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24Oct

Leaving the SLP field to pursue your dreams with Jess Massey: SLP Stress Management Podcast

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Podcast Stress Management
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leaving the slp field

Be honest, have you ever considered leaving the SLP field entirely? There are a lot of SLPs and future SLPs wondering if they have made the correct decision about going into the field of Speech Language Pathology. I was one of those for over 5 years, and sometimes that thought still creeps in to my mind. It can be a really difficult thing to face and ask yourself, and it can also be the thing that leads you to exactly where you need to be – whether it is staying the course, shifting to something new within the field, or creating something new entirely.

The field of Speech Language Pathology is incredible and the work is meaningful. It can be stressful, and this stress can still be worth it (and made more manageable). But it doesn’t mean it is for everyone, even when it is such a beautiful field to be in.

There are a lot of things you can do and ask yourself when you are considering leaving the SLP field. One thing is to really sit down and see what you want your life to be and where your dreams and focus are taking you – beyond the stress and doubt. This is what I “sit down” and chat about for an episode of the SLP Stress Management Podcast, with former-future-SLP and present day Paper Planner creator, Digital Product creator, host of the “Hustle Sanely” podcast, Jess Massey of Jessicamassey.com and HustleSanely.com.

jess massey podcast interview

In 2019, Jess left grad school , while pursuing a degree in Speech Language Pathology, to go all in on her business Hustle Sanely. She creates digital and paper products, as well as courses and membership communities, to help women (a lot of teachers and SLPs) to create systems and routines that help them to better manage time, and, “hustle sanely”.

Here is a little more about Jess:

Jess Massey is a planner designer, podcast host, and the founder of Hustle Sanely, which is a community-centered productivity brand that equips women to pursue their dreams without sacrificing their mental health and relationships. We use the 5 Keys to Hustling Sanely to help women get clear on their dreams, define their priorities, and create a schedule to peacefully pursue them.

In the episode we talk about:

  • Leaving your current job/school to pursue your dream
  • The journey in and out of pursuing SLP
  • 5 Keys to Hustling Sanely
  • Hustle Sanely 5
  • To-do lists vs Focus “3” for your day
  • Where to find Jess’s products and programs (including the upcoming Hustle Sanely Program enrollment and membership program), as well as where to follow her on IG

You can tune in below or with the SLP Stress Management Podcast episodes here:

For more ways to manage your SLP Stress, make sure to check out the SLP Toolbox, with FREE resources to help you manage and reduce your stress as an SLP, including meditation and movement audios, mindfulness/journaling checklists and more.

You can sign up to subscribe below:

Much Love,

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16Dec

What to Look for in a CF-SLP Job Opening

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Career Advice New SLP Reduce Stress
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CF-SLP Job Pinterest

When you are looking for your first job as a new graduate, there can be a lot to consider. Most will tell you to look for a CF-SLP job opening that pays well and that you like, or maybe has really good hours. This advice isn’t wrong, and can be a great starting point, but there is a lot more to consider if you want to have a successful year that sets you up for MANY more years to come.

If you really want to have a successful CFY, you need to also consider how you want to experience the year and feel during the process. Do you want a lot of support or  a lot of freedom? Do you want a more flexible schedule or something standard and steady? These are also things to consider when you start to look for a CF-SLP job opening.

And when you look at this things and maybe go even deeper, it can help you to have a much more enjoyable, and much less stressed first year as an SLP.

Here is what to look for in a CF-SLP job opening:

