, reset, and to let go of learning and thinking and just be, so they can come back to the learning feeling fresh and renewed. 

What are some of the benefits you have noticed or wonder about with mindfulness? Share in the comments and let me know.

Ok, now that you are interested and ready to bring this on, want some resources to help you out? Sign up below, by entering your email, and you’ll get access to resources for yourself and that you can use to bring more mindfulness in your classroom or speech room!

With Love and Light, 

Jessi

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17Oct

SLPs Need to Rest: Mindfulness Meditation

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Meditation Stress Management
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slps need to rest

Do you ever feel like you are constantly doing something? Like, even when you are not working or working on work, you are trying to be productive by doing more on your endless to-do list? It’s incredibly common, especially for a field and profession that focuses so much on productivity. But, without a doubt, SLPs need rest. Maybe now more than ever.

As a yoga teacher, for nearly a decade now, there is one thing that has remained constant. It is easy for students to come in, stretch, move, and breathe, but when it comes to the end, where it’s time to really relax and get still – not doing – most people have a really hard time. When given the chance to relax, it is difficult to do, because it seems unusual and unproductive.

I think that as an SLP, you might relate to this as well. Even though the thing you might want the most it time to just BE and not DO, it is really difficult when productivity is such a huge part of your work and daily focus.

But it is so important to take rest. And, SLPs need rest too. Not sleeping, or even really doing (like yoga or meditation), but simply resting to recharge and deeply relax. Doing this for a few moments, almost like a timeout, can help you to let go for a moment, reset, and feel less attached to your daily stress.

A great way to do this is with a yoga “savasana”. If you’ve ever taken a yoga class, this is the part at the end where you just rest, flat on your mat. And it is the part that can be so difficult. But, when you let go and just rest on your mat, it can give you the balance you need from the hectic, productive pace of your daily routine and work.

You can do this by resting on a yoga mat for a few minutes, maybe listening to some music or just being still. If you want a little guidance, you can follow along with the “Savasana Meditation” in the SLP Toolbox. This meditation of sorts will focus on helping you get some rest and relaxation, to help balance out the rest of your day.

You can access the SLP Toolbox, and all the other meditations and tools with it, by subscribing below (if you are already an email subscriber, you can click here).

If you are ready to dive even deeper into managing and reducing your stress, by adding in tools to your daily routine, make sure to check out the SLP Stress Management Course, now available! It also comes with several bonus meditations and movement audios and videos to help you get started right away. You can check it out here: SLP Stress Management Course+Meditation Bundle

Much Love,

Jessi

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2Oct

Top 5 Meditation Apps for SLPs

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Meditation
2 Comments

meditation apps for slps

Let’s face it, as an SLP you are most likely dealing with pretty high amounts of stress on a normal year. Add in all that has happened in 2020 and there is even more to figure out and work through.

One of the best ways to manage and reduce stress, no matter how many stressful things are part of your day, is to have a meditation practice.

Regular meditation can help to reduce the stress response in your brain, rewire the way you perceive stress triggers, and even improve the function of your brain. It can also help to increase your focus, which can improve efficiency and decrease mental fatigue. And, it anything, it gives you a moment to yourself to pause, take a break and check in with yourself on even the most hectic of days.

The tricky part is getting started, and the trickier part is sticking with it.

The key is to choose a program that works best for what you need. Some apps and sites offer meditations that are for one specific thing, such as sleep or anxiety or stress, while others focus on helping you to learn ow to meditate.

Here is a list of my top 5 meditation apps for SLPs (and a few honorable mentions):

  • Calm
    • This app is best known for being free for teachers in 2020. While this may or may not still be happening, it is a very popular meditation app. Plus, the name really says it all, ya know?
    • Calm focuses on guided meditation to help you relax and ultimately sleep better, which can help to reduce stress. This is really great if you find you have a difficult time winding down in the evenings or your mind starts to race when you do close your eyes for sleep.
  • HeadSpace
    • New to meditation or want to make sure you are doing it “right”? This app is for you. Headspace offers a fantastic beginners trial and series that help you to learn how to mediate (and why), and to slowly get you into a doable routine of daily meditation.
    • As one SLP shared “{They} have a variety of meditation! Even children’s meditations”, so it could work for you, your family, and maybe even your therapy sessions. And again, it’s all in the name. who wouldn’t want some headspace these days?
  • Grokker
    • This is a meditation app/membership site, as well as fitness, healthy eating, lifestyle/living, and more. It is really an overall wellness site, that happens to have some really great meditations. It is offered for both individuals and companies, and I have been a user of this site for quite a few years now.
    • You’ll find a lot of meditations on here, as well as mindfulness and stress training videos, from meditation practitioners, mindfulness teachers, coaches and even some psychologists. Plus, there are all the other amazing things that can help with stress available to you.
    • I like that the meditations here vary in length, teacher, and style (some are a bit more “woo” and others are very straight forward).
  • Sanvello (formerly known as Pacifica)
    • The app for “stress and anxiety”. This app was originally recommended to me by my therapist. It offers meditations for free, as well as a subscription you can purchase. The meditations can have music/background noise or none, and vary in length.
    • It also let’s you track your feelings, mood, etc, so it offers a little bit of reflection as well as just meditations.
    • It also offers coaching and can be linked to your therapist/physician for tracking and info.
  • Insight Timer
    • Want a free app? This one might be what you are looking for. Insight Timer offers thousands of free meditations, as well as a meditation timer. There are also programs or courses you can upgrade to, if you want to have even more from them.
    • The meditations are offered from meditation and spiritual “celebrities”, as well as regular, non-famous meditation teachers.

