Anxiety Support Group

Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...

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Update on Life and Conversation about Therapy

theblueumbrelladream
theblueumbrelladream

Hello Everyone, 



Hope you are all doing okay and taking care of yourselves. 


So it has been a while since I have written to this group. I just wanted to let you all know that I started therapy in August and have had 7 sessions so far, and I think they are doing wonders. It doesn't obviously fix me, it has helped me work through a lot of things that have made me anxious as well as work through some other things. I used to be one of those people that held off from therapy for so many reasons such as being scared, being afraid of judgement, and due to insurance reasons. If anyone on here is contemplating starting therapy, please do. It has helped me so much in the last several weeks. 



For those that have been going to therapy or have gone, I had a question to you all about post therapy exhaustion. After one of my sessions , I felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion and just wanting to take the rest of the day from everything. I was wondering if any of you have felt this post-therapy exhaustion and how you deal or dealt with it? I just find that I don't quite like having that feeling because therapy falls on the day I have classes. (I have an hour between therapy and class). Does anyone have advice on how to combat this exhaustion or tiredness? 



I wish you all the best, 


theblueumbrelladream

mtd
mtd
I don’t have an answer for you, but it is good to hear that your therapy has been helping. I usually come away from therapy sessions in a thoughtful frame of mind. I used to dread going, I didn’t want to dredge up things that made me anxious or ashamed/embarrassed. But now I actually look forward to going, I make mental notes of things to tell my therapist, who I have developed a great relationship with. I no longer fear being ashamed or embarrassed and have confided a lot of my innermost feelings to her, which brings me relief. I could imagine your exhaustion would stem from the dredging and confessing and reliving some of your life’s most hurtful moments. It would not be surprising at all to be exhausted afterward. It’s mentally hard and draining. There is nothing wrong in feeling like you need to take the day off afterward. Unfortunately, we can’t always do what we would like, but don’t think it’s a bad thing, because it’s not. You are the only one whose judgment affects you, be kind to yourself, it’s ok.
rmb
rmb
I haven’t done therapy in a while but yeah I get the post therapy exhaustion. For me it was more like I felt discombobulated and out of sorts after and it took a day or two to get grounded again. But that didn’t last the entire time I was in therapy. It was maybe the first month or so.

You are kicking up a lot of mental and emotional stuff during those sessions. It feels like all you are doing is talking but you are really processing, learning, working. It’s a lot. So what you are feeling is normal. If the fatigue isn’t affecting your classes and what not, try to just ride it out because I think it will eventually subside. Mention it to your therapist too. Your therapist may have tips to work through it.

Glad you are finding therapy helpful!
GirlinCalif
GirlinCalif
I would ask your therapist if you can schedule your therapy for a different day.

With only one hour between the therapy and your classes, that schedule may not work for you right now.

Figure out some days/times that work better for you and write down your choices. Then ask your therapist if they have one of those openings. Most therapists can be flexible on working with your schedule. My current therapist of 7 years, I have changed the days and times a bunch of times with her, to one that currently works best for me. And if this current day/time ever stops working for me, I would ask her about changing it again, to better fit my schedule.

Keep up your therapy! It is working!
arfie
arfie
The post-session exhaustion phenom is pretty standard in my own therapy sessions, be they pro or peer. I am in therapy to cover exhausting issues, after all. So much so that I schedule my sessions to include a rest/reflection/recuperation period after each session. including super nutritious meal and extra self-care.

I second the suggestion that you look for a less intense time for your sessions. Just a suggestion from just a patient. . .

Continued support while you find what works for you.
Community LeaderMid
Mid
Actually, it may be a good thing that you have something else to focus on after your therapy session.

It forces you to focus on something else in the moment.

The more you keep on keeping on, the better your overall balancing ability improves naturally.

Best wishes as you find what works best for you!
rmb
rmb
Yeah I would have a therapy session right before starting work. I was kind of thankful to have something to do right after myself. But everyone is different.
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