How do you manage pre-T anxiety?

Just curious if any one has been successful in handling the pre- T anxiety that starts before a session?

I imagine I am going to see a close friend of mine that I feel no anxiety towards seeing. It calms me down.

I bring my laptop and type my entire "speech" on it so I can rehearse my rambling. and practice so I won't get speechless and blank out from nervousness. Also I bring my teddy bear.

Good question. I also would like to know how people can do it.
Nothing helps with my anxiety no matter how I try.

I do try and avoid seeing people in the hours before a session. Sometimes its hard if I have to take my kids to school or something. I get so preoccupied and anxious, I just try to lock myself away and listen to music or write. Nothing takes the anxiety away though.

Deep breaths.... Visualize going down into my body and finding my feet.... don't laugh it works! I admit I thought she was nuts the first time t suggested it. Til I tried it and it worked.

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I listen to music and sometimes review my notes of what I want to talk about.

Thanks for all the responses....one more skill I am finding I need to develop...

TRIGGER WARNING

If it is really bad, I clobber myself a few times with a piece of pvc pipe - it causes no damage but allows my heart rate to come down and the panic to subside enough to function. I also often throw up.

I try to keep my mind busy reading, play computer games, working, etc so that I don't have time to think about it.

I can relate....I've done some things to calm down that probably aren't "healthy" but tend to work...

I don't get pre-T anxiety unless I know I'm going to talk about something really hard. I guess being a musician, I also think about performance anxiety all of the time and I think about it like that. You see, every week, I have a private lesson with someone who is a pretty big deal. Within our field, he's actually kind of famous and an idol for a lot of us, including me to an extent. And that can be pretty scary. I handle it by reminding myself:

1) He already likes my playing. He wouldn't work with me if he didn't.
2) I'm not going to play perfectly and that's okay. If I were perfect, I wouldn't need lessons. I'm not supposed to be perfect.
3) it's not going to sound as good as it does in the practice room. It never will and he already knows that.
4) actually, I will learn most when I play for him and don't sound great. Every mistake I make is a chance to hear him share his approach to the music. Messing up is a learning opportunity.
5) there was a point in his life when he was no better than how I play today. He understands the process.

Obviously, not all of these will translate for everyone because not everyone is sure that their T likes them and not everyone knows if their T had to go through the exact process you did. But a lot of it does. You are in therapy to make mistakes and learn. Your T isn't expecting you to be perfect and if you had a rough week or trip over your words or find yourself sitting in the chair, too nervous to say a word, that's okay because it's all part of a process that your T already knows you haven't mastered or you wouldn't be in therapy.

It took me a year and a half to get to a point where I can speak without stuttering on and off due to the fear/anxiety. Sometimes I couldn't get a word out for big chunks of the session - well, it seemed like it anyway. I was way more dissociated than I deal with now. What I did was I went every week no matter what (unless T was on vacation) and made myself go.....it was really hard. I was afraid I would pass out (I've done that outside of therapy before...) and I eventually talked to my T about that specific fear and that helped.

I still get some anxiety. Some weeks are worse than others depending on what's going on in therapy, but it's not like before. I don't really know for sure what changed except I trust my T now. I really do, I think. I did not before......it took time and the experience with him to trust. I'm so thankful for his consistency and his patience. And his steadfast belief that I could trust him with experience. I truly didn't believe it and tested him like crazy! He has really held onto the hope for me.

My T and I have labeled the waiting room and the room btwn the waiting room and her office as "hell". I am always a reck before seeing T. She asks if I'm rdy, I say no, my fiance tells me to have fun...every week. Then again, I'm still scared of my T. She tells me I'm the only client who is scared of her and I'm the most shy. I get through it by simply telling myself I don't have a choice. It works for me.

I see my T twice a week, and every single time without fail, I'm nervous. I like her a lot. We clicked from day one and I am comfortable with her. She's easy to talk to and supportive....

But I am still nervous with every appt. I don't make plans after therapy on my therapy days just in case. Luckily though, I don't get off work until 45 minutes before my appointments. When I get there, I have found not sitting down to be easier for me. If I sit down, I get more nervous than if I stay standing and look at the books on the bookshelf, or play with my phone, or look at pics on the wall...anything. I'm still nervous, but it helps. I start holding my breath as I walk into the building and barely breathe again until I leave an hour later.