Alleviate Your Stress by Tapping Into Your "Why"
Why did you start working as a speech-language pathologist (SLP)?
Was it because of the money? We doubt that!
Was it because of the fame? We doubt that, too (although being an SLP is a very respectful profession).
Maybe you became an SLP because you are passionate about helping your students or clients communicate, connect and be able to meet their goals. So many SLPs selected this career over numerous other career options because they want to be part of the change and improve lives!
Sometimes, however, we neglect ourselves and our feelings while prioritizing everything and everyone else. And when we do that, feeling stressed and overwhelmed becomes inevitable.
Therefore, to alleviate our stress levels and regain our motivation and joy, we have to shift our reality by changing our mindset first. And a great way to do that is by tapping into your bigger WHY.
This blog post will show you why your "WHY" matters and provide some simple but very effective strategies that will help you remember your purpose.
Why is your bigger "WHY" important?
Your "WHY" helps to ground you, brings you back to the bigger picture, focuses, and helps move us forward. Your WHY can serve as a compass in your day-to-day work.
Beyond being your internal compass, understanding your purpose serves two fundamentally important aspects: 1) it motivates you, and 2) it orients you. Let's take a closer look at each of these:
1. Your "why" motivates you and helps you look at the bigger picture.
Knowing why you are doing your work as an SLP is motivating as it reminds you that even the most stressful day as an SLP is actually worth it. It reminds you that:
The work you do is important.
You are important to your students/clients, as you are the change that they need.
You are important to their family, the school, your community, and the world..helping one individual at a time. This might sound corny but it’s true...it’s a ripple effect!
You and the work you are doing is important. Don’t forget to look around at the smiles on the children’s faces, the emails of gratitude from your families, and the teams you are contributing to. All of these are the beauty of being a speech-language pathologist and make our work meaningful and unique.
2. Your "why" orients you
Another benefit of knowing the "why" is that it also helps you pursue the right kinds of opportunities to foster growth and progress.
Now that we have established the importance of our "why," let's explore some strategies on how to remember your purpose and stick to it.
Strategies to remember your why:
1) Make a memory board
When you feel down, it is good to have a visual reminder of why you are doing your work. Our students get visual reminders, so why don't we? On your memory board, you can put anything that uplifts your soul – pictures of students you have helped and the challenges that you have overcome, an email from a parent, a handwritten card, a holiday gift, etc. Put anything that will help you remember why your work as an SLP is important and help pick you up when you’re overwhelmed or feeling down. Which life did you impact today?
2) Create a win jar
Before you leave your office (even if it's a home office) at the end of the day:
Grab a pen and paper.
Write down something awesome that happened today for one of your kids/clients/families.
Put it in a jar – your win jar.
The simple act of writing this down will help you to keep you in a positive and grateful mindset. Plus, you can always come to your win jar when you are feeling down and see how much of a positive impact you are making in the lives of others!
3) Print mantras with visuals on them to remind you of your bigger why
A mantra is any collection of words designed to promote focus, quiet anxiety, and negative self-talk, boost happiness and increase self-confidence.
Mantras are truly important as they keep you in alignment with your true self.
As we want to promote your well-being and in order to make self-care a top priority for you, our team has created a freebie, 5 steps to create a self-care and compassion routine for speech therapists. You can download your freebie here (in case you haven't already).
In it, you will find some of our favorite mantras with visuals just for you. Pick the mantras that resonate with you most and remind you of your purpose. Print them out to post in a prominent place (such as your memory board) to have as a reminder to use the mantras daily and remember your WHY.
Your Next Steps:
You see, your why is your internal compass that guides your actions and decisions. By tapping into your purpose, we can more clearly see our connection to the bigger picture and the positive impact on others' lives. This, on the other hand, will alleviate the stress, leaving you more centered and in peace with yourself and your work.
Our team is dedicated to making positive changes in our speech-language pathologists' lives. We want you to thrive, both personally and professionally, because we know that by taking care of our SLPs, we can make a positive change in the world. Don't forget to download your freebie HERE and take really good care of yourself.
Oh, and one more thing, please share the love by forwarding this blog post to other SLPs, and if you have any questions, contact us; we would love to help you in any way we can!