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Private Practice Startup Podcast
Episode 182: 3 Creative Ways to Practice Self-Care During the COVID-19 Crisis
00:27:35
Julia Ayraud
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Transcript50 lines
- [00:02]
A
Welcome to the Private Practice Startup Podcast where we help ambitious private practitioners across the globe to brand themselves and grow their dream practices. We chat with successful private practitioners, business coaches and marketing experts, bringing you tons of practice building Ninja tips. Visit privatepracticestartup.com for awesome resources, attorney approved private practice paperwork, and our signature marketing E course. Here are your co hosts, Dr. Kate Campbell and Katie Lemieux. Hey Startup Nation. Welcome back to another episode of the Private Practice Startup Podcast and this really is our Covid series. It's interesting because with podcasts they are historical, so you might be listening to this in current time or maybe it'll be a year from now. And I'm curious to see what the world will be like then. But what we're going to talk about today is self care with Julia. Julia Aro is a coaching consultant. We're going to be talking about three types of creative ways to practice self care during times of crisis, and particularly right now. COVID 19 but before we get started, if this is the first time you're listening to us, we wanted to say thank you so much for choosing this podcast, especially during this time, because Kate and I have been working overtime and really just trying to find ways and pump out valuable content and information to support you during this crisis time. Nor trying to craft these podcasts to serve you during this time, but also look at ways to serve you at other times as well. So we're really excited to have Julie here today, but before we introd, we hope that you guys joined us last week as we spoke to the very dynamic, fun, energetic Katie Reed. Even in a time of crisis, she's very energetic. And Katie has been a guest on our podcast before and Katie talked to us about how to work from home with kids and keep your sanity. So you're going to want to make sure you check out that podcast as well, you know, during this time. And as practice builders and consultants, you know, our desire and our passion is really helping therapists build and grow their dream practices. And you know, if you are listening to this during the time of the COVID Cris, you might be in a place where you're wanting and desiring to actually start to create your practice. And we have some awesome free resources for you. Our podcast, we almost have 200 episodes right now and many more in the future. So take advantage of those free resources as well as our A to Z cheat sheet, the essentials for building and growing your dream practice, which is@privatepracticestartup.com under the Resources tab. So Go ahead and grab that. A little bit about. Julia is a self care coach, group practice owner in Houston, Texas. She told us just before we got started that they did get the shelter in place order so they will be going on lockdown at midnight tonight. I have a very dear friend in the Houston area, Julia. As a coach, she helps people create quarterly retreats and self care plans to prevent burnout in their lives and careers and navigate life transitions as we are in now. As a person who has been burned out several times before, she's an enneagram type 2 wing 3 personality type chocoholic. Me too. Die hard, Jimmy Buffet and Parrot Head fan. Julia is currently creating a course to help others host personal quarterly retreats and focus on their self care practices using the areas of the body, mind, spirit and soul. Welcome Julia.
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B
Thank you. Glad to be here.
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C
We're excited to have you.
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A
And I know that this is a very interesting time because although we might be experts in certain areas is that we are practicing what we preach and feeling the stress levels and burn and things like that and really having to slather on the self care like more so than ever. So I'm really excited about this topic and I know that many folks at Startup Nation are too. So we're really excited to have you.
- [03:41]
C
Yeah, I'm looking forward to hearing what you share because I know it's something that is going to benefit Startup Nation and I know I need to hear it too. And I love to also hear that you're in enneagram 2 with a 3 wing. That's what I am as well. That's pretty cool. Yeah. So, so many people are really learning about Enneagram stuff, which is really neat. Katie, you're figuring it out too, right?
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A
Yeah, I'm a little far behind. Kaitlyn lent me the book so I gotta catch up. Cause it feels like a different language y' all are speaking and I'm not like in on it, so I gotta figure it out. So for those who don't know, Cher, what an enneagram type 2 with wing 3 is.
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B
So basically it's the helper. And then you have like a flavor of the three wing, which is it's kinda like you're called the nurturer.
