Menu

18Aug

Small Changes to Create Big Shifts

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Stress Management
Comments Off on Small Changes to Create Big Shifts

small changes to create big shifts

Recently (solidly over the last 6 months) I started running again. A few times a week, I lug my 2 kids to a nearby trail, load up with snacks (them, not me), and plop them into the running stroller. I put on some music and we start down the trail, 2 miles in a loop. By the end, I am sweaty (even in 30 something degree F weather, and definitely when it’s 90+F) and feel tired but energized. 

It might sound not so fun, but we all really do have a fun time on our runs. 

The thing is, when I started, it was really, really hard to do. 

  • My knee hurt for a month or so the first time I started running again (back in March 2020, so I took a break until the Fall).
  • My feet hurt.
  • I had shin splints for a few weeks. 
  • My legs would ache when I started to run.
  • I would barely get through 2 miles.

Eventually, it started to get a little better – with the help of some new shoes and building up some strength. But, it could have also been really easy for me to feel defeated and not continue. I was running 2 miles, and feeling like I couldn’t go any further, when I used to be able to run half marathons. What was taking me nearly 30 minutes, and a lot of breaks, was something I used to be able to do in 20 minutes or less. 

It was incredibly frustrating at times, but it also gave me a place to work from. 

I could have been mad about a lot of things:

  • My pace was slower
  • My body felt heavier
  • My legs were achy
  • I couldn’t sprint without my legs hurting (and I LOVE sprinting right at the end)
  • I was taking breaks. So many breaks in so short of a time.
  • I was pushing nearly 70-80 lbs of kids and stroller

But I also remembered a few things:

  • It had been 6 years since I had a steady running practice
  • I had 2 kids since then
  • I lived in a place with hills, not Florida or the South Carolina Lowcountry
  • My shoes were really old, and my new shoes need to be broken in
  • I was, well, older…

If I expected myself to be able to get out and run 13.1 miles, or even 4 or 6 miles, then, yes, I was going to be disappointed. It was unrealistic. And, if I set my expectations, or goals, to reach this really big amount of mileage, say in the next month or even year, I might also be really disappointed, or, more likely, I would feel defeated and probably want to give up.

But…if I set my goal at the smaller point, and kept reassessing it as I progressed, I would not only have a lot of wins along the way, I would also increase the chances that I would in fact reach that goal and more.

And that changes EVERYTHING.

Now, I notice how much stronger I feel and how I can really push it to go further or faster. Some days I’m slow and some days I’m fast – especially with the stroller 80 lbs now). But I know that I am always, steadily and slowly, creating small changes and they have led to big shifts.

What does this mean for you? It’s not really about “running” at all. It’s about the goals. 

Setting a monstrous goal does not always work, even if that is where you want to go. It is better to set a small goal, or make a small shift, and continue to make small shifts on top of those, if you want to stay active in reaching those bigger goals. It’s what we do for our students and clients, but we forget to do for ourselves. The simpler the goal, and sometimes more scaled back, the easier it will be to reach and then keep building from there. You can aim for the big goal (say, “r” at the conversational level or running another half marathon), but you don’t reach for that yet. You start with the first steps (“r” in isolation, or running 1-2 miles without stopping), and then work towards mastering those. 

Instead of focusing on the big goal of being able to run the way I used to or to run another Half Marathon, I focused on increasing where I was. I could work towards 2 miles with no breaks, then maybe 3 or 4 miles, eventually 6, and continuing from there. 

This way, I am making realistic goals (like the ones we set for our own students and clients) and creating big shifts from there, instead of looking at where I am and where I wish I was, and not feeling like it could ever be possible.

When you are looking at your own goals, especially towards stress management, incorporating mindfulness, and/or personal development, you might be expecting it to be “fixed” and no longer an issuerightnow. Or at least within the next week or month, and then not have to worry about it anymore. Or not have stress still be prevalent. But it takes small changes first, built up over time, to create those big shifts, and to help those big shifts not be an overhaul that fails after a few weeks, but become a gradual part of your lifestyle. 

You need to find your starting point. Then, you move forward from there. 

Take a moment right now to work through some of these questions/prompts and create your starting point:

  • What is your main goal with your daily stress?
  • Where are you with it right now?
  • Is your main goal achievable and realistic for right now?
  • If not, how can you break it down to the smaller, but very important, starting place? Example: You want to meditate to manage your stress for 30 minutes a day. You currently have tried meditation once for 3 minutes on an app. Jumping into that HUGE goal would be a lot right now, and, most likely, not feasible. How can you break it down? Start with meditating for 3-5 minutes 3-5 days a week. Once that is solid and not even something you think much about, build it up (if you even need to or still want to).
  • What is your action step or plan to make it happen? From The example above: download a meditation app and figure out what time during the day will be consistent and easiest to start doing. 

You can go through these on your own in a journal or notebook, or you can download the guided “Small Changes to Create Big Shifts Workbook” available in the SLP Stress Management Shop.

For more resources, like FREE meditations and movement audios as well as exclusive discounts on courses, make sure to sign up for the FREE SLP Toolbox. A resource library full of tools to help you, as an SLP and human, reduce and manage your stress better. You can subscribe below.

What is your small shift? Leave it in the comments below to help share and solidify it!