  • Pay:
    • Ok, yes, this is still important. Not only the amount you get paid, but HOW you get paid.
    • You may want to consider if you are looking for a salary position or work as an independent contractor. Working as an IC can often pay you more per hour, and if you contract into the schools you get a little less stress from before and after school duties and meetings, but you also might have to do a little more work when it comes to saving for taxes.
    • Being salary is great, because you know what you will make each paycheck, so it is easier to budget. These positions can sometimes come with a little more responsibility outside of work, much as bus duty in the schools, and you won;t get paid for the extra hours you spend at work.
    • It also is good to look at how much you need to make to live the lifestyle you want, especially if student loans are about to kick in.
  • Setting:
    • Setting is important, but not always in the way you might think.
    • Usually, the advice is to find a job in a setting that you are super interested in or that you are very passionate about. This can be very helpful, and keep you engaged in your work, but might also be a little unrealistic as a new SLP grad.
    • As a new grad, you might not know the full scope of the work or how the day to day for that particular work might be. Looking for something that fits your desired day to day schedule (time for breaks, shorter day, longer day with time in between patients, traveling, early day, 9-5, etc) might be a better way to find what will really work for you, rather than something you are passionate about, but will drain you (think if you are NOT a morning person, but the clinic for your “dream” caseload starts at 7am. It sounds exciting, but you’ll be exhausted and might start to resent it). Finding a balance with this can be key.
  • Support:
    • When you are looking for a CF-SLP job opening, another thing to consider is the amount of support that will be offered vs the amount of support you are wanting or needing. There are some CF positions where you will basically be left to your own, with a few check-ins here and there. This could terrify some new grads, or make others feel like they are finally free to do the work their way. Or you might be in a setting where there is support all around you, leading you through each step, which could be awesome if you don’t quite feel ready to be left on your own, or may leave you feeling micro-managed and not trusted.
    • When you look for your new job, ask what the support will be like and see if it matches what you are wanting and needing.
  • Turn-over:
    • If there are job openings because SLPs are leaving this position left and right, you may want to look deeper into what is really going on. Is it a caseload that is super challenging? That might be ok if it is something you are really wanting to work with and are up for a big challenge. Is it poor management or lack of support? You might want to reconsider. Knowing what it is really like to work there, or why others have left, will help you to know if it is a good fit for you in the long run, or something you would have to “survive” for a year (which just makes for a LOT of stress that can continue through your career).
  • More training:
    • One of the hardest things when you first start out is feeling like you don’t know enough. You WILL know a lot, but this feeling is bound to come up, and it can be really overwhelming. To help, look for a place that will help support you in learning more. This might be offering a stipend for CEU courses or reimbursement, supporting you in more extensive training to help you specialize or even offering their own training to help you continue to learn and grow as a clinician.
  • Work-Life Balance:
    • This is often key for finding a job that will work for your entire CFY, and fr the rest of your career – do they support or encourage work-life balance? Without this, you are bound to feel stressed, overwhelmed and burned out really quickly, which can lead to a life-long career of stress, dispassion for your work, or even leaving the field entirely. Trust me, I’ve been there (with SLP jobs and even in yoga jobs).
    • If it seems like the amount of work would be impossible to finish at work, or the hours might be incredibly long, or the mentality (as many grad school programs can be) is that “SLP is your life now”, then it might not offer much in terms of balance.
    • Look for a company or position that encourages you to grow as a professional, but also encourages you to leave work at work, keep caseloads in check, and continues to support you as needed, whether in CEUs, supervision, mentorship, or just having someone you can count on.

You CF year as an SLP can be incredible in many ways. It can inspire you to do more continue to grow in the field for years to come, and it can also be incredibly overwhelming and leave you disheartened at times. To help know what to look for in a CF-SLP job opening, make sure to consider some of the above tips and advice.

For more on managing your stress as an SLP for the long-haul, or preventing it and setting yourself up for a rewarding career for years to come, check out the FREE resources in the SLP Toolbox. You can sign up below:


And don’t miss these CEU/CMH opportunities on some of your favorite SLP Professional Development sites.

Much Love,

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24Apr

How to Improve Work-Life Balance as an SLP

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Burn Out Career Advice New SLP Reduce Stress Self Care
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SLP Work-Life Balance PinterestFinding work-life balance as an SLP can be one of the hardest parts of the job. As an SLP, you have loads of paperwork and admin tasks, are often paid per hour or client, and might feel like you can never quite catch up. It means you end up bringing work home with you most nights (and even on breaks), constantly think about all you have to do (even when you are with your family or alone at home), and might even feel guilt about not working on your time outside the office.

For me, at the height of my stress and burn out, I often felt like my mind was on work, instead of being present at home, and it would leave me exhausted, drained and with an overall feeling of dissatisfaction in my day.

If you are finding that you are struggling between getting your work done and enjoying your time out of the office, here are a few ways you can start to find more work-life balance as an SLP.

Leave work at work.

This seems simple enough, to physically leave your work at work, but it is far from simple. If you are bringing your work home with you, it is most likely because you don’t feel like you have enough time to get it all completed by the end of the day. This alone can make you feel anxious and off balance, but the thought of leaving it at work can heighten this feeling.

