| In This Article: Explore practical, guilt-free strategies to stay consistent with therapy during your busiest seasons, from leveraging telehealth to adjusting session frequency. |
If you have been attending therapy, you have made a valuable commitment to your mental well-being. However, when the holidays come around, or you enter busy periods of your life (e.g., exams, large work projects), many people are tempted to skip a few visits because individual therapy feels like “just another task” on their growing to-do list. Before you cancel your sessions, make sure you have exhausted all options to make them simpler and more accessible during this busy time.
The good news is that you do have options. Adapting your routine with your therapist’s help can keep your sessions on track without derailing the other tasks you have planned. Here are some tips to stay consistent with therapy and protect your mental health during the holidays, major projects, back-to-school, or any other time when your commitments are high and your energy is low.
Therapy During Busy Seasons: Why You Should Not Compromise
You have limited energy every day, so why should you hold onto therapy when looking for things to cut from your busy routine? Therapy is actually one of your most important tools during this time. It can help you reframe thoughts that might challenge or derail you and build the resilience to endure this temporary period of difficulty. It provides a safe place to discuss your situation, which can be cathartic and healing in itself. It also equips you with tools to use outside of therapy, including in the moments where you are the busiest, to keep your stress levels down, your head clear, and your emotions stable. Therapy is the toolbox you can draw from during difficult times, and it is wise not to walk away from it when you need it most.
How to Keep Up With Therapy
You may indeed have less time now than before, but there are many options to keep therapy an accessible, simple part of your routine. To avoid therapy burnout, did you know that you can:
Change the Frequency
You may see your current therapist multiple times per week, once per week, once per month, or on another schedule you both agree on. Adjusting therapy frequency (e.g., from twice per week to once per week) can help you preserve your time during busy seasons without quitting therapy. Your therapist can work with you to recommend a new schedule that helps you maintain progress toward your goals while affording you enough time outside the office to handle your challenges.
Try Telehealth Therapy
You have many options for maintaining your mental health routine, and not all of them need to be done in the therapist’s office. For some, the time required to physically travel to and from an appointment is the biggest loss, and for this reason, therapists may offer telehealth. By phone, Zoom, or the patient portal, therapists can offer remote therapy so you can still attend even when you do not have enough time to visit the office. This also allows you to choose a location that supports your well-being, such as a relaxing place at home. These are just a few of the many telehealth benefits for busy schedules.
Work With Your Therapist
Your therapist is on your side and wants to see you succeed, so explain the situation to them and explore the options available. They may provide at-home work or mindfulness strategies you can try outside of the office to make sure that you maintain your progress and develop skills that will serve you during stressful seasons. Talking to your therapist about your schedule might reveal new options you did not consider.
Adjust Session Length
Did you know that therapy sessions do not always have to be the same length? If you usually participate in 50-minute sessions, consider temporarily switching to 20- or 30-minute visits instead. This can help you save some time in your busy schedule without eliminating your therapist from your routine. Your therapist can help you identify the sweet spot for session length based on your goals and needs.
Maintain Your Mental Health Routine at Home
Consistency in counseling is one of the most important things you can choose during the busiest times of your life. Whether you need to adjust your session length, try telehealth, change your appointment frequency, or something else, therapy can still be part of your routine. The team at Village Counseling strives to make therapy accessible to anyone, even amid stressful events. Contact Village Counseling to ask about options to stay consistent with therapy during busy seasons or to schedule your next appointment!