10 Ways to Build a Support System After Therapy Ends

Building a support system after therapy ends can look like a combination of many things. There is no single, one-size-fits-all solution. The trick is to find what practices truly support your wellbeing and help you feel like your best self. “Your best” will look and feel different on different days, and that’s okay. Here are ten ways you can build your support system after therapy ends, and enhance your own resilience.

1. Your best bet is you.

Therapy has helped transform your mindset and aided in rediscovering a strong, happy version of you. Remember all that you have learned in your therapy sessions and continue to practice taking care of you.

In my experience with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, learning to recognize my patterns, name my emotions and what triggers them was one of the most helpful tools my therapist gave me. Remember you are not your thoughts, and that you have learned techniques to help you manage them in your day-to-day.

2. Your therapist is here for you.

Your therapist is a specialist who fully supports your wellbeing and is here to guide you through techniques and treatments designed to help you learn to navigate through your thoughts, patterns, and emotions.

With this guidance from a specialist, remember that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Ask as many as you feel necessary to help you gain clarity, no matter what those questions may look like.

3. Start a journal and create a safe space for your thoughts.

One of the most helpful practices I started doing while in therapy is using a journal as a safe space to dump my thoughts, whether they be good, bad or ugly. Having your thoughts written out on paper is an incredibly useful way to problem-solve and visually think your way through to a solution, track patterns, and find your way through streams of thoughts.

4. Join a support group.

Support groups like Rethink, the Sahara Mental Health Program, and SOCH have created wellness spaces with South Asians in mind. Each initiative strengthens and empowers the community to support mental wellness, and connect individuals and families to resources available locally while catering to the nuances of South Asian cultures.

5. Use online support tools.

Apps like What’s Up and Calm and Headspace are right at our fingertips to help supplement therapy, and help us to continue to build our own resilience even after therapy ends.

Check out the full list here

6. Be apart of an online community

Knowing that you are not alone and having that constant reminder be a part of what you consume online can be just the kind of affirmation you need to ground yourself. Following Instagram accounts like @browngirltherapy and @well.guide and and other Mental Health Educators are great ways to surround yourself with intentional content that’s created for your wellbeing.

7. Support your mental health by supporting your physical health.

Taking care of our bodies has a direct impact on mental wellness. Whether it’s starting a gym habit, regularly biking in the city, or walking around the block after lunch, getting some form of movement and physical activity will help you feel that serotonin and dopamine boost.

8. Make mindfulness practices a part of your daily routine.

Making time for practicing mindfulness is a wonderful way to promote a strong sense of calm. Start your day with intention! Whether it’s yoga and meditation in the living room, or breathwork and a cup of tea, following through on this daily habit makes you genuinely feel good about maintaining this discipline, and helps boost your sense of self-worth.

9. Embrace doing things that you truly love, and that enrich your life.

What are the little things that you love to do? There’s a special kind of joy that comes with creating our own pockets of peace and passing time with a favourite hobby. Find what you love to do and do a little of it everyday. Carve out some time in your day to intentionally feel the tranquility that comes with this true form of self-care.

10. Find purpose.

Acknowledge your gifts and talents and explore the things you love to do. Putting purpose before goals and taking ownership of your life in ways you enjoy expressing the most to the world can not only enhance your sense of self-worth and your mental-wellbeing, but you may very well change lives and find community and friendship in choosing to share your gifts with the world.