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21Aug

Managing Your SLP Stress in Grad School and Beyond with Kate Van Vuren, SLP+Life Coach: SLP Stress Management Podcast

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: New SLP Stress Management
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slp stress in grad school

slp stress in grad school

SLP stress in grad school (and beyond) can be some of the toughest, and longest lasting, that you face in your career.

When I was in undergrad, as a CSD major, I was absolutely in love with the field of Speech-Language Pathology. It was like a door has been thrown open and I had stepped into this amazing world where changes were being made in people’s lives, there was so much to learn and do, and opportunities seemed endless – to learn, grow and create a life as a future SLP. I was so in love with this field, that signed up for extra observation hours beyond the 25 hour minimum, and I raised my GPA from nearly losing my scholarship (because I just didn’t care enough about my classes to go to them before) to graduating with honors, a semester early. I was hungry to learn more and wanted to learn it as quickly as I could.

Grad school – not so much.

For me, this is where my chronic stress and burnout began. The program was amazing and I am so grateful for it and all I learned there, but, it had the typical hyper-competitive culture that so many programs lean into, and was the opposite of my undergrad. It was drilled into us, as it is/was in many programs, that this was now the main focus of my life, nothing else was as important, and only the best and perfect was acceptable. It sucked the passion out of me nearly immediately and was the beginning of leading me to quit for nearly 5 years, claiming I would never be an SLP again. (Which, of course, I came back to eventually when I started using tools that healed that stress and burnout).

It is why I was so thrilled to “meet” and find Kate Van Vuren, an SLP that also felt some of that stress and pressure in grad school, took steps to manage it right away, and now helps other future SLPs, CFs and CCC-SLPs to take the pressure off and love their lives in and out of work again.

And it’s why I am so excited to share parts of her journey and wisdom in this episode of the SLP Stress Management Podcast!

slp stress in grad school

Kate Van Vuren is a licensed speech-language pathologist working to help women reduce stress and increase their energy through sustainable lifestyle change to thrive professionally and personally.

In this episode, Kate shares some of her own journey with stress as an SLP, how she made the decision to shape her job around her lifestyle, and how and why we need to change the competition culture of grad school.

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

More resources from Kate:

If you are ready to finally be DONE with the constant battle of stress as an SLP, check out the SLP Stress Management Online Course, an 8-week online course designed to help you manage stress, reduce burnout and find more balance in your life, no matter what gets thrown at you (teletherapy, pandemic, paperwork x 1000, you name it).

Much Love,

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8Aug

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

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Meditation Reduce Stress Stress Management
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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,

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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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22Jun

5 Stretches to Do Next to Your Desk: Mindful Movement for SLPs

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Mindful Movement Reduce Stress Self Care Teletherapy
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stretches for SLPs

Many SLPs went from working in schools or clinics or other in-person settings to providing services via teletherapy almost overnight. Some of the biggest hurtles were definitely trying to figure out how to hold sessions, schedule your students and clients, and what materials to use. But another thing you might not have realized would be a struggle is the potential lack of movement each day.

And with schools and clinics re-opening, but many going to partial status or keeping most sessions online, you might be faced with this lack of movement in your day for a little longer.

Working from home as an SLP can be amazing (by far my favorite setting), but it can also lead to a lot less movement. It can be really easy to end up stuck at your desk for the majority of your day. This lack of movement can cause tension and stiffness in your body, make it difficult to concentrate and focus after while, and can increase your overall stress. I have dealt with this first hand, even as a mind-body fitness and yoga teacher.

When I first started in teletherapy and working from home, this was the biggest surprise. I was so excited to build my schedule and add in more sessions, because I truly enjoyed the work and the connections with my students. After awhile though, it started to feel overwhelming and draining. I was so confused – why was I still feeling these symptoms and signs of stress and potential burnout, when I was actually loving the work? I realized that I was sitting for hours at a time, without even really shifting much in my seat, and my body and brain were not happy about it.

When you are already feeling stressed out by being an SLP and, right now, by all that is going on in the world, more stress from a lack of moving is not something you are looking for.

