This has been a crazy month, and much like everyone else I was not prepared, mentally, for how quickly this escalated. I expected that we would need to stay in for a bit, or that schools would gradually close or we’d be a bit restricted in going out and about. But then suddenly, we ALL realized (or most of us) that we needed to be more remote and do things a little differently, and at a distance.
There are SO many SLPs who are now finding themselves diving into the “work-from” home world, either via teletherapy or just catching up on paperwork, reports and projects that they didn’t have time for before. You may find yourself involved in all of this, while trying to take care of your own family. And, of course, trying to figure out what your new day-to-day looks like.
It would be enough to stress out anyone, nevermind an SLP who was already feeling a bit of stress.
One thing is to make sure you are taking time to have some clear boundaries between your work and your home, because there is no longer a building to walk out of or a commute to drive in order to clear your head and put you in the mindset that you are done for the day. In fact, you might notice it is very easy to keep working and not let go of the work day, since home becomes your office.
Here are a few things you can do to help you set boundaries and create a balanced work from home SLP schedule:
- Set start and end time
- Working from home can easily blur into your home life and time, especially when you are not leaving the house. Having a clear start time for your day helps you to make sure that you are keeping a set work schedule, so your work doesn’t bleed over into your home life.
- Morning Routine
- Having a morning routine can help you start your day with a little more ease and calm, which can help transfer over into the rest of your day. You can take a few moments before you start work or before anyone else wakes up to find some quiet, check in with yourself, and set an intention for your day.
- Transition of some kind
- At the end of your work day, a transition can help you to mentally step away from work, so you aren’t still ruminating or feeling the need to work when you are finished for the day. This can be some kind of routine or ritual that you do to let your brain know it’s time to stop for the day.
- Breaks and movement
- Working from home, especially at your computer, can mean a lot of screen time and a lot of time sitting in your office chair. Make sure to plan some time to get up and move, grab water and snacks, or take the dogs for a walk. It will help reduce tension in your body, clear your head, and keep you overall in better health.
These might seem really simple, or maybe incredibly difficult, but putting them into action can really make all the difference when it comes to creating balance in a work from home SLP schedule.
If you have any questions, or are feeling like you are really struggling right now, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can email me at jessi@jessiandricks.com or send a question over to the SLP Stress management FB group.
Join me for a 1 hour webinar “Working from Home for SLPs: Create a Less Stressful Workday During Stressful Times” available now.
There is already enough stress in your career and enough stress in LIFE right now. Working from home doesn’t need to be an additional stress that sends you straight to burn out. Learn the tips and tools you need to better manage your stress and find more balance in your work from home schedule.
In this webinar you’ll learn:
- the definition of stress and how SLPs experience it
- the current changes to stress as an SLP
- how to separate work and home, when working from home
- how to set up your schedule for less stress
- tips for teletherapy and less stress
You can obtain self-reported certificate maintenance hours, as well as a downloadable certificate of completion.
Sign up and get info here: Work From Home SLP Webinar
Much Love,
