Like many professions, speech language pathology can be an extremely rewarding career, but it is also one that can easily lead to burn out if you aren’t careful. Sometimes it is due to the high or unreasonable demands of a particular position, but even in an ideal setting with a reasonable caseload and workload, it is easy to wear yourself out. As a “helping” profession, it’s easy to give too much of yourself before you realize it, and it’s smart to put things in place before you reach that point.
I would like to share some tips for you to help avoid burn out and be happier in your career and life in general.
1). Give yourself space and set limits.
As much as I love speech language pathology, I do as much as I can to leave my school work at school. These means I have to set limits on how early I will get to school and how long I will stay after school, which forces me to be productive with the time I have. Obviously, there are certain times when I have to extend those limits, but those are the exception, rather than the rule.
There will ALWAYS be more to do, no matter how late I stay at school. My family is a priority, and I am not willing to sacrifice my time with them. I also need to make my own mental and physical health a priority. Personally, I like to get to school about 30 minutes before my contracted time begins (which is easier now that I live across the street!), because I work better in the morning. I try to leave school within 15 minutes after the end of the day.
This forces me to prioritize and be more efficient with my time. One thing I tend to do is use one activity to target multiple goals with different groups. (Here’s a few ideas: dice, sensory bins, books, group stories, crafts, and mini shopping carts.) I also re-use paper activities with multiple students by using dry erase sleeves. I prep new activities over the summer and use a lot of no prep materials during the year. I also set a timer for tasks that I’m not looking forward to – I tell myself, “Ok, I know I don’t want to do this, but let’s see how much I can get done in 20 minutes.”
2). Make time for you.
Having time for yourself is an important part of recharging. Spending time with your family and/or doing things you enjoy is vital, even if it is only for a few minutes each day.
For me, I love to read, and I make sure I have at least one book on my iPhone/iPad Kindle app at all times. I also recently got into Audible, as I enjoy listening to audiobooks before I go to sleep.
My husband and I also try to keep Saturday afternoons/evenings free to spend with each other, no matter how crazy our weeks end up.
I’m not a huge fan of scheduling out my entire life, but one thing I am trying this year is to have certain things scheduled on certain days. For example, I am aiming to grocery shop and run errands on Friday nights, do laundry Wednesdays and Sundays, etc. Hopefully, this will make sure I leave time for myself!
3). Make rest a priority.
If you don’t take care of yourself, you will never make it. Make sure to get enough sleep during the week – trust me, the laundry and dirty dishes will keep! As long as you have something to wear tomorrow and paper plates, you will survive. If you need to take a sick day to catch up on rest, do it. You aren’t doing yourself – or your students – any favors if you can barely function. After all, you can’t pour from an empty cup!
4). Learn to say no!
This is something that is really difficult for me. I tend towards wanting to please people, but the problem is, this leads to me overextending myself.
What I suggest is taking a hard look at all the responsibilities on your plate, decide what are real necessities, and what are things you can either outsource or let go. Maybe you don’t need to be on three committees at school, where one would suffice. You don’t need to be the first one to volunteer for everything. My rule of thumb? Ask yourself, “Is the world going to end I say no right now? Will I lose my job if I say no? Will it take me hours to fix this later if I say no right now?” If your answer is “no,” to these questions, this probably means it’s not a priority.
Maybe there are chores at home that either don’t need to be done or could be better done by someone else. (For example, hiring someone to mow our yard was a simple solution, but saved me at least two hours of free time every week from around April to October.)
Also something to work on is a set phrase when someone asks you directly to do something, and you don’t feel comfortable or ready to say “no” outright. Something as simple as, “I’ll need to (think about that/check my schedule/consult with ____) and get back to you,” can go a long way. (Felice at The Dabbling Speechie has a great post on this!)
5). Don’t should yourself.
One of the biggest traps I fall into is what I think I “should” do. But you know what? “Should” seems harmless, but really is a toxic concept. It conjures up all sorts of unrealistic and unhealthy expectations, and can send me down a guilt spiral that is unproductive and damaging. I look at all wonderful things other SLPs are doing in their therapy rooms, and instead of admiring what they’ve accomplished, I chastise myself for not doing the same things. I look at my house, and instead of taking time to appreciate the people and blessings that are in it, I focus on all of the things that are wrong or not done. I think, “I should really cook dinner,” but in reality, it’s smarter use of my time and energy to pick something up instead.
6). Choose something you want to grow in professionally.
Take a moment to stop and think about what attracted you to the field originally. What do you love about the profession of speech-language pathology? What’s something in the field that you are really interested in?
Make a concerted effort to attend related continuing development, read a book, seek out new experiences, or focus on those types of therapy sessions. Learning new things about an area you are passionate about can really help renew your love for the profession. Maybe taking on an intern would help relieve your load and provide you with a fresh perspective? Maybe you’ve thought about taking a road trip to attend the next Speech Retreat but haven’t committed yet? Do what you can to help yourself fall in love with the profession again.
7). Turn off or take a break from social media.
Social media can be a great way to connect with people, but it can also lead to unhealthy comparisons and be a time waster. You don’t have to get rid of your accounts, but give yourself permission to take a break if it’s something that’s not right for you right now. If you can’t go cold turkey, try removing the apps from your phone, and only check on your computer.
8). Ask for help.
Somehow, this is one of the easiest solutions to avoiding burnout, but also one of the most most difficult. If your workload is truly unmanageable, ask for help! There’s no way you are going to get help if you simply wait for someone to notice the problems you are facing. You have to ask for help, and offer possible solutions. Now, your administration might not be the most helpful, or perhaps there simply isn’t enough trained staff to go around, but a good administrator will help in whatever ways he or she can. (And if not? That might be a sign to look for another position.)
The key is to think creatively about what is overwhelming you or taking too much time in your week. Sure, having another SLP or assistant take over part of your caseload would be terrific, but that might not always be a solution. Maybe having an aide or parent volunteer come in for half a day to help make copies, laminate and cut out materials, or assist with clerical tasks would help take a bit of load off you. Maybe another SLP could help cover some of your pending evaluations. Maybe you could fit students in the same group if their homeroom’s library times were changed. Maybe you could get your billing done if you didn’t have bus or lunch duty. Keep in mind that your administrator may not know what would help, and you’re much more likely to get help if you have some concrete suggestions.
One last thing to keep in mind – the job itself is replaceable. You can find another one, and they’ll find someone to fill where you are now. However, YOU are not replaceable. There’s only one of you, and you are worth everything, friend. Take care of yourself. <3
Thank you so much for this post. I needed to be reminded of many of these things. Praying you have a blessed year!
As a retired and overworked SLP, you have hit the nail on the head. I have been subbing for a recently deceased colleague until the position is filled. It has sucked the life out of me in a matter of weeks. After 32 years I have learned that my own well-being is of utmost importance. We are all easily replaceable!
Thank you! This is so true and needed to be reminded.
Again Thank you.