Getting up and moving, even for just s few stretches, can be a gamechanger.

Once I made it a point to get up and move during my day, I started to feel better.

  • I was less drained, physically and mentally
  • I had less tension in my body that would lead to headaches and backaches
  • I could focus better without the added tension
  • I felt more energized and excited to do the work

It wasn’t always something huge. Sometimes I would take my dogs out for 5 minutes, other times I would go for a walk. And some days, I would simply plop down on a yoga mat for a few quick stretches in between sessions.

If you are looking for something to do to get up and move, consider leaving a yoga mat off to the side, where you can hop on it and work out some tension. Use it in between sessions, if someone runs late or cancels, before/after your work day, or anytime you can.

For a short, guided yoga stretch practice that you can do right next to your desk, check out the downloadable audio “5 Stretches to Do Next to Your Desk” available in the SLP Toolbox. They are the perfect stretches for SLPs, who are short on time.

Not a member? You can subscribe below to this FREE stress management resource library full of meditations, mindful movement practices, and more, made for SLPs by an SLP.

If you are looking to learn more about SLP Stress Management, including a step-by-step system to help you manage stress, reduce burnout and find more balance in your life, check out the SLP Stress Management Online Course, enrolling now for a limited time!

Much Love,

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16Jun

Reset in 1 Minute: Mindfulness Meditation for SLPs

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Meditation Reduce Stress
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1 minute meditation for slps

One of the hardest things to do when you are stressed or overwhelmed is to do what you know will help. It’s not that you are trying to be rebellious or fight against what is good for you, but that it is really difficult to be in the moment and be able to problem solve your way into what you need.

This is why it is usually easier to give someone else advice than to take your own advice.

And it’s not just you – it is the way your brain responds to stress and the way we learn. When you are stressed, the problem solving parts of your brain are turned down and the automatic responses are turned up. That’s why is easier to KNOW something than it is to DO it in the moment.

It’s like when you have a student who can explain how to make a sound, but, when you try to have them use it in conversation, working towards carryover, it just doesn’t happen. They still need practice to make it happen in the real world.

And this often happens with our SLP Stress Management too. You know what to do, you have probably tried a few things, read a few things, or googled about stress, but putting it into practice in the real world is much harder.

Some things that might be making it difficult:

  • You don’t feel like you have the time
  • You aren’t sure which thing to try
  • It is more stressful to add in something than to just keep pushing through

If you ever feel this way, one great thing to do is to start small. Try something that is easy to do, easy to manage, and won’t completely overhaul your day.

A meditation is a good place to start. Meditation has a ton of benefits for brain health, reducing stress and rewiring your brain’s reaction to stress, which you can read about here: Meditation.

If you need a short meditation you can fit in at anytime, check out this “1 Minute Meditation for SLPs” in the SLP Toolbox.

Not a member? You can sign up below for access to the FREE resource library, full of Stress Management tools, made for SLPs by an SLP.

If you are looking to get even more tools, learn more about stress and why it affects you the way it does, and help incorporate this into your day in a way that works for you, make sure to check out the “SLP Stress Management Online Course“, open for enrollment June 22nd.

Click here for more info about the course and how to enroll. You can also join me for a FREE webinar on June 20th, where I’ll share “3 Steps to Reduce Your SLP Stress” as well as some details on the course.

Much Love,

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11Jun

The Reality of Work-Life Balance for SLPs: SLP Stress Management Podcast

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Podcast Reduce Stress
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work-life balance as an SLP

Please note this was recorded pre-COVID-19. There are many additional stressors that throw life off balance currently, and these can also help in our current times and situations.

As SLPs, there is a tendency to go all in on the things that matter to us – our work, our families, our students/clients, our interests in the field and research, and our causes we fight for. It is an intensity which drives so much of what we do and how we live. This intensity is what got many of us into the field, and it is also what can cause many of us to leave, feeling burned out, stressed out and overwhelmed by a lack of balance in life.

