Intentional Therapist: Putting You In Your Schedule
Self-care shouldn’t be another task on your to-do list! This is the show that helps you as a busy and dedicated female mental health therapist to redefine your approach to self-care. Because we need so much more than bubble baths and breathing exercises!
Hosted by Dr. Karen Dyck and Dr. Melissa Tiessen, clinical psychologists, founders of Intentional Therapist, and self-care advocates, our mission is to help you build a life where you thrive right alongside your clients, without guilt and without burning out. Join us as we explore practical strategies grounded in our 4 C’s model – Connection, Compassion, Courage, and Creativity – to help you create more space for yourself while continuing to support your clients.
Whether you work in a solo private practice, within a large organization, are a new grad, or are nearing retirement, this show has something for you. Tune in for short but valuable episodes filled with relatable and insightful new perspectives, actionable ‘self-care experiments’, and the encouragement and permission you need to put more of you back in your schedule and create a life from which you don’t need to escape.
To learn more about Intentional Therapist and our 4 C’s model of self-care, visit us at: www.intentionaltherapist.ca
[Please note: This podcast was previously called Thrivival 101, and you can continue to find our original interview episodes in this podcast feed.]
Intentional Therapist: Putting You In Your Schedule
E13: This is your brain on breaks: 3 benefits of incorporating breaks into our days
What does your typical day look like? Does it include regularly occurring breaks or do you often find yourself constantly on the go? If you’re like most of the female mental health therapists we’ve spoken with, most of your days probably feel like you’re going non-stop, both at work and at home. And while there can admittedly be some sense of accomplishment that comes with fitting as many things from our never ending “to-do list” into our days, it comes at a cost.
In today’s episode we’ll talk about the concepts of energy expenditure and energy recovery and three important ways that breaks can contribute to your self-care. And, as always, we’ll wrap up the episode with some practical self-care experiments, because taking breaks is often much harder than it seems! So if you’re in need of some justification for yourself, or others, about why we truly need breaks, then stay tuned.
Episode Highlights:
- The importance of both energy expenditure and energy recovery
- Work and rest are partners
- We can get better at rest
- 3 benefits of taking breaks
Self-Care Experiments:
- Monitor your energy patterns
- Add in some breaks to your schedule
- Experiment with how you spend your breaks
Resources Mentioned:
- 2021 study by the Microsoft Human Factors Lab
- Book: The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal, by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
- Book: Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
- Podcast: Episode 258 of The Lazy Genius Podcast with Kendra Adachi, about the 7 different kinds of rest
- Visit our website to get your own copy of our FREE 4 C's Self-Care Assessment: https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca
Connect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist:
intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/
Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at: https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapist
Disclaimer: This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice. Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.