Honorable mentions:

  • My Life app: An SLP recommended this app, as it offers a large variety and helps you target a meditation practice or exercise that would be best for how you are feeling.
  • YouTube: There are so many free meditations on YouTube. One SLP specifically mentioned these meditations, from Jason Stephenson, and there are so many others you could search for by type, length, name, etc.
  • SLP Toolbox and Meditation Audio: Of course, you can download free meditation audios, made for SLPs, from the SLP Toolbox and the meditation audio at JessiAndricks.com. And you can also get access to exclusive bonus meditations when you enroll in the SLP Stress Management Course (self-guided), which is now open for enrollment year-round. You can access these free meditations by subscribing below.

What are some of your favorite apps for meditating as an SLP? Leave them in the comments below or send me an email at jessi@jessiandricks.com. For more on the benefits of meditation, make sure to check out the following courses:

Much Love,

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4Sep

Infusing Mindfulness Into Your SLP Work and Life: SLP Stress Management Podcast

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Podcast Self Care Stress Management
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mindfulness into your SLP work and life


Mindfulness is a huge buzz word in the world right now. And for good reason – it is MUCH needed with all that is going on and continues to go on. Being an SLP, as you know, can often be incredibly stressful, and many of the students and patients that you see ma also be feeling stress of their own. Mindfulness can be an important tool towards alleviating some of this stress, in your life and in your work.

Mindfulness practices, such as meditation, have been shown to help reduce the reactions to stress and turn down the stress response in the brain. This means they are one of the main tools to helping you reduce AND manage your ongoing stress as an SLP.

Mindfulness has also been shown to help your students and adults to feel more calm and open to learning during therapy sessions. It can help them to feel more settled and grounded, so they can learn the strategies you are teaching and sharing with them as best they can. Basically, it can help take some of the stress out of the session.

mindfulness into your SLP work and life

In the latest episode of the SLP Stress Management Podcast, I talk with fellow SLP+Podcast host, Leigh Ann Porter to discuss all things mindfulness in and out of SLP life. Leigh Ann talks about her own experiences with mindfulness and why she began to use it, how she has used it in her daily life, how it has backfired and how it has. She shares what she tried, how it worked, and what changes she made to make it work even better. She also talk about how and why she started to incorporate it in to her work as an outpatient adult SLP.

You can tune in below or check out all the SLP Stress Management Podcast episodes here.

Leigh Ann earned her master’s in Communication Sciences from the University of Central Florida in 2013, and has enjoyed being an SLP ever since. While at UCF, Leigh Ann was part of a grant to prepare SLPs to work with English Language Learners, earning a graduate certificate of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).

Leigh Ann now resides in Kansas City where she divides her time working across outpatient, acute, and inpatient rehab settings. She has presented for ASHA CEUs to regional SLPs on topics such as how the respiratory system and cough influence dysphagia, a review of the literature on dysphagia exercises, and generating measurable dysphagia goals. For multidisciplinary continuing education with PTs and OTs, Leigh Ann has presented on topics such as Cognitive Retraining with an emphasis on memory strategies, and the SLP’s scope of practice & making appropriate patient referrals to the SLP. 

As host of the Speech Uncensored Podcast, Leigh enjoys interviewing colleagues to highlight the diversity in our field and share resources. The Speech Uncensored Podcast was born out of a desire to learn more and share that information. As a lifelong learner, Leigh Ann is passionate about disseminating useful resources and equipping SLPs to provide the highest quality of care. The scope of practice for SLPs is wide, varied, and nuanced. When given the right tools, we can confidently provide quality services to our patients.

Want more tools to help you infuse your day with mindfulness? Make sure to subscribe to the SLP Toolbox, a FREE resource library full of meditations, mindful movement audios and more, to help you manage your SLP stress, reduce burnout and find more balance (aka mindfulness) in your life. Subscribe below for access.

If you are looking for even more, make sure to check out the SLP Stress Management Course and Professional Development Courses.

Much Love,

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28Aug

5 Stretches to Help You Slow Down: Mindful Movement for SLPs

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Mindful Movement Stress Management
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help you slow down

Do you ever feel like you need something to help you slow down, especially when your work day is full of you “pushing” through to get more work done?

When things get stressful, one of the first things I do is tense up, followed by trying to push through to get more done, even though I am already mentally and physically exhausted. It’s a difficult habit to break, and it is one that shows up in so many different jobs and settings that I have worked in.

The truth is, the pushing through doesn’t actually help or get work done in a way that feels good. I might get the task completed, but it is usually just “done”, with little passion or care behind it, and most likely with some errors due to my being exhausted and stressed.

What would work better is if I could slow down, check in with how I am doing, let go of some tension, and then come back when I am more refreshed and ready.

I’ll feel better about the work when I am done, more connected to it, and much less stressed.

With the new school year (whether you are in the schools or not), during a pandemic, you are probably feeling a lot of “push” and a lot of disconnect right from the start. It is likely that you are trying to create a whole new system of working, feel lack of support, and your body and mind are reacting to the stress – tension, tightness, disconnect and more stress.

It is difficult to take time to reduce the pushing and to slow down instead, but, when you can, it makes all the difference. And it can help you move from a place of pushing, or reacting, to a place of responding and connecting.

Here are some of my favorite ways to help you slow down:

My favorite way to slow down, and check in on what I am feeling physically and mentally, is with a Yin-style yoga practice. Yin-style yoga focuses on holding the stretch for a longer amount of time. The idea is that this helps you to get deeper into the tissues and fascia, letting go of tension and stress that builds up. It also gives you time to breathe and check in with each stretch.

The 5 stretches that I like to use when I am feeling tense are:

  • child’s pose
  • side stretch
  • pigeon pose
  • reclined twist
  • savasana/laying flat

I hold each one for 2-5 minutes and breathe. It helps me to explore what I am feeling physically, and see how I might be reacting rather than responding to the sensations. And then I have time to check in mentally to see how I am feeling with the tension I am working through. Plus, it’s nice to slow down and just breathe for a little while, after pushing through all day.

If you are looking to slow down after pushing through the day, you can download the “30 Minute Slow Down Stretch”, a Yin-style yoga practice that helps you slow down, so you can stop reacting to the stress in your body and respond to it instead – or just take a timeout form your busy day.

You can find it in the SLP Toolbox, a free resource site for SLPs to help reduce and manage stress.

Not a member? You can subscribe (its free) for access below:

If you are looking to dive even deeper into managing and understanding the stress you face as an SLP (even when it is during a pandemic, or maybe especially so), check out the SLP Stress Management Course, an 8-week online course that shows you the what and why of stress as an SLP, and how you can manage it, build a foundation of resiliency, and reduce the stress you face, even when you can’t change the reasons for it.

You can find out more info here: SLP Stress Management Course.

Much Love,

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15Jul

Turning your SLP Stress into Something Good with Marisha Mets of SLPNow: SLP Stress Management Podcast

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Podcast Stress Management
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SLPNow

Do you ever feel like your SLP stress would magically go away if you could only have more resources at your fingertips, or a better way to organize your materials, or have some plans done for you?

I have heard this a lot and usually coach that no amount of planning an prepping will manage your stress or magically make it go away.

BUT this is not completely true.

While it doesn’t magically take away all of your stress, having a system that is created for making your day easier, and taking that burden off of you, can free up a lot of brain space, take off some of the pressure, and give you a way to manage your incredibly jam-packed caseload. And this CAN help you to manage your stress better – because it gives you the time and energy to do it and to make the first steps towards less stress as an SLP.

It doesn’t teach you how to manage the stress, but it does help to reduce the amount of stressors you are dealing with daily. And while these might show up in other ways, it also gives you space to put some of your stress management tools into practice.

In this episode of the SLP Stress Management Podcast, I chat with Marissa Mets of SLPNow about her journey through SLP Stress, her struggle with a massive caseload and how it led her to create the resource site and membership program, SLPNow. In this episode, Marisha shares the upside of her stress and how she used it to create something that would help her slowly come out the stress she was stuck in – and make it through a year with a TRIPLE DIGIT caseload!