This lack of work-life balance as an SLP is in no way your fault. It is part of the way your brain is set up to respond to stress. It is part of a survival mechanism that does not always work in day-to-day life. Instead, it can leave you feeling stressed out constantly, guilty about not spending enough tome at work or at home, and “off balance”. It feels as if there is no way to dedicate the correct, even amount of time to each part of life, especially when you feel so passionate and intensely about each part.

The truth is, it will never be even or completely balanced 50/50. Work-life balance in this way is really a myth or not realistic. But, it can exist in a different way.

In episode 12 of the SLP Stress Management Podcast, I’ll share why work-life balance as an SLP, as you typically think about it, sets you up for failure, as well as how it works in reality (and how you can make it work for you as an SLP).

You can check out the episode below, and on any of you podcast apps. All episodes are also available to listen to here: SLP Stress Management Podcast.


Like what you heard? You can check out even more SLP Stress Management tools and insights in the Professional Development webinars here: SLP PD


And be sure to sign up for the FREE resource library, SLP Toolbox, for stress management audios, templates, guides and more created for SLPs by an SLP. It also gets you on the list to be the first to hear about the SLP Stress Management Online Course when it launches in late June 2020! Sign up below.



Much Love,

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3Jun

5 Ways to Practice Self-Care as an SLP

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Reduce Stress Self Care
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self-care as an SLPLet’s be completely for a moment. Being an SLP is super awesome and rewarding, and at times super draining, stressful and downright exhausting. You most likely got into the field because you wanted to help people. From babies to kiddos to teenagers to adults to the elderly, there is something that you can offer them to help improve their daily life and help them thrive, communicate and, when needed, swallow and get nourishment. And the field only continues to grow as we learn more and our roles expand.

So, yeah, it can be rewarding. And, yeah, it can be stressful.

There is a thing that happens in a profession like ours, one where you help people ALL DAY EVERYDAY. It often leads to chronic stress and burn out and can make you either continue to live feeling overwhelmed and stressed each day, or cause you to quit completely. You see, as a “Helping Professional”, and I dare to say even more so for SLPs with our vast role, you are giving to others to the point of exhaustion. There is often no break during your day, there are infinite tasks to do in addition to your therapy, and you constantly feel like you need to do more, learn more and be more for your clients/students/patients. So you do more, and you give more, until you don’t have a lot left to give. And yet you still try to give more. It’s like pouring from an empty cup and hoping for a few more drops to come out, or scraping the bottom of an empty barrel.

And all of this is for others. So it is no wonder that you are exhausted, stressed, and overwhelmed.

The thing you, well we as a whole, keep trying to do is push through and give more, and what you, we, really need is to take a pause and fill back up. Give some BACK to yourself, so you are not empty, depleted or drained. Restore and recharge, so you can not only give back to others, but also make it through each day OK and eventually thriving.

The biggest thing – make time for Self-Care as an SLP.

And by self-care, I am talking about taking time to restore, check in and take care of yourself. Not to check out, binge your favorite show and down a bottle of wine/bar of chocolate/tube of cookie dough, while denying you have to work in the morning (it happens to the best of us!). 

Self-Care is not just a trendy thing. It is in fact science backed, which is what we look for as SLPs. Studies show that true Self-Care activities can help you to be more present, enjoy your day, and decrease your overall stress AND the way stress affects you.

It’s not always easy or purely fun, because true Self-Care as an SLP is WORK, but is makes all the difference. And, eventually, it becomes a part of your day that you really can’t make it through without. It takes you from struggling to survive each day, to fully thriving each day.

Here are a few ways to Practice Self-Care as an SLP:

  • Take breaks during the day:
    • This can be super challenging, especially when you work from home (which you most likely are at this moment). Make sure to take some breaks, even short ones, to eat, stretch, move, pee, whatever it is you need to do. It gives your brain and body a chance to recharge, so you can show up more focused, engaged and ready.
  • Get some rest:
    • It sounds easier than it is. If you are working round the clock to get your paperwork and other “tasks” completed, or find yourself binge watching late into the night to avoid your stress, you might be lacking in rest. Or you might be feeling like your thoughts start spinning as soon as your head hits the pillow. Try to set a reminder or timer before you need to head to bed, so you have time to unwind first. Then, if your thoughts are spiraling, try a journal practice called “brain dump” to put all the thoughts down on paper and get them out of your head.
  • Try being mindful:
    • Mindfulness simply means being aware and checking on how you are doing. You could try giving yourself a moment to check in when you wake up to see how you feel that day. Then use that awareness of how you are today to be realistic of how you might show up, react and move through the day.
  • Get up and move
    • Easier said than done. It can be easy to slip into the habit of working, and then working just a little more, and then a little more, until you have spent the entire day sitting Most likely, it leaves your body stiff, your brain frazzled, and an overall feeling of sluggishness. Try moving, even to walk to get coffee or water, a few times a day. Go outside for a quick stretch. Get up and take 100 steps. Do a few laps around your house or office. Stretch at your desk. All of these can help you to feel better and maintain energy during your day .
    • (Check out some of the Mindful Movement downloadable audios in the SLP Toolbox).
  • Eat and hydrate
    • It something you need to do, but might be forgetting to really do this during the day. Make sure you take tome to stay hydrated throughout your day. Coffee is great, but too much can make you feel less than good. Also include some water to sip on, keeping you hydrated, feeling good, and helping your voice to stay steady. Have a water bottle on your desk an refill as needed.
    • Snacks are important too. They help your body and brain function and focus. Make time for snack breaks and a full lunch. If you need to, have healthy snacks at your desk that you can eat in between sessions to help you stay energized.

For Self-Care resources, made just for SLPs, make sure to sign up for the FREE SLP Toolbox below. You’ll get weekly updates and resources to help you manage and reduce stress that can lead to burn out.

 

You can also learn more about managing stress and practicing self-care as an SLP in the following CEU/CMH courses:

Much Love,

 

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29May

7 Stretches to Do at Your Desk: Mindful Movement for SLPs

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Reduce Stress Self Care Teletherapy
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desk stretches for SLPs

One of the best things to do for stress is to incorporate some kind of physical movement into your day, like simple desk stretches for SLPs. Even small, short things, like stretching, can help you to reduce some tension, physical and mental, that leads to stress.

Your body can give you big insights into the stress you are feeling, and can sometimes cause you to feel tension. In yoga, you’ll often hear the teacher talk about “holding tension in the body”. They usually are referring to something in the shoulders or hips, that holds to more tension throughout the rest of the body.

  • Tension in your shoulders could lead to tension in your neck, upper back, jaw, or even chest. Think of sitting at your desk and having your shoulders scrunched up by our ears, and the discomfort this usually brings. This can cause headaches, back aches, and overall achiness that can lead to physical tension, which then creates more mental tensions.
  • Tight hips (huge muscles that connect to a lot of other areas in the body) can cause lower backaches, hip flexor tightness, knee pain, and, well, achy hips. This can create more physical aches and pains, as well as mental stress.

The trick here is that the physical stress can cause the mental stress, but the mental stress can cause the physical stress as well.

  • Stress causes you to tighten your shoulders and clench your jaw
  • Stress causes you to slouch and sink into your hips, causing your back to feel tense.

So what to do?

If you are stuck at your desk, and feeling tense (hello working in teletherapy or doing paperwork and reports), stretching while at your desk is key.

You might not have time to get up and move around, but you can sit back for a moment, in between sessions or notes, and stretch these key areas. Which causes you to reduce that tightness, take a breath and pause, and maybe even deepen your breathing while you do so, in turn reducing your stress even more.

My favorite stretches (as an SLP, someone working from home and in teletherapy, and as a yoga teacher) are ones that:

  • Stretch the hips
  • “Wring out” the spine aka gently twist
  • Relax the shoulders
  • Stretch the neck and shoulders (and upper back)

You can try some desk stretches for SLPs on your own when you have a chance, or check out the guided Mindful Movement audio download, “7 Stretches to Do at Your Desk”, available exclusively in the SLP Toolbox.

Not a member? You can subscribe below to this FREE resource full of SLP Stress Management tools created for SLPs by an SLP.

For more stress management, check out these CMH/CEU Professional Development webinars:

Much Love,

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