The progress in therapy can be slow and requires perseverance and dedication. For some mental conditions and life trauma counseling is lifelong. While it is an active thing we are doing to get better there can be a sump because tangible results manifest gradually. So often we are looking for the 180 degrees of change when really we need to look for the 1 degree. Change is hard and can come about a lot slower than we think. There may be periods of regression, relapses, and plateau phases in your mental health journey.
When therapy stagnancy gets in the way of progress, here are a few things you can do to get out of the funk.
Talk to Your Therapist
Say something! Let this be a practice in speaking up and advocating for yourself. Your clinician is equipped with resources and strategies to help identify the source of the stagnancy and problem solve with you. They also have the experience and training to help you maneuver through the slump.
You do not need to suffer in silence when you have a professional helping you get better. Talk to your therapist, and together you can find a lasting solution.
Acceptance
Acknowledge your situation instead of living in denial. It is okay to feel stuck. It is normal for any long-term process to have an exponential face and a plateau phase. However, do your best not to lag off. Ignoring this reality only exhausts your resolve further and worsens your feelings of dissatisfaction. While you are feeling less of an impact, your mind is slowly and steadily reshaping for the better.
Use Your Feelings and Emotions as Pointers
Your feelings and emotions do not always accurately depict your mental state. It is the reason they have to be regulated. Therefore, you cannot rely on them to make decisions or develop perceptions. Instead, leaning on your sensations, use them as indicators. Why are you finding therapy to be such a burden? What is feeding your dissatisfaction? You should also note when counseling became unbearable.
Identify the triggers and enabling behaviors and focus on resolving the conflicts. Unless you find the root cause of your discontentment, you may never see the necessity to continue with therapy. Let your feelings and emotions point you toward the underlying cause.
Create Daily Goals to Break from Routine
Therapy, like any other life routine, gets boring. It gets familiar and unchallenging with time. The monotony makes you worn out. You can spice up your routine by setting up daily goals to increase the excitement. The goals should be realistic and focus on improving certain aspects of your mental health.
If your stagnation comes from therapy strategies not working, it may be time to learn new techniques. The rut means progress in such cases. Your brain uses learned pathways to solve new problems. Sometimes, the novel issue may be too complex for your brain's response. Thus, it may be time to learn new therapeutic techniques to overcome this new milestone.
Create goals that achieve a higher objective to stimulate your brain. Begin with improving the rut causation before advancing to boosting other areas of your brain. You need to know the cause of your rut to achieve these goals.
Self-Care
A slump may indicate you are not taking care of your mental and physical health. Are you getting enough sleep? How long do you rest? What is your diet? Mental health requires complete lifestyle transformation.
Ample sleep helps regulate your circadian rhythm, essential for hormone regulation. Some of these hormones influence mood regulation.
Diet provides nutrients that the body uses to maintain the brain's function. Thus, you can set your goals, improve your motivation and reasoning, and regulate your emotions, thoughts, and mood.
Exercise improves blood circulation. It boosts your brain performance by supplying sufficient nutrients and oxygen to the brain. Exercise also releases feel-good hormones to help you handle depression.
Spend time with loved ones. When you are around people who care, you get the support to forge on in therapy.
Mindfulness activities help you appreciate life and delight in the little things.
If you have been neglecting yourself, it is easy to get weighed down by life responsibilities. Prioritize yourself beyond attending therapy sessions.
Make a Change
Progress in therapy is a great thing. While some people need years of therapy others may need months. If you are finding that nothing is new, your moods are regulated and you are using the skills and concepts discussed it may be time to take a step back. I find that people use the skills when we are seeing one another weekly because they know I will ask about them. I like to space the sessions out for 2 weeks and see what happens. It is ok to gradually space out the sessions because the goal is to heal right? It may be time for less frequent sessions and more actual real life. Do not be afraid to suggest this.
Everyone is different and what works for others may not work for you, but try a few of these suggestions if you find yourself in a rut while in therapy.
Happy healing!!