Resources from this episode:

  • SLP Summit, a FREE online conference with practical, real-world CEU courses for SLPs (FYI I’ll be presenting!).
  • SLPNow, membership site
  • SLPNow podcast

You can tune in to this episode below, on your favorite app, or check out all episodes here: SLP Stress Management Podcast

As always, if you are ready to take a deep dive into managing your SLP Stress, make sure to check out the SLP Stress Management Online Course.

And for more SLP Stress Management resources, subscribe below to the SLP Toolbox, a free resource library created for SLPs by an SLP.

Much Love,

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11May

How to Have a Better Morning as an SLP

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Reduce Stress Self Care
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Morning routine

You may have heard of morning routines before, and felt that either they would be awesome to have, you absolutely love having one, or you in no way saw that happening for you and it’s not important anyway, or somewhere in between.

I am someone that dreams of having a morning routine – I wake up before the kids, do some quiet time (like meditation, stretching or journaling) with my coffee, and then get a little bit of writing and creating done before the kids are awake.

In my mind, I am up before anyone else in the house for an hour or so and then everyone slowly wakes up to a productive, put together, and awake mom. And then I am ready to take on the day and rock it as an SLP, without having to worry about fitting in coffee, moving, getting dressed, journals, etc.

Right now, it is more like, roll out of bed when the baby wakes up or the kiddo comes in to my room. Sleepily try to get breakfast, feed a baby, make coffee and then get dressed mid-morning and squeeze all my work into small windows throughout the day, eventually just working at night.

It’s less than desirable. And each day I plan to make it different, but usually end up in the same routine. Change is hard, especially when things are this uncertain (at the time of publication, there is a global pandemic going on).

But on a recent morning, I woke up 10 minutes earlier – not on purpose. I did a quick meditation, got dressed and had more time to get everyone else ready. It wasn’t my ideal, dream morning routine, but it ended up giving me MUCH more time throughout the day, and I could use my energy to do things I wanted, instead of feel overwhelmed, stressed and constantly “behind” (on what, I’m not sure).

I hope to keep this small shift going, and slowly lead to bigger shifts and changes in my morning as I can.

Morning routines are important, even though they sound a little fluffy and superficial, because they can set the tone for your day – either rushed and lacking energy or calm and energizing – and help you to have those small moments to check in, set up your day, and see what you have going on (or do something for yourself), without feeling pulled in a million directions immediately upon waking up.

Here are a few ways to create a morning routine:

  1. Wake up just a few minutes earlier, and then build on it.You don;t have to go all out right now. That amount of overwhelm can set you up for a pass/fail mindset, where you feel like if you don;t do it exactly, then it isn’t worth it at all. INstead, keep building up on small changes that will make it happen easier.
  2. Use the time to check in with yourself. See how you are doing that day, before you have demands from work, family and life floating in. Are you feeling good, tired, stressed, overwhelmed, energized, motivated, etc? From there, you can see what you need from your day and what you can expect from yourself. (it is ok to not be 100%).
  3. Do a little self-care. Move, meditate, journal, create, anything goes here. You could even sit in silence with a cup of coffee or go for a walk in your neighborhood (if it is safe to do so where you live).
  4. Set an intention. You could think of this as a to-do for the day. This gives you a little extra motivation and awareness as you move though, so everything you do can be in alignment with that intention and purpose for your day. 
  5. Get some sleep. I know this sounds counterintuitive to telling you to get up a little earlier. Make sure you are still getting sleep. If needed, go to bed a few minutes earlier. You could maybe set an alarm when it’s time to start getting ready for bed, or decide to watch just 1 or 2 shows in the evening.

Even just doing one of these morning routines can start to create that small shift that leads to you taking charge of your day, instead of feeling like the day is taking charge of you. It can help to better manage your stress and bring you more balance during your day. Start trying them and see what works best for you. Change isn’t easy, but this shift is worth it.

Looking for more resources? Try the SLP Toolbox. It is a FREE resource library full of useful tips and tools, perfect for morning routines, such as meditation and movement audios, journal templates, self-care guides, and daily “must-do” checklists, designed to help you reduce the stress you feel as an SLP.

You can sign up below.

If you are looking to check out more SLP Stress Management, make sure to check out theses courses: SLP PD

Much Love,

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18Oct

How to Become a More Resilient SLP

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Reduce Stress
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Become a more resilient SLP

It can be really hard at times to be an SLP and not feel burdened with stress and overwhelm. There are things that seem to only get harder as time goes on (hello Medicare changes, paperwork and insurance) and other things that seem to come in cycles and breed even more stress (IEPs, progress reports). And while you might feel like you are starting to drown in the stress, there are other SLPs who seem to be able to feel it, manage it and move on from the stress, without it affecting them as deeply. It might seem like they have some sort of magical power or know a secret that you don’t, but the truth is, they have probably worked to become a more resilient SLP, so they are better able to work through stress and not have it stick with them.

