10 Simple Therapist Mental Health Strategies in 10 Minutes or Less

For any therapist, mental health is crucial—and that includes prioritizing your own mental health and self-care. In fact, taking care of one’s own mental health essential for any wellness practitioner running their own private practice.

At SimplePractice, I have spent hundreds of hours interacting with and helping our therapists and private practitioners.

And, a recurring theme I hear from talking to therapists and interacting in our facebook group is the constant threat of burnout or overwhelm, coupled with a feeling of never having enough time.

Who is surprised about this, really? Therapists spend a 50-minute “hour” absorbing conflict, trauma, emotional breakdowns, and maybe even the dreaded long, petulant silence (if you’re working with adolescents), followed by a 10-minute break for administrative work.

This is all done mostly sitting in a chair (and—in the case of those practicing via telehealth—looking at a computer screen), which adds its own physical stress on the body.

If you’re like me, 10 minutes might as well be 18 seconds. What can you possibly get done in 10 minutes?

The truth is, actually, a lot.

You don’t have to escape to a spa, fork out money for a retreat or do a 90-minute power yoga sequence to get the ball rolling with self-care.

You do need to turn off your mobile phone and step away from your computer or chair for a few minutes and make the commitment to put your own mental health first.

Here are some ideas to support therapist mental health you can do in 10 minutes or less

One thing to keep in mind is that an important foundation of self-care is learning to set clear boundaries with your clients so you can end your sessions ON TIME with a full 10 minutes to spare in between sessions.

1. Take a walk outdoors

You probably need to get out of your office. In fact, you definitely do.

2. Call a friend

Plan something fun or just catch up. Choose a friend who doesn’t drain you.

3. Watch something funny

Give yourself permission to laugh.

4. Write down a list of 3-10 things you’re grateful for

Hoarding stressful thoughts is masochistic. Create some white space in your brain by setting a timer for 5 minutes and just get it all out on paper. If you must, you can come back to it later.

5. Try 5-10 minutes of deep, coherent breathing

Turn on this video, close your eyes and allow your breath to sync with the rhythm. It’s extremely relaxing and meditative.

6. Do a guided meditation

Try a body scan to bring some relaxation to your whole body from head to toe. I also love the Insight Meditation Timer app, which has a ton of great guided meditation options.

7. Eat a healthy snack

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs! Get back to the basics. Try eating slowly and with no distractions.

8. Turn on some music and dance like no one’s watching

Salsa, interpretive dance, wild Elaine Benes from Seinfeld moves—doesn’t matter! This can often seem counterintuitive when all you want to do is take a snooze, but movement fires off endorphins is a natural mood booster and an excellent form of self-care.

9. Practice mindfulness

Try some simple breathing, while bringing focus to the tip of your nose where the air enters and exits. Stay with your breathing. As you notice thoughts entering your awareness, just allow them to roll on, like clouds passing by. Gently bring your attention back to the breath.

10. Write your session notes

Yes, getting work done can be a form of self-care. Crossing off something from the “to-do” list can be a huge relief. And using structured notes templates is a quick and easy way to do it. Reload your last note, fill in a couple drop downs and exchange the narrative, and you’re good to go.

How SimplePractice streamlines running your practice

SimplePractice is HIPAA-compliant practice management software with everything you need to run your practice built into the platform—from booking and scheduling to insurance and client billing.

If you’ve been considering switching to an EHR system, SimplePractice empowers you to streamline appointment bookings, reminders, and rescheduling and simplify the billing and coding process—so you get more time for the things that matter most to you.

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