To help lessen this stress, try two practices:

  1. Look for holes in your schedule where you are able to plug in some work. These might be small gaps that you didn’t realize you had, or it could be places where you are filling gaps with things to take your mind off of work (but ultimately leave you more stressed) such as scrolling through emails, FB or IG.
  2. Figure out the “Must-do” item for your week (the big report or IEP meeting that is due) and only take this work home, setting up a specific time to focus and get it done. You can find a template for this in the SLP Toolbox.

Remember, the work will never be caught up. It is continuous and constantly playing catch up will only leave you more exhausted.

Find a transition between work and home.

A lot of exhaustion comes from mental fatigue caused by stress. This is often due to constantly thinking about work, even when you are at home and you have left your physical work at the office. If your brain is constantly drifting back towards the work that you want to finish, the meeting you need to schedule and specific moments form your day, you are likely to feel exhausted and drained by the end of the day, and as if you can’t think clearly. And when you can’t think clearly, you aren’t present at home and you aren’t efficient at work, and your stress grows.

To help give your brain a shift out of work mode and into work mode, try having a transition at the end of the work day, before you head home. This gives you a clear break i your day, so you can start to leave work at work, physically and mentally. It can be any type of activity that you enjoy and that gives you a little boost of self-care in your day.

Try one of these:

  • Take a coffee/tea break on your way home
  • Stretch or go for a walk when you finish up
  • Hit the gym
  • Listen to your favorite podcast
  • Read a blog, book or magazine

Set up a Morning or Evening Routine:

Start and stop your day a moment for yourself.

Another way to help you feel find a little more work-life balance as an SLP, is to have a time of day that is routine and just for you. Often the mornings and/or evenings become rushed and are all about getting to work or preparing to head to work the next day. In order to bring in more work-life balance as an SLP, you can set up a morning or evening routine to help you ease into or our o f your day.

It gives you a moment of mindfulness and self-care, which are key to reducing stress, and sets you up for a more balanced day – either by starting on a positive and being in tune with how you are that day, or allowing you to let the day go so you can feel more physically and mentally well-rested.

They only have to take about 5 to 10 minutes. Here are a few to try:

  • Morning Routine: try a practice to help you build up some energy
    • Exercise or yoga
    • Meditation for focus or intentions
    • Journaling about your intentions and goals for the day, or 3 moments of gratitude
    • Starting the day with quiet (SLPs talk a lot and are surrounded by noise most days)
    • Go for a morning walk
  • Evening Routine: try something to help you unwind and let go of the day
    • Warm bath
    • Stretching or gentle yoga
    • Evening walk after dinner
    • Journal about 3 positives from your day
    • Meditation for sleep
    • 5 minutes of silence and a cup of tea
    • Read a book or magazine

While these can seem like a lot of things to add to an already busy day, they are key to finding more work-life balance as an SLP. They will take time to set up initially, and you might fond that some resonate with you more than others. Once you get going, they will help to reduce your feeling of being drained, exhausted and depleted by improving your overall stress, increasing your mental focus and clarity, and leaving you with a bit more energy.

If you are looking for more guidance, make sure to head over to the SLP Toolbox to grab meditations, journal templates and checklists that will help you get started on finding more work-life balance as an SLP today.

For even more resources to manage stress and reduce burn out, check out these CEU/CMH webinars, available now:

Much Love,

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15Dec

Should You do SLP Work on Your Holiday Break?

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Burn Out New SLP Reduce Stress Self Care
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SLP Work on Your Holiday Break (1)It’s the holiday season! Many SLPs are either about to be on a Winter Break for a few weeks, or are perhaps taking a few days off, finding the work load to be less, or having to juggle shorter days of work when their kids are off from school. For these SLPs, the lighter and often shorter schedule can be like a light at the end of the tunnel, especially if you schedule was a little hectic with meetings, make-up sessions, and getting it “all” done right before the break.

While this is a time to sit back and relax for a few weeks, perhaps traveling or spending time with your loved ones (or just a good book), a lot of SLPs find it hard to turn off their productive side and spend a lot of the time off catching up on work, and not finding much time to relax at all. Or, you might find that your burn out is full-blown and you spend the break denying (to yourself that you even have a job you have to go back to in a few weeks. Either way, it does not bring about much balance in your life, and will often lead to more anxiety and stress once you head back into work after your break.

