YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Hi! I'm new to the forum. At present, I see a pyschologist every 2 weeks for treatment. The days and nights leading up to my sessions are usually awful and filled with panic attacks. I don't sleep well the night before and after the exhausting process of therapy all I want to do is smoke pot, watch Netflix and numb out. Oh, the siren call of avoidance... Any good suggestions for therapy day self-care?

Hi, I'm new too. I often have trouble sleeping before my therapy sessions too. One thing I've done that has helped every now and then (I won't lie it doesn't always work) is deep breathing that I learned when taking voice lessons. Place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. Breathe deep into your chest and hold for a few seconds so you feel only the hand on your chest move. Then do the same thing just bring all the air into your stomach instead, again making sure only the hand on your stomach now moves. Finally breathe in to your chest and stomach and hold for a few seconds and repeat the process as often as you want/need. I like doing this because not only does the breathing help relax me, but focusing on where to breathe and making sure the hand I want to be moving is the only one doing so helps keep me focused on something other than "oh god I have to talk about stuff tomorrow." This is just something I do that works off and on. Anyway if you try that I hope it helps at least a little. As for the day of the session when I get home, I tend to want to avoid thinking about everything as well so I grab a drink and turn on hulu. However, I'm trying to stop that habit and to let myself feel what I need to so I can move past it. It's rare but when I've had a particularly draining session, I journal when I get home just to get everything out of me and that helps, or I go on a walk and just think or listen to music as I enjoy the scenery and get some exercise. I have also gone on to the online hotline at RAINN.org. I noticed on your issues that you put rape and incest survivor and that's what RAINN is for if you haven't used/heard of it before. The hotline is free and completely anonymous. You can talk to a trained volunteer about whatever is bothering you and sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't but it's worth the try. I use that service because I don't like to talk to my family and friends about what happened but if you are comfortable sharing with friends and family I would definitely recommend that instead of the online hotline. Again those don't always work but if you try one of a few of them, I hope they bring you some sense of relief or comfort!

Thanks! My mind was chaotic last night (no therapy today, just the usual fear and dread) so I tried the breathing technique you suggested. It really helped! Simple enough for my panicked mind to grasp while giving me something to control. Also, I visited the RAINN website. I haven't spent much time there because I wasn't sure if I could access their resources living in Canada. However, I found a lot of great info there. Thanks again!

So glad to hear those helped! Remember to take care of yourself as you continue to move forward - you deserve it!