Therapy is a wonderful way to explore your inner world, process your feelings, and inspire transformation. But what our clients often tell us is that a day or so after the session, they begin to feel a little lost and anxious again. It’s important to support the progress you’ve made with your therapist in between your sessions.
Here is what we advise our own clients to do in between sessions:
Keep Your A-ha Moments in Mind
Therapy is a space for profound A-ha moments. It’s important to hold onto those in the days after your session. Think more deeply about what was uncovered and see if any other pieces of information come to the surface. It’s a great idea to have a dedicated notebook to jot down anything that may come to you. Bring this with you to your next session so you can share your additional insights with your therapist.
Read
Ask your therapist to recommend some helpful books, blogs, or articles that may offer deeper insights into your issue. While reading about your issue will not resolve it on its own, it’s a great way to supplement your therapy sessions.
Journal
The American Medical Association stated that journaling has both mental and physical benefits. Journaling not only helps to manage stress and reduce anxiety, but it also can alleviate the symptoms of depression.
Self-Care
Therapy downtime is a great opportunity to practice coping skills and self-care. Using this time to practice coping skills will not only help you manage symptoms, but practicing will allow you to understand what works best for you. Similarly, implementing self-care can take practice. Schedule time for self-care into your day like taking a warm shower, reading a book, spending time with family and enjoying nature.
If you did just these things, you would find your time in between sessions would be more enjoyable and help to facilitate further positive change.
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