So the question is, should you do SLP work on your Holiday Break?

The answer is dual-sided, and comes back to this –  You have to find (the seemingly mythical) balance. When you are on your break, there are times that doing work will be extremely beneficial for you, but too much of it means you don’t get a break at all.

Here is how you can break down what type of work is best for you, and when to do it (or not):

  • Beneficial to Work:
    • Completing a Project: If you have something that you don’t usually have time to complete, and it is not just paperwork, this might be a good time to work on it. make sure it is something that you enjoy doing, so it doesn’t feel like a lot of work, and that you set a time limit to when you will begin and end working on it.
    • Something Stressing You Out: If not planning for the month/week.year ahead stresses you out, go ahead and take some time to plan out your next month or so, but limit the amount of time you have by setting a timer. This way, you work on it, but you do what is most important and within a given time frame.
    • Passion: If you have something that you are passionate about and want to learn more about, create or launch, this is a great time to dedicate some of your time to work on it. Again, make sure to set up some specific days or hours, so you aren’t working your entire break, even if it is something you enjoy doing.
  • NOT Beneficial to Work:
    • Family Time: If you find you are spending more time working than with your loved ones, you might need to take a step back and re-evaluate. Go ahead and make a plan for when you will work, and when you won’t. Mark it on your calendar, along with any other family events that you have going on during your break (school plays, dinners, recitals, parties, etc), so you are giving yourself plenty of time and space to enjoy both things.
    • Vacation: If you have planned a vacation somewhere, whether a cruise, road trip, or visiting family and friends, give yourself some time to unplug from work. Allow yourself to be present during this time, so you can enjoy and benefit from it fully. Then, when it is over to before you go, carve out some time to take care of the work related tasks you have or would like to do.
    • The Entire Break: It might sounds silly, but if you don’t watch out, you might spend your entire break doing work, or thinking and ruminating on the work you need/should be doing. If you find this happening, get your calendar and mark down some specific times you will do work, along with what you will work on. The rest of the time, try to focus on what you are doing in that moment – whether it is a trip with family or sitting down to a cup of hot cocoa. This will give your brain some much needed rest and help you to feel less stressed and overwhelmed, during break and after.

Of course, this might be a bit different for you and your circumstances, but use this as a guide to help you decide if working during your break is something that will help reduce your stress and bring back some passion for your work, or if it is something that you are doing in order to feel productive and could cause burn out to flare up.

For more resources, make sure to sign up for the SLP Toolbox below. You’ll get free meditations to help you release stress and unwind, templates for your “Must-Do” lists, and even some journals and Self-Care guides.


Much Love,

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11Nov

How to Feel Less Drained and Exhausted as an SLP

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Gratitude Journal Techniques for SLPs Reduce Stress
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Feel Less Drained PinterestIf you are an SLP, you might feel like the good parts of your day are far and few between, and that they are outweighed heavily by the harder, draining, and “bad” parts of your daily work. It has nothing to do with patients or students (usually), and often has more to do with the stress that comes from the other aspects of your work – more emphasis on direct vs indirect therapy services, ever-changing paperwork and protocols for billing, less and less control over your caseload and schedule, and being “on” for 40 hours a week.

These things can often leave you feeling drained, exhausted (mentally and physically), and sometimes you might even feel anxious about the week ahead or dread going to work the next day. They also often have nothing to do with why you became an SLP in the first place, or the joy and passion you once had for your career.

When you start to feel this way, you are often overloaded with stressors that pile up each day, either because there are so many or because you have no way to manage them properly. This can lead to chronic stress and burn out. Your brain gets stuck in a pattern of being on the lookout for stress and then creating more stress because of it. It keeps you focused on what is not working each day, rather than noticing the things that are working. This is what you need to switch to feel less drained and exhausted as an SLP.

To create a shift in your brains patterns, and start routinely noticing things that are working and going well, you can do practices that create and cultivate more positivity in your day. This doesn’t mean you have to change jobs to one with less demands or overhaul your daily schedule – these things often can’t be changed and would come with a new set of stress if you did. Instead, you practice looking for the positive, and noticing moments that otherwise might go unnoticed, so you shift your attention to what is working for you, putting your energy, time, and thoughts into those things.