Much Love, 

Jessi

Tags:
23Feb

How to Use an Anchored Breathing Meditation: Mindful Meditation Practice

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Meditation Stress Management
Comments Off on How to Use an Anchored Breathing Meditation: Mindful Meditation Practice

anchored breathing meditation

One thing that will always be true, sometimes unfortunately so, is that stress and overwhelm will be a part of life. Even when you have tools to manage and reduce them, they will show up and you’ll have to put what you’ve learned into practice, or try to find a resource to help you better manage. It can be challenging (sometimes in a good, growth-filled way), and it can also be an opportunity to try out some new skills, or come back to some tried and true ones. For me, it is usually a reminder or indicator that I have stepped away from my routine and my daily habits or self-care, and that is when I know I need to come back to it, to feel better and work through whatever its going on or is off balance. 

When things start to get overwhelming and stressful, one thing you can do is to anchor yourself with your breath. It is a technique that is often used in mindfulness practices, such as meditation and yoga (more info here). 

This practice helps in a few different ways:

  • It drops you into the present moment, rather than spiraling about a past situation or future issue. 
  • It helps you to focus on one thing, rather than the multiple thoughts and “what-if’s” that overwhelm can bring in. 
  • It helps you to find more calm and turn down the stress response you are experiencing. 

Anchoring your breath is a simple practice of focusing on your breath, in a certain place on/in your body, to help you stay present and focused during a meditation (or yoga or even walking/running/cycling) practice. You pick a spot that you can feel or sense the breath, such as the tip of your nose or nostrils, or the ribcage or belly, and try to maintain your focus as you breathe and sit. Your mind will wander, and the practice helps you to have a specific place to come back to, and focus again, when you notice your thoughts have wandered. 

Here are a few ways to use an “Anchored Breathing” Meditation Practice:

  • Self-Guided Meditation:
    • To do this practice, take a seat, close your eyes and start to pay attention to the breath in a specific spot. 
    • Stay there for about 5 minutes, or go for longer (I like to set a timer if I am doing a solo meditation). 
  • Yoga and Movement:
    • You can also try this during a yoga practice – taking the given pose or shape and then anchor into your breath as you hold or flow through. 
    • You could try this while running, walking, cycling, etc. Find a place to notice and anchor your breath, and then keep that your focus as you move. 
  • Guided Meditation Audio:
    • Sometimes you need some guidance and support to practice. You can always use a guided meditation practice, like the one(s) in the SLP Toolbox or on meditation apps.

Next time you are looking for a tool to help with the stress and overwhelm you are feeling, try an “Anchored Breathing” meditation or mindfulness practice. 

To download an audio version of this, make sure to sign up for the FREE resource library, the SLP Toolbox. You’ll find this meditation practice, plus many more and other resources, to help you better manage and reduce the stress you face as an SLP (and human!). You can sign up below for access:

How do you like to anchor your breath? Nostrils, belly, ribcage? Leave in the comments below!

Much Love, 

Jessi

Tags:
8Aug

Check Out or Check In?: Basic Mindfulness Meditation for SLPs

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Meditation Reduce Stress Stress Management
Comments Off on Check Out or Check In?: Basic Mindfulness Meditation for SLPs

basic mindfulness meditation for slps

One of the things I like to do when I am feeling stressed especially about my work as an SLP, is to find a million other tings to do or think about. That way, I don’t have to focus on the stressful thing at hand. And it works, for about 5 minutes, until it completely backfires and the stress comes at me full force.

Ever try this technique? It’s kind of the worst.

You might notice that when you are stressed, you also do things to check out – like binge watch your favorite show or movie or just ANY show, stay up way too late and guzzle all the caffeine you can the next day, or binge snacks or wine or whatever it might be. The idea is that you end up ignoring the stress, but then it hits you again a little stronger each time.

Instead, the way to really reduce and manage this stress is to face it head on. It sounds like this would be the more stressful approach, but it allows you to check in, or tune in, and see what it really going on for you. That way, even if it feels uncomfortable and more stressful in the movement, you can see what you need to work on, what you have to work with, and the changes you can start to create. It’s not easy, but it is usually necessary.

One way to do this is through a basic mindfulness meditation for SLPs.

In mindfulness meditation practice, you take a few moments to just sit and observe how you are. No judgments, no changing, just seeing what is going on for you in that moment. From there, you become more aware of how you are in that moment, which helps you to see:

  • how you will show up in your day/the world with what you have going on
  • how the day/world may affect you
  • what you can do to better navigate your day and current circumstances (like avoiding a certain co-worker or getting to bed earlier or drinking more water or whatever it may be).

This simple practice can help you start to reap the benefits of meditation, such as turning down the stress response in your brain, and start to manage your stress with more awareness.

You can start by simply sitting for 5 minutes, breathing, and just seeing how the mind and body feel in that moment (without judging) or you can follow a guided meditation, such as the “Basic Mindfulness Meditation for SLPs” available in the SLP Toolbox, a FREE resource library full of stress management tools made for SLPs by an SLP.

You can sign up for access below:

If you are looking to go even further with reducing and managing your SLP Stress, including using meditation and learning exactly how it can help, be sure to check out the SLP Stress Management Course, now enrolling.

Much Love,

Tags:
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
Comments Off on Turning your SLP Stress into Something Good with Marisha Mets of SLPNow: SLP Stress Management Podcast

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,

Tags:
30Jan

5 Ways to Practice Self Care as an SLP

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Burn Out Self Care
Comments Off on 5 Ways to Practice Self Care as an SLP

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…)

Tags: