These times are certainly strange and unprecedented. For the first time in our lifetimes, we are having to learn to adjust to the new (ab)normal of life in a global pandemic. We might be dealing with the isolation of life in lockdown, disconnection from our friends and loved ones, and learning to find new ways to connect. There are new stresses that come along with scrolling through our news feeds and a feeling of constantly changing or re-evaluating our daily actions and sense of social responsibility. All of this on top of all of the daily stress, anxiety, worry, or hardships we were already dealing with.
Building up the courage to go to therapy for the first time or to start seeing a new therapist can be very difficult under regular circumstances. Navigating this first step with online therapy might bring a new set of challenges. For instance, you might be worried about how to build a trusting connection with a therapist without sharing physical space with them. Without physical body language cues like posture, and eye contact, we need to be willing to look for other cues that our therapist is tuned in, listening well, and cares about us. We also need to be able to be forgiving of technological glitches like lag, and slow internet, and try our best to not let that take away from our experience. It is important to acknowledge any of these worries if you have them and to bring them into therapy with you. Your therapist is probably thinking about the same thing and can only do a better job of helping if they are tuned into what your needs are in terms of feeling seen, heard, and accepted during your online therapy sessions.
How can I make online therapy a more enjoyable experience?
Being able to have therapy sessions in your own home can be a great benefit of online therapy. Here are some ways that you can make rituals out of your online therapy experience:
If you can, personalize your space! Choose a special spot in your space that can be dedicated to your therapy sessions. Just like you would be going to the same therapy office every week, create this space of your own
Prepare yourself for your sessions mentally. Just like you would be commuting to your therapist’s office and taking that time to physically journey into the therapy space, try to carve out time before your session to prepare. Moving too quickly from regular daily life into an online session could be agitating and impact your session.
Try your best to give yourself some privacy. Your in-person sessions would be free of interruptions like phone calls, emails, pets, or other people. Because your onlines session is taking place in your home, it might be tempting to try and multi-task and tend to the demands of everyday life. It is important to carve out 50 minutes, once a week that are dedicated to only therapy.