In addition to checking your internet, you will also want to get acquainted with the device that your physician will be using before that first appointment, which should also be HIPAA compliant, advising Ejelonu. Edit any technical issues early, such as confirming an account, creating a password, making sure your camera is working, and that your computer or phone is fully charged.
Make a list
“Have something you’d like to start talking about or at least, a starting point,” says Tiarra Morris, an approved clinical mental health consultant and approved clinical addiction expert in North Carolina. My sessions with Morris, to which I connected through the Open Path Psychotherapy Collective, begin pre-pandemic, in person. A month into Covid, we decided to move to virtual sessions, which were slower than I expected. Telehealth was already a service Morris provided before the pandemic put many of us into virtual therapy, so she knows how to make it work. Since the epidemic, Morris has gained a steady stream of information and has acquired new clients that are completely meaningful.
Making a list can be like a high order during a pandemic. But it doesn’t have to be a complete or detailed list. In fact, it can be as simple as the pressures of living in an emergency. Ejelonu will not prepare much for a treatment session, she says, unless there is a conversation she knows she wants to reflect on. “Then I’ll write it out to make sure I remember mentioning it.”
I also get down, usually on a Post-it note I stick to my wall or desk, a few topics I want to talk to my therapist that may come up crop between sessions – a difficult situation at work, for example. The note helps move my memory, especially since stress and anxiety can cause memory loss. I make the list for myself and share the topics I would like to discuss once the session starts.
Be present and comfortable
One of the benefits of telehealth is that you can be anywhere and connect with your advisor. But Morris warns not to try to hold a counseling session while driving, multitasking, or doing any number of activities that distract you from your session. To help clients attend, Morris recommends “a safe and familiar setting. For example, if you have a favorite seating area inside your home that will make you feel relaxed and comfortable – try it for your virtual healing session. “
As a client, you will also want to make sure that you have a place without any worries. Finding a place with no worries can be difficult at a time when many Americans work from home (and many students go to school by distance learning). Davis encourages “people to put their devices on Do Not Disturb, as getting a text message or making a phone call can be distracting.”
If virtual therapy is not available to you, there are other resources that may be good for you.
Instagram Accounts Increase
As soon as I finished my habit of doing doomscrolling through social media, I began to come across a whole new world of vibrant, mostly free content. This comes in very handy when I want to listen in on sound therapy, practice a few yoga moves, or learn deep breathing techniques. Not only do emotional and mental wellbeing pages on social media offer tips and advice to help you become centralized, they also allow you to work in a vibrant community – if you want. Virtual therapy may not be financially accessible or useful at this time, but you are looking for other support. Here are some sites to help you prioritize mental and emotional health and wellbeing.
“Fitness concept and cafe” which includes a monthly membership for meaningful yoga, energy work, meditation, breathing work, and other healing methods. While Heal Haus offers one-to-one sessions, he also provides a workplace wellness program to help organizations settle into the workplace. Once you’ve created an account, it’s easy to sign up for classes. The IGTV videos are a great introduction to what to expect from Heal Haus classes.
I am gaining a new knowledge of the transformative powers of relaxation. But since 2016, the Nap Ministry has been telling us that naps and rest are sacred and liberating. According to the Sleep Foundation, adults ages 26 to 64 need seven to nine hours of sleep. The Nap Ministry wants us to bring deep rest into our lives – and offers ideas for relaxation such as taking longer showers, taking a day off, dancing slowly, getting a sound bath. , or doing a few yoga poses.