[ChickenNoodleSoup]

What do you do while you wait for your session? My T usually comes to get me after a minute or two, and in the little time I have I usually try to calm myself down by looking around the room.

Interesting poll! It depends on what mood I'm in or how much time I have. Typically I'll just be on my phone, but I've also read or worked on my laptop if I have more time.

[imnotbroken]

Phone/Look Around Aimlessly/Other

Other: Try to control my anxiety. It's a ritual. I always get anxious before (and mostly during) the appointment.

[MessyD]

Usually I don't wait too long. If I'm early, which hardly ever happens, I wait in the car and if I have to wait couple minutes in the waiting room, I just stare at my phone. Usually there aren't any people but if someone walks by I hardly look at them. Or I try to use the restroom before I go, especially when I'm anxious.

[bobcat21]

I usually look around sometimes check my phone one time I dozed off and my T startled me and said come on back.

[stopdog]

I did not wait. I went in to the office one minute late and the woman's door would be open and I would walk in, close the door and sit down.

[WarmFuzzySocks]

I look at my phone occasionally, and sometimes I look around aimlessly, but usually other. I often go straight from work, so I use the time in the waiting room to refocus myself and switch gears by thinking about what I want to address in the session. Or I focus intentionally on just sitting and being.

[AllHeart]

phone/look around/wait in car

T seldom has a client before me so if I get to the office too early I'll wait in the car for a bit. T normally pulls me in early so I don't want to her to think I'm arriving early just to get extra time or something. If I have time inside the office, I check my phone or look around aimlessly.

I play on my phone and sometimes people watch. I find people fascinating as I understand them not one bit.

I usually bring a book. It gives me something else to focus on so I don't stress myself out, and so far it has prevented any others in the waiting room from speaking to me *crosses fingers*

[DP_2017]

No waiting, I'm his last of the day and he is usually waiting for me once I get there.

She doesn't really have a waiting room, home office. I either sit in my car or walk around her yard til she opens the door and waves at me to come in.

[starfishing]

I usually walk around a bit outside if I'm early, and pretty much never head into the waiting room more than 3-5 minutes before the appointment time unless the weather is especially bad. As far as those few minutes of waiting go, I can usually catch up on a quick email or two.

[healinginprogress]

T has brain teaser puzzles, so I'll play with those, play on my phone, or pace. There aren't other clients so I don't feel weird about pacing.

[nottrustin]

If I am more than 5 minutes early I wait in my car. Once inside off T is not ready I will either check email it texts on my phone or look at a magazine that is on the coffee table.

[GeekyOne]

There's a big fish tank in the waiting room. I look at that (standing - I sit all day at work, it's nice to stand briefly) until T comes to get me. I use that 5-ish minutes to try to relax, turn off my work brain (since I come in the middle of the work day) and remember what I want to talk about.

[velcro003]

I am the last client of the day, and usually her door is open waiting for me. But, when there are other clients there, or when I change times, I scan the magazines first, and then usually putz around on my phone until she gets me.

[mostlylurking]

do something on the phone / start chatting with clients

I actually don't start conversations with other clients, but I used to see a certain client belonging to the other T at my T's practice. Even though the appointment times for the two therapists were staggered so that the waiting room was almost always empty when you got there, this particular woman would be there really early for her appointment and would always chat to me during the short time we were both waiting. I got to know all about her house, her daughter and her daughter's family, her pets and her daughter's pets, etc. I felt a little bad when my schedule changed, knowing I'd not see her again, but it felt vaguely against the rules to ask to friend her on Facebook. Given how we met, we didn't even know each other's first names.

I sometimes read stuff on my phone:articles: PC:newspapers, downloaded books or I bring a book I am reading. Lately the office has been grand central and I enjoy talking to the other therapists' clients. We usually are laughing about life or telling therapy jokes.

[InnerPeace111]

I either play around on my phone or read the magazines that are available. I don’t mind the waiting room.

[satsuma]

Originally Posted by nottrustin

If I am more than 5 minutes early I wait in my car. Once inside off T is not ready I will either check email it texts on my phone or look at a magazine that is on the coffee table.

Me too (except I don't travel by car). if I'm more than 5 minutes early I walk around and around the block outside. Even after all these years I still get nervous right before, and also I don't want to sit outside the door while T is with another client in case I or they feel uncomfortable.

[annielovesbacon]

I chose phone and notes... usually I play around on my phone or check social media -- sometimes I look over notes I had written for this session in case there was something I was nervous to talk about. I also chose "other" because sometimes I will read/study while I am waiting.

[Wonderfalls]

Read the New York Times on my phone. It could be anything else of course, but that's what it is. I always get there early so there's waiting time. And last time my pdoc was 15 minutes late, with no apology. I only need him about 15 minutes of our half hour, so no biggie, but he could have said something.I really would prefer to talk to fellow patients but they're either busy or completely freaked out (really).

[autonoe]

I'm always in a hurry to get to my appointment on time, so I usually only have a couple of minutes to wait, and I spend that time taking deep breaths and looking at the art on the wall. I always get nervous when I get to the office, and I'm anxious coming from work, so I try to calm myself a little before we start.

[Argonautomobile]

Pace, usually. Sometimes I read or go over notes I had for the session.