what to do between therapy sessions

by Melissa Laks, LMSW

Therapy sessions can be a great source of support. You may learn about your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, as well as learn how to take control of your life and respond to challenging situations with healthy coping skills. But a lot of the work that is done in therapy is actually done between sessions, when you’re doing your daily routines. This is when you’ll get opportunity to apply what you’ve learned in sessions.

Therapy can also help you explore painful feelings and experiences, and you may feel emotionally uncomfortable at times. There are times that you may even feel worse after a session, and this is normal. In fact, you sometimes feel worse, before you feel better. 

If you notice yourself feeling this way after a session, be kind to yourself and let your therapist know, so you can work on coping strategies to use. If it’s an emergency please call 911, or the National Suicide and Crisis Hotline at 988 (call or text). 

If it is not a crisis, you can try to use the following strategies in-between sessions to help reduce stress and anxiety. 

Your therapist may recommend some of the following techniques in-between sessions:

• Self-Care (examples below)
• Writing down your thoughts and feelings in a journal
• Daily Movement- such as going on a daily walk
• Mediate
• Gratitude- such as writing down the highlight of the day
• Take deep breaths
• Challenge negative thoughts
• Having a morning routine, and nighttime routine 

​Understanding Self Care
Self-care is the practice of protecting your own well-being and happiness, especially during times of stress. Self Care is also about identifying the things that bring you joy and help you to decompress. Self Care is an important part of your mental and physical health.
 
Some examples of Self-Care include:

• Prioritizing one's physical and mental health
• Getting enough sleep every night
• Taking time out of the day for yourself
• Participating in healthy activities that you enjoy
• Eating a healthy diet
• Adopting healthy habits that can be maintained long-term
• Finding exercise activities that you enjoy and participating in them regularly
  
  

When life gets busy and stressful, it is common for us to forget to put ourselves first in life. Taking care of yourself, your health and mental well-being is important, not just to feel better yourself but also to make it easier to help those around you. 

“It’s not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make your happiness a priority. It’s necessary.” – Mandy Hale

“Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” — Eleanor Brown
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“Taking care of myself doesn’t mean ‘me first.’ It means ‘me, too.” ― L.R. Knost