SLPs, Can You Guess Why Our Word of the Year Is Resiliency?

At the beginning of our school year, we have so many goals, to-do lists, meetings to attend, and the list goes on and on. Sure, this is really important, but there is one aspect that is missing - intention setting. 

CLICK IMAGE TO GET A DOWNLOADABLE PDF OF OUR RESILIENCE INFO GRAPHIC

Intention setting is all about how you want to be while you are doing. In other words, it helps you focus on your values and reminds you to be calm and mindful about any challenges you face. And that's the power a one-word intention has.

A one-word intention (also known as a word of the year) acts as a mantra/internal compass that helps guide your daily actions and thrive.  Using this word as a reminder of your intention can be so very powerful! For this reason, each school year, our team of SLPs picks a meaningful word that helps us stay focused and connected with a common intention to help us so that we can help others.

This year our word is RESILIENCY.

Why resiliency (or resilience)?

2021 was an absolute whirlwind for everyone, and our world of speech therapy in the schools was especially challenging! SLPs have shown immense resiliency as we had to balance so many changes - switching between online and in-person teaching while managing our families and challenges. And as we are especially proud of our SLPs and the way they continuously handle all of the challenges, we chose the word resiliency to acknowledge and celebrate YOU.

What is resiliency?

Resiliency (or also known as resilience) is our ability to recover from difficult situations, adapt, move on, grow and learn from our experiences. It's the ability to bounce back in the event of adversity. 

Here are a few ways that our SLPs describe it:

“Resilience means expecting difficulties, working through the difficulties with a side of self-care, and taking it one day at a time.” -Molly R., M.S., CCC-SLP

“To be resilient you need to have compassion for yourself and your own emotions. You need to unpack the way you're feeling in the moment, have compassion and accept those feelings, and try not to fight them. When you accept the moment, your feelings, and everything that is happening you're able to see the situation more clearly. For me, I demonstrate resilience by asking for help when I need it, not judging myself, and being kinder to myself during hard times and hard moments.” -Jenna V., M.S., CCC-SLP

“The ability to get through hard moments, learn from mistakes, and keep trying.” -Megan L.B., M.S., CCC-SLP

Many factors affect your natural resiliency, such as how you were brought up and what experiences you have been exposed to, but it is also something that you can build up.

5 strategies for building your resiliency and bounce back quickly in ANY situation

As we said, resilience is a skill that and if practiced regularly, can be mastered (like anything else in life). Here are five tips that will help you build your resiliency muscle. 

1) Start with the end in mind and chunk down the problem. Sometimes the challenges we face seem too big to handle, but you would be surprised how we can simplify each challenge and make it easier to resolve if you break it down into manageable pieces. You can learn more about how to master this technique here.

2) Focus on the positive and be mindful of your response. Regardless of the situation, working on regulation and how to respond versus react can be critical to the outcome of a particular situation. You can react with panic and negativity or be mindful and try to stay calm and logical. By remaining calm, you will more easily find a solution to your challenge. And as the American poet and author Bryant McGill says:

"Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges." 

3) Prioritize self-care. You know what works best for you - walking in nature, reading a book, jogging, meeting with friends; whatever it is that makes your heart sing, do it regularly. Because self-care is not selfish, it's essential, especially in our profession. You can read more about self-care and self-compassion and how to implement them in your daily routine here.

4) Build your support network. People who have strong connections are more resistant to stress and overall happier. This applies to your personal life too. The more deep and authentic friendships and connections you have, the more resilient you will be, as you will have a support network to fall back on.

5) Know your limits. Set healthy boundaries for yourself. Know where you need to stop before hitting the point of exhaustion. After all, we are all humans, and we all need some downtime. And NO, downtime is not a nice to have but a need to have. You can read more about it here.

In a nutshell - resiliency is crucial.

As you can see, resilience is like a muscle; the more you practice, the stronger it gets. There is no doubt we, SLPs, are resilient. Still, that doesn't have to come at the price of your sleep, calmness, or wellbeing. You can build strong resilience and remain calm and centered by following the five steps above. 

And if you want to join us in using this as your word of the year, we welcome you and are here to be a part of your support team. We are here for you.

P.S. You, SLPs, have demonstrated compassion and determination through every situation, and this is true resiliency! You are a rock star, and you should be proud of yourself.