One of the best things you can do as an SLP is to work on becoming more resilient. Now, I know this might not be the answer you want to hear, but, in reality, it is most likely what you need and what will help you get through these times. There are many things that can not be changed overnight or with the snap of your fingers, such a billing, paperwork, insurance, medicare, etc, but there is still so much you can do about how these things affect you and show up in your life.

Resiliency is often key when things are stressful and seem like they can’t be changed.

What is resiliency?

Resiliency is one of the foundational principles of Positive Psychology, a type of psychology that focuses on using positivity and optimism to help you thrive in your life. By definition, resiliency is the ability to return to a pre-stress state after a stressful event, situation or encounter. It is essentially your ability to “bounce back” after stress occurs. There are many things that affect your natural resiliency, such as how you were brought up and what you have experienced in life, but it is also something that you can work on and build up to become a more resilient SLP.

As an SLP, this can feel nearly impossible at times, due to the amount of stress and stress triggers that surround you on a daily basis. In order to help build up your resiliency to these stressful situations, you can start to build up a foundation or positivity and optimism, 2 essential tools towards managing stress, but also in building resiliency. There are many ways to build up this foundation, and it all starts with taking care of yourself.

Below are a few ways you can become a more resilient SLP and feel as if stress doesn’t stick with you as much or as deeply.

How to become a more resilient SLP:

To really work on growing your resiliency skills, the key is to use practices that build up a foundation of positivity and optimism in your lifestyle and outlook. 

  • Gratitude Journal
    • Writing in a gratitude journal is super trendy and for good reason. Gratitude journal have been shown in studies to help rewire the way your brain looks at incoming stimuli (aka life) and helps to shift the focus from seeking negative, stressful stimuli to positive stimuli.
    • Try writing down 3-5 things, most days of the week, that you would consider positive, working or a “win” for the day. Do this on days that are going well, to help build up that foundation of positivity, but also on days that are more challenging, to help you shift your mindset and focus.
  • Focus on what IS working
    • Much like Gratitude Journaling, this helps you to shift your brain into noticing, and working with, that IS working for you in your day and life. If you are feeling like nothing is going well, this can trigger stress and the brain will continue to dwell on it, looking for answers, but really creating more and more stress while shutting off the problem solving parts of your brain.
    • Instead, write down a few things that are going well for you each day and make a plan to do more of those, in corporate more of them into your day, and make them your goals or focus, even when other things are not going as well. It is not ignoring what isn’t working, but looking towards the other pieces that make up the whole picture.
  • Look at the Bigger Picture:
    • One thing you can do to pull yourself out of stress is to practice this mantra/saying: “Will this be important in a year?”. Now, if you are in an IEP annual meeting, you could argue that yes, this could be important in a year, BUT will the stress, resentment, pressure, perfection, etc be important or even memorable in a year. Chances are it won;t be.
    • If you want to take this a step further, you can do a visualization practice to see your problem, and then imagine seeing yourself and zooming outward to the world around you, the planet, etc and ask if this is worth all the stress or is there something else to focus on.
    • These practices aren’t perfect, and might be REALLY difficult at times, but they can help you shift out of a funk and back into a more neutral or positive state.
  • Self-Care and Mindfulness:
    • One of the best ways to become a more resilient SLP and create a positive foundation to come back to when stress does hit, is to have a routine of self-care of mindfulness that you do on most days. This will help you to rewire the brain’s stress response and turn on the parts of the brain that help you to problem solve, reason and focus. These practices give you a way to create habits that continually work through stress and foster the foundation of positivity and optimism you are working towards with resiliency.
    • You can try anything, such as a morning or evening routine, having a a transition at the end of your work day, moving more during your day, taking breaks, eating and hydrating, reading a book, finding quiet time, meditation, etc. Anything that helps you to check in and recharge, rather than check out, would be considered self-care and mindfulness.

If you want some FREE resources to help you become a more resilient SLP, make sure to sign up below for the SLP Toolbox, a free resource site for SLPs.

For even more on incorporating these into your day, and for managing and understanding stress as an SLP, make sure to check out the following online courses and webinars, where I put together how you can manage stress and find more balance in an SLP on some of your favorite CEU sites.

And make sure to check out the SLP Stress Management podcast, a monthly podcast full of stress management tools, tips and stories for SLPs.

Much Love,

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