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A
So you're positioned perfectly for this topic and I love that. So tell us. I mean, I don't know, just kind of give us, Julia, like a temperature reading of like where you are now with everything going on and talking about self care. I know before we hit record I was asking you your population that you serve and you serve clients dealing with grief and loss. That's like super heavy right now.
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B
Yeah, it is. You know, it's just trying to tell everybody, take each day as it comes right now, you know, everything is so uncertain and it's hard to really plan out what's going on in the world right now. So just really taking care of ourselves right now and just focusing on that one day. Sometimes it's one hour at a time right now, or in our cases, you know, one client at a time, getting through that and then focusing on the next client.
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A
Yeah, yeah. So share with us some of your.
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C
Yeah, I was just curious, I was just curious before we dive into the topic, just a little bit about your context personally, because this is a unique time for all of us. And so much of our before it was easier to keep the professional and personal kind of separate. But now we're all staying at home. We're all either on the stay at home order or we're choosing to do the social distancing. And so we're just kind of in our houses with our family. So I wanted to hear a little bit about who's in your house with you and how that's going and how your own self care is going as we dive into the topic.
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B
Sure, sure. So right now it's just my husband and I, we don't have any kids, we have fur babies. So we have two dogs and a cat and they're ruling the roost right now. They're company looking for squirrels. You know, I had to move my office upstairs into my. In my house. I was on the screen in porch for a little bit. You just kind of have to go with the flow of things right now. You know, I can't imagine right now if I had kids, you know, trying to be able to do the homework and everything else that a lot of people are going through right now besides working. It's a lot. And as far as like the self care thing, you know, I think one thing that's been big for me is to prioritize my day and just do a to do list for today and just map out what are the most like three most important things I need to do and then also carve out that self care time, whether it's, you know, it's unique and different for every person. So for me, I love to cook and that's part of my self care. I love to just relax with my fur babies, my dogs and my cats take walks, you know, things like that. So important to carve out that time right now especially.
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A
And what are your fur babies names?
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B
Hank is a dachshund and Molly is a chiweenie. And then I have a cat named Gracie Kelly.
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C
So what is a chiweenie?
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A
Chihuahua in Hot dog. Yep, a chiweenie. That's interesting. I'll have the chiweenie, please, with cheese. And it looks similar to a dachshund.
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B
But she's kind of chihuahua like so it's kind of fun.
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A
So I'm curious also too, Julie, about your own story. I know that you said you've suffered your own burnout several times, which obviously probably led you into coaching others. So if you would, I would love to hear about that. Sure.
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B
So I have a couple of burnout stories that really stick out. My first experience with burnout was when I was a schoolteacher. I started off in teaching as my first career and I got severely burned out. I mean, as burned out as you could get. Hardly being able to manage my job as a teacher, even having my mom come in and help me because she used to be a school teacher as well. And severe anxiety, depression, just unhealthy coping habits, things like that that were in the way and just that dread of going to work and feeling heavy every day. I worked with a tough population. It was a Title 1 school. And so a lot of the parents, it was hard to get that support from them. So I got severely burned out with that. And then I went into another career, actually selling homes and marketing and new home sales. And so I did that for a little while and then I went into becoming a counselor. The most recent time that I've been burned out was when I went to Ernesto's training. His conference in Kauai. And trainings normally rejuvenate me and give me a lot of ideas. And I just love being around people. And I tell you this, I could only last through one training out of like the whole one three hour training. I was just could not focus, I could not think about another counseling related topic. And I was growing a group practice at the time. And I think I just put in a lot of work and effort into that and wasn't taking time for myself. And so I realized the importance of self care in Kauai and thus the coaching business, Self care with Julia, was formed shortly after.