One simple way to do this is to create more gratitude through a journaling practice. Gratitude journaling helps you to shift out of the negative stress cycle in your brain and into a place where you are cultivating more positivity.

Gratitude Journaling Benefits:

  • Notice what is working each day
  • Shifts your brain patterns to notice more good moments
  • End/Begin the day on a positive note
  • Gives you a break in the day

Research in the field of Positive Psychology has shown that it takes 3 positive moments to make up for 1 negative interaction, and that if we end a moment or event on a positive note, the entire thing seems more positive. This is how your brain starts to shift and more “good” moments start to happen in your day, reducing your overall feelings of stress. This can be key to helping you feel less drained and exhausted as an SLP.

How to Gratitude Journal:

  • Write down 3 good things from your day
    • They can be small or big
  • Do this at a set times each day
    • Morning to set your intention for the day
    • After work to transition from work to home
    • Evening to end the day on a positive note
  • Aim for 5-7 days a week

Once you get started, you can do this most days each week, either in the morning, end of your work day or right before bed, to help you train your brain to notice what works, not just what doesn’t. When things do feel stressful, you’ll also have a journal full of good things that have happened on a daily bass, to help you shift back into a more positive state. It doesn’t mean you ignore the hard times, but that you are able to rebound from them easier and are less affected by them.

If you are looking for more ways to start a Gratitude Practice, make sure to join the SLP Toolbox, a free resource center for SLPs, where you’ll find printable Gratitude Journal templates, as well as meditation, self-care checklists and other stress-reducing resources designed specifically for SLPs.

You can access them by signing up below (plus you’ll get a free 7-day Stress Less Challenge sent straight to your inbox).


Much Love,

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4Sep

Simple and Grounding Overnight Oats

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Nourishing Recipes for Busy SLPs Reduce Stress Well-Being
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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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3Sep

3 Ways for SLPs to Stress Less this School Year

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Burn Out Career Advice Reduce Stress Self Care
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SLP Stress Less Pinterest

With a new school year here and many of us already back at school and (yikes!) even seeing students already, you are bound to start having those dreaded, stressful thoughts that you left on your desk at the end of the year, start to find their way back to you.

Even if you are excited and feeling recharged form the summer break, you might find your thoughts starting to flicker back an forth between excitement and anxiety, the familiar pull that you know will eventually take over by the end of the year. I don’t mean to paint a dark and dreary picture for you, but to show that you are not alone in this. If you have ever felt the exhaustion of chronic stress or burn out, you know that it can slowly creep in and take over before you realize what has happened.

That is the bad news.

The good news is that this usually only happens because we go through the same cycle each year or excitement about the start of the new year and all that it could bring right on to the reality of the work it entails and then the sheer exhaustion it brings by Summertime. For most, this cycle gets slightly more difficult each passing school year, because the few months in the summer, where you could really take time to recharge and create some changes in your work-life balance, are spent ignoring the feelings while you relax for a few months, or you work like crazy in a PRN job or running errands all summer. (more…)

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28Aug

Manage Your Stress Better All Year Long

Posted by: Jessi Andricks Categories: Reduce Stress Self Care
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Manage Stress PinterestAt the start of a new school year or new season, there is often this rush of excitement, and readiness for a change or fresh perspective. It lasts for awhile, but then it can feel as if, quite swiftly at times, the perspective shifts and you are right back in the midst of stress, overwhelm and exhaustion. You start to wonder if there is a way you can manage your stress better.

Paperwork has piled up, you aren’t enjoying your time with students/clients, and you are starting to feel drained, or even anxious, from your work. You feel exactly like you did before the year/season started, and you know that it is only going to pile up. Again. And it seems to get a little worse each time.

So you push through until the next break, and start the cycle all over again, hoping that one day it will get just a little better. On that day, you’ll have more time, more freedom, more energy, more drive, more…enjoyment for life and work.

You just have to wait a little longer for it to happen…one day.

But then things continue in the cycle of stress and release and more stress, all while growing more irritable at work and at home, until one day you decide to switch jobs or quit altogether.

Does this story sound familiar?

This was my everyday routine (and sometimes I get drawn back into it for a moment before snapping out of it again), and one that most SLPs I know are stuck in as well.

We are always fighting stress and trying to find ways to work more efficiently, enjoy it better and not drown in paperwork, stress and exhaustion.

We, as SLPs, are struggling. And stress is the reason why. (more…)

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