3 - R's 'Reflect, Recharge & Return'....
The traditional 3 R’s are ‘Reading, Writing & Arithmetic’, My therapy 3 R’s are Reflect, Recharge & Return stronger…..
3R’s for my generation were all about education and academic success. These are still very important parts of our early years learning. However, as we get older and follow our career paths, I have always used the ‘Reflect, Recharge & Return’ 3 R’s protocol to evaluate and support my practice. Understanding how ‘experience’ is built and why it plays an enormous role in our therapy career is important. Once you qualify, learn new skills and hone your ‘hands-on’ techniques reflection inwards and outwards is a necessary part of our development as practitioners. The many and varied experiences shape us and inform our future role(s), area of expertise and the type of individual or specific groups of individuals we work with.
If like me you are already addicted to sport then you will have been glued to the Olympics? Being a ‘therapist’ in the broadest sense is like being an Olympic Athlete. We place enormous pressure on ourselves to provide therapy of the highest standard to everyone who seeks our help and advice. We spend hours adding skills and techniques to our intervention portfolio. We invest years of work in improving our knowledge and understanding. It should therefore not be a surprise, that like our Olympic Athletes we have ups and downs, good days and bad days, huge success and huge disappointment.
How do we manage the roller coaster of our careers?
Use the 3 R’s - As an athlete would - Reflect, Recharge & Return stronger.
Reflection - taking a look at ourselves is never easy in the context of our work. Being able to ‘see’ why things didn’t go as we had hoped or planned can be uncomfortable. Our physical abilities are often not the cause of bad days & disappointment. Working at our mental strength and ability to bounce back from difficult situations is often what shapes us. ‘How’ we reflect is a complex process and one therapists’ should not have to go through alone. It is important to share experiences both good and bad with colleagues, friends & family in a way that builds resilience, understanding and strength. Help is never far away if we look for it.
Recharge - our physical and mental ‘batteries’ often run low. We don’t expect to get full power from equipment that is under powered. Yet we often expect 100% from ourselves, all of the time, on very low energy levels. Taking time off, factoring in ‘down time’ and taking ‘me’ time is not to give less to your clients but to give back to yourself what you need to continue to give 100% to your clients. I am guilty of juggling massive life changing situations all at the same time while expecting to operate at 100% in all areas. It is just not possible! Take control of all your commitments and assess realistically where the priorities lie? Then allocate your time between each and every identified need. It is good to ‘rank’ the importance of each of your perceived priorities and how they affect your well being? Only then will you recognise the areas you need help and support with and those areas which you thought were important but in the greater scheme of things can be placed on the ‘back burner’ until you are fully recharged.
Returning to activities placed on the ‘back burner’ or returning to key areas of work can be complicated and difficult. Time to adjust, build back up to full commitment should be planned and thought through with care and consideration. This is not always the care required to perform a task or activity but the care to ensure you are physically and mentally prepared. Be kind to yourself as well as others. Build up slowly, steadily and with frequent periods of time to reflect and recharge before adding any additional loads to your schedule. This will ensure you are returning stronger and more confident.
Like ALL our Olympic Athletes we need time to process and adjust to the successes and disappointments equally. Processing highs and lows takes time. Planning and actioning plans for the future will require support and patience. Take my therapy R’s stand back, give yourself time and space to make those decisions which are the basis of experience. Taking time to reflect, recharge & then return stronger are life skills and transferable to all aspects of our personal and professional lives.
If you need help and support a friendly ear or just to know you are not alone then contact us. admin@spslearn.co.uk Stronger together, more insight through shared experience and a collective desire to improve the health & well being of our clients, family & friends. Not forgetting your own mental & physical wellbeing.
If you need any further help, support or guidance then contact us to arrange a One to One or attend a course in advanced soft tissue skills, assessment or agree a bespoke education programme to meet your needs as we return to studies, education & training at THE Centre. There will be many opportunities in the next few months in the run up to our re-opening our premises. Follow on Twitter & Instagram