It is not uncommon for there to be a waiting time between calling to book your first appointment with a mental health practitioner and your first appointment. But now because of COVID, wait times for psychologists are very long. This can leave you feeling like you’re in limbo and can be an anxious and uncertain time. If you’re reading this and you have an appointment that you’re waiting for, here are some ways that you can take care of yourself while you’re waiting.
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Let people who care about you know that you’ve made your first appointment and that you must wait for your first appointment. Let them know you might need some extra support and let them know how they can best support you.
Keep your body moving in ways that feel good. Moving has a positive effect on our emotions. You can walk, run, ride, swim. You can do yoga, dancing, stretching, gardening. What you do doesn’t matter, just take some time out each day to move.
Reach out to the people in your life who make you feel good and schedule some time to see them or speak to them. This will make sure you have good social supports and things in your schedule to look forward to.
Have a look at your daily routine and your sleep schedule and make sure that you’re setting yourself up to be active during the day and restful at night. Try and get up at the same time each day and have a good morning routine such as a shower, breakfast, and some light activity. Try not to nap, but if you can’t, keep your nap nice a short. In the evening, reduce your caffeine intake and your screen time, make sure you give yourself lots of winding down time and create a lovely, calming bedtime routine such as comfortable clothes, low lighting, and minimal screen use. Try to get to bed at roughly the same time each night.
Keep yourself engaged in activities that you enjoy, even if engaging in them is harder because of your mental health struggle. Having activities in our day and things to focus our attention on can be good for us. It might not make you feel ‘better’ but it might help you take your mind off your struggles for a moment and being active will help time pass faster.
Consider using an app that is designed for the struggle you’re having, such as an app for anxiety, depression, or stress. Apps, while not a replacement for therapy, can give you ideas on how to manage your symptoms while you wait for therapy.
Consider trying meditation or mindfulness to calm your mind and help you find a bit of headspace. If you haven’t tried mindfulness or meditation before you could consider downloading an app to use, exploring YouTube, or having a look in your area for a class that you could sign up for.
Have a look in your local area for peer support groups, mental health support groups or other group activities that you could join. There are often lots of activities going on within the community that don’t have waiting lists. Additionally, organisations like ARCVic have support groups and recovery programs that you could sign up for.
Consider using a diary or an app to record your symptoms and the challenges that you’re facing in preparation for your appointment. It can be hard to think back over the weeks you were waiting and provide a swift summary. Having some information written down can help when your appointment arrives.
Keep in contact with your general practitioner (GP) for support while you’re waiting. They can help to encourage you and point you in the direction of other methods of support while you wait.
Have a look at your social media use and consider whether your engagement with it is helpful or not. A lot of content on social media can make us feel worse, and if this is the case it might be time for a social media audit. Our mental health is much better when we curate our social media feed to bring us content that is predominantly helpful. You can also follow social media accounts about mental health and selfcare, and these can be great sources of inspiration, support and strategy while waiting for your first appointment. Try to make sure you limit your use so you’re not online all day.
Consider reading a self-help book about the challenges you’re facing and implement some of the recommendations while you’re waiting. While this is unlikely to be a substitute for therapy, it can give you a great head start and an opportunity to experiment with strategies and skills in the lead up to your first session. It can also feel good to feel proactive while you’re waiting.
Get in touch with telephone counsellors if you need additional support while you’re waiting. Counselling services such as Lifeline (13 11 14), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), Suicide Line (1300 651 251), Men’s Line Australia (1300 78 99 78) and Safe Steps (1800 015 188) are available for you to contact for additional, confidential support. They are also excellent supports in the event of a mental health crisis.
If you experience a mental health emergency, you can visit your local emergency department for support or contact your local psychiatric triage service. To find the phone number for your local psychiatric triage service, head to http://www.health.vic.gov.au/mentalhealthservices/, click on the link for adult services or child and adolescent services and then click on the tab for the area you live.
Waiting for your first appointment can be such a challenge, especially right now with all the stressors associated with COVID and extended waiting periods. We hope that within this list you have found some ideas to help you while you wait. If you have any questions about your first appointment, or perhaps are considering booking in for the first time you can contact our administration team on (03) 9882 8874 or have a look at our website at melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au.
This blog was written and prepared by Dr