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A
So, you know, I love that you say that because, you know, many times in my career, like, you know, I'll feel like sometimes I don't want to be a therapist anymore. Right. Like I just kind of want to pull away and it was interesting because coming into 2020, so once a quarter, my business coach, we do something called Growth Club. And Growth Club is planning for the next quarter, so the next 90 days. And so I made a declaration to the group of probably, like, I don't know, 70 people. I'm like, I am going on a vacation the first quarter of this year because usually I come out the gate in any year and, like, hit the ground running and, like, exhaust myself. And I go to all of the trainings. And so I just really appreciate you sharing that because there are some times where it's just like, I need to tap out. Right. And, you know, really honoring that for ourselves is that, you know, as helpers, I think that we are, you know, even more prone, definitely, to burnout, for sure. Kate, I know that your dissertation was all about that, so I just. I just appreciate you sharing that. So thank you for that. And I'll have to say I'm, like, really upset because I was supposed to be going on a cruise April 4th. Even though it wasn't in the first quarter, of course it got canceled, but that's okay. So last night I watched. I found something on YouTube where, like, you can do, like, this meditation travel. So I traveled Norway last night as I fell asleep.
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C
Oh, that's awesome. Well, you're definitely going to go on a vacation as soon as you're able to travel again. So you have to make that top priority maybe for quarter two or quarter three. Who knows when that will be, but it will be sometime in the future. And, Julia, just to acknowledge, I can definitely relate to what you're talking about, about struggling with burnout. And Katie just mentioned that I wrot dissertation on what is it that works for passionately committed therapists. Basically the opposite side of burnout. Because I also went through really bad compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, and burnout experience working with a really high risk, very intense, intensive outpatient program clientele. And it was so hard to get up and go to work, and it was very draining. I'm very much a highly sensitive person, so I absorb all of that energy. And I can remember having nightmares, constantly thinking about what was going on with my clients and dreading that. Going to work, but still wanting to help and wanting to make a difference. And it was a exhausting, really difficult place to be in. And when you're in that place, you just kind of want to, like, retreat, right? And not. Not continue to have to show up and to be on and to be there for people. So I get what you're talking about when you're talking about being at Ernesto's conference, just being like, okay, that's it, I got it. I got to step back. Time to retreat, right? Yeah.
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B
I like how you said about the highly, you know, like be more sensitive, you know, because that's, that's especially who I am. And especially right now when you're hearing all these stories with your clients and what everybody's going through or the news or the media, it's hard to not soak that all in right now. And it's a lot times right now we really got to take care of ourselves.
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A
Yeah. And also I'm noticing too like just the helplessness that you feel and like how, like I just feel as we talk about it, like how devastating that is. Like just knowing like child abuse is like on the rise because kids are at home and it's like you feel helpless. I think about like all of the, you know, animals in the shelters and the donations that aren't coming in and it's just, you know, sometimes we have to kind of just like close off. And I know I have to go in my own world or get grounded in nature or do whatever I need to do to get grounded, to be able to show up. You know what I mean? So share with us like how you coach people through self care.
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B
So I try to take a creative approach and try to help people with create a self care plan. And everybody's plan is unique and tailored to them. So I like to use things like the Enneagram, like the wellness wheel, personality kind of inventory and characteristics to kind of see how that fits into their lives. And so I use that to create a self care plan for them and we just kind of go based on where they're at, what's going on in their life. Like for instance, like right now, you know, taking time for themselves and breaking it down further into smaller measurable steps. So.
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A
Talk a little bit more about that when you talk about measurable steps.
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B
So things like instead of looking at the whole big picture right now in the unknown, it can be very scary right now and anxiety provoking. But if we focus on maybe just the day and we focus on maybe the three things that we need to accomplish in the day and just maybe pick or prioritize three things that we need to do for the day that can be helpful and really break down some of that anxiety and we cross it off as we go and we feel more accomplished and we feel more in control of our day versus looking at everything else right now. When there's so much unknown and we can't even control anything.
