[onceuponacat]

I've been in therapy for 3 years and have noticed my life has gotten increasingly worse and I am obsessive about wanting my therapist to approve of me. I feel like I don't know who I am anymore and I don't want to keep wasting my life away in therapy.

I'm not trying to trash talk therapy in general, I'm glad many people seem to benefit from it, I just want to feel better.

For those of you that had poor therapy experiences, how did you move on? What are other ways have you have found to heal?

[ChickenNoodleSoup]

Some of my friends and family have benefited from (and I've also seen these things mentioned on here from time to time):
- spirituality as well as religion
- art and expressing oneself
- physical activities, things like yoga or martial arts come to mind

I've found the times I was struggling least mentally were the ones where I did things related to one of these points almost every day and in addition to that had a fulfilled social life (i.e. one I was happy with). Nowadays therapy helps as well for me, but those are still the areas that I tap into cope with my issues.

[stopdog]

Exercise, qi gong, yoga, meditation, volunteering just for a few

[RoxanneToto]

Writing a diary has helped me in the past, especially when I’ve been really angry at certain family members’ behaviour. I prefer therapy though because I like getting an alternative point of view and/or suggestions on things I can do. I don’t get that from writing for myself.
Exercise is also good. I did martial arts for a few months, and it did feel good but I quit because I hated the group I ended up in.

[Lemoncake]

Maybe start with the kind of things you like?

I also used to volunteer a lot as I liked being out of the house. I've gone through cooking phases. Regular massages, but haven't been since march last year. Concerts/ ballet shows.Running before but mainly just walking now.

[SlumberKitty]

Support groups can be helpful. NAMI holds free support groups (I think they are all virtual right now) and I've been a few times. It depends on the people in the group of course but overall I found it helpful. I haven't been since it's been virtual though. Not a big fan of Zoom.

[Rive.]

Peer groups, friends, social or support networks, volunteering, pets
any activities or creative expressions you enjoy

[susannahsays]

Probably is specific to the person, but my pets are as helpful, if not more helpful, than my therapist. I have a dog and a cat, and I've previously had rats. My dog is unwaveringly loyal and always approves of me, even when he shouldn't (like when I've been super depressed and haven't bathed for a week). While my cat can be disapproving and glare, he is always affectionate and doesn't hold a grudge when I take him to the vet or have to give him yucky medicine, etc. Whenever I'm feeling really down, alone - as well as happy, I like to spend time with them playing and spoiling them. I find making them happy ends up putting a smile on my face, even if it's only for a little while. When I'm really hurting badly, cuddling helps soothe me so that I can calm down and regroup. I close my eyes and lie with them, stroking their fur and focusing on how extremely soft my cat is or on how my chihuahua molds himself perfectly around my head when I'm upset.

[mrxuneek]

Originally Posted by susannahsays

Probably is specific to the person, but my pets are as helpful, if not more helpful, than my therapist. I have a dog and a cat, and I've previously had rats. My dog is unwaveringly loyal and always approves of me, even when he shouldn't (like when I've been super depressed and haven't bathed for a week). While my cat can be disapproving and glare, he is always affectionate and doesn't hold a grudge when I take him to the vet or have to give him yucky medicine, etc. Whenever I'm feeling really down, alone - as well as happy, I like to spend time with them playing and spoiling them. I find making them happy ends up putting a smile on my face, even if it's only for a little while. When I'm really hurting badly, cuddling helps soothe me so that I can calm down and regroup. I close my eyes and lie with them, stroking their fur and focusing on how extremely soft my cat is or on how my chihuahua molds himself perfectly around my head when I'm upset.

I love animals! they are the best therapy

[Mountaindewed]

I have found an outpatient program to be pretty helpful and I’m learning a ton. Also I drink stress relief tea and use sleep and stress relief lotion. Not sure if they are just placebo effects, but if they work then it doesn’t matter. A lot of my issues are sensory related so weighted blankets are very calming and I also have a pressure belt.

[TeaVicar?]

Random things that have massively helped my MH (apart from therapy):

Daily Vit B
Reiki
Homeopathy (actually seeing a classical homeopath)
Yoga
Finding a group or community
SLEEP!! so important
water & nutrients
Creativity

[InnerPeace111]

In my opinion, the best alternatives to therapy are diet, meditation, and exercise/yoga.