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A
Yeah. You know, it's interesting is, you know, I guess I always look at things with a business mindset. Right. And so when we look at like self care, you know, I have this rule called me first. And me first is the beginning of the day. Right. And if I don't get those essentials done, you know, I'm not always grounded and as clear. And as you're talking, like one of the things that I think about is really grounding yourself, number one. But really taking those, those moments in the morning or maybe getting up early or whenever you can, that works for you to do those self care practices. And also, you know, as you talk about like the three most important things, I think of that the book Eat that Frog by I think it's by Brian Tracy. Right. Or the one thing. Right. Like focusing on the one thing and really leaving the rest. I know for me, a lot of people think like, oh, Katie, you're very structured and you're a planner and you get a lot done. And that's true. But it is a conscious decision constantly and like constantly tweaking and evolving my day and my schedule to make it work for me. And I think a lot of that is planning and commitment and sometimes accountability. Right. Like I was thinking this morning, like, I wish there was this thing that like we could like lock our computers and set it for a time that I couldn't get in, you know, because I'll have like these flight of ideas in the morning and I'll run to the computer and I'm on it and I'm like, crap, I'm on it for 15 minutes. I need to go do my other stuff. You know what I mean? So even though I shut my like emails down and things like that, it's hard not to run on over to the computer and do those things.
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C
It is hard. Especially when, you know, we're not going into an office, we're not leaving the house, we're all working from home. And it's easy to just get sucked into that. I know for me in the morning, it's especially with having a baby and now having my son home from school. And it's like I learned very quickly if I don't get that walk in and get us out and, and do some sort of exercise, it's so hard to focus on the rest of the day. So as much as I want to jump on the computer and tackle a few things that I know I want to get out of the way, like eat that frog. I know that if I don't get the exercise in or don't have that time for us to be out in nature getting our rammies out and that sort of a thing, the other stuff isn't going to get done. So we all have to be so intentional at this time to really be protective of that self care and of the top priorities and because if not they're just going to get overrun and taken over by so many other things. Everything's just kind of bleeding into all these different areas and it makes it really hard to separate and prioritize.
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A
Sometimes I want to dive into like the mind, the body, the soul aspect. But before we do that, let's just take a quick break for our sponsor.
- [17:36]
C
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A
So Julie, I know that you really tailor make everything to each person so share with us how you like incorporate.
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C
The three.
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B
So you really want to, I mean all of these different three things they feed into one another. Okay and so what your mind is acted or activated by your body and Vice versa. So I think it's important that we kind of touch upon some of the different areas like the body, the mind, and the soul or the spirit, and get, you know, like you, as were saying earlier, the routine and the structure is really important right now, especially when you're going through a crisis, okay. To make sure that you are continuing to do some of those things first thing in the morning, and then you also unwind at night and have that routine. So things like with the body, like restorative yoga right now, you know, with the props, the towels, you know, all those different things that you combine right now, those are real. That's really a good thing to de stress right now. Just walking and grounding outside and feeling, you know, the earth with your feet and getting your senses and dive into all the. What you're smelling, what you're seeing around you, what you're hearing. Some other things, like meditation right now with your, you know, that's really huge for your soul or your spirit, connecting, rewiring that brain right now of those thoughts that may be negative or anxious that are spiraling right now. Even thinking about gratitude and, you know, being thankful and about the things, even if it's the littlest things in your life right now, those types of things. And I think one thing that you brought up earlier is kind of like a digital detox, if you will, having some breaks right now away from media or even social media, maybe setting a timer for spending maybe 30 minutes watching the news at the most during the day or something like that. If you know that you are someone that soaks things up like a sponge, it's important to take care of yourself right now.
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C
I had to do a lot of things.
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A
I love all the things that you shared. And, you know, being someone who's worked from home with this business for a while, you know, I've used YouTube a lot for my fitness stuff and my meditations, and there's so many great things on there. And don't forget, guys, you can make a playlist so you can, like, meditation.
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C
Stuff that you like.
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A
You can throw that in there. And one of the beautiful things that I've enjoyed and I shared with Kate and Allison and Laura Long this morning is on my walk is like, you know, trying to find things that you're discovering anew.
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C
Right?
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A
Like, sometimes we just walk is okay. We're just trying to get the walk in. It's part of our exercise. But, like, take time. Like, really, like, engage your five senses. And I walked by this fence this morning, and it Was kind of early morning and the sun was.
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C
It was.
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A
It was risen already. But on the fence it said, man's art is nature and God's nature is art. And it was just like, beautiful. Like, I didn't see that before I walked down this road or rode the bike. And I actually created a post on Facebook to say, you know, what are you discovering in nature right now? Just to really be mindful that, you know, we're experiencing that or just creating a grounding or a community around that, because there are some beautiful moments. I also, walking the dogs this morning, I saw there's a kid. You know, there's lots of kids in the neighborhood, but they must have done like chalk drawing. And he created this cute little thing. It says we love the earth. And they drew a picture of the earth. And, you know, amidst this really difficult time, like, those just are really special, heartfelt things that we're not seeing as much in our really hustle and bustle world. So, you know, taking the extra time to really be mindful of just embracing and feeling and experiencing that, like, because to me, like, that's the soul stuff right there, right? It's like when people are doing goodnesses or kindnesses in the world or we're participating that or we're seeing that, like, that to me, is really fulfilling.
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C
I was gonna. You and I jumped in to talk at the same time, and I was gonna share kind of a similar story. One of the things that I've been enjoying about this time that's unique because normally my older son is in school now he's home with us. So when I'm taking the walk with the baby like I normally do, I'm able to have my son there with me. And instead of, you know, scrolling on the phone or listening to podcasts or whatever I'd be doing on my walk, I might be responding to a few emails or multitasking as usual. But with my son land in there, I'm fully present. We're looking all around. We're finding caterpillars and butterflies and cardinals. And this morning we found a four leaf clover. And so there's. It's like I see the world through his eyes, this childlike curiosity, and it's forced me to be so present in the moment. And all of the anxiety and all the big problems, the stress and the unknowns and everything just kind of melts away. And I can be fully present with him there. And that's something that's been so helpful in helping just ground me and get me through some of these difficult times. So I definitely encourage you guys to look for those moments, create those moments, because they really do make a huge difference.
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B
Yeah. And mindfulness, I think if you take away anything is from this whole situation is that it's teaching us to be mindful and to be present in everyone's lives right now. It's huge.
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A
Yeah. And really just the authenticity of the connection of being human, I think is, you know, also very present. I love that you suggest restorative yoga. I love restorative yoga. That is so great. And you know, if you don't have blocks and stuff like that, you can use other things, towels, blankets and stuff like that. But it is, if you haven't tried it, it's definitely very nice. It's also called Yin yoga for restorative yoga. But very peaceful and it's often deep. Nice. Awesome. Julie, I know that you have a freebie for our audience. What is that?
- [25:08]
B
Yeah, so it's 21 free tools to prevent burnout in your work and your personal life. And you can get that on my website@juliaaro.com prevent burnout. So that's J U L I A A Y r a u d.com and.
- [25:28]
A
We'Ll put that on the show notes too. So you guys can always check that out@theprivatepracticestartup.com underneath the podcast tab. Julie, we thank you for being with us during this very crucial time. And also I just want to remind folks that but the things that we've talked about today, wouldn't it be beautiful and great as a human race if we can continue this and not go back to the craziness of life as we've always done and take time to do these things, to really care for ourselves and care for each other. So, Startup Nation, as you know, we are bobbing and weaving with the times and being flexible. And so we're really providing specific topics for this time. I know we have a few ideas coming out. We haven't solidified our next podcast, but it will definitely be around topic for you guys that you guys are needing for sure.
- [26:16]
C
And if you guys are enjoying these podcasts, definitely share with your colleagues, with your friends. We really appreciate helping get the word out because that allows us to be able to help as many therapists as we can across the globe. And we always encourage you guys to subscribe, rate and review our show. We always love when we get little emails or feedback from you letting us know that the topics that we're creating are really on point and then they're what you're needing most. So if there's a specific topic that you want to hear, Covid related or not, definitely shoot us an email post in the Facebook group. We would love to be able to create that for you.
- [26:49]
A
Thank you Startup Nation. And as we always say, thanks for allowing for us to inspire you guys. From Startup to mastery. Take care, be well, stay healthy.
- [26:57]
C
Thanks for joining us on the Private practice startup. Visit theprivatepracticestartup.com for awesome resources, free trainings, attorney approved private practice paperwork, and so much more.
- [27:08]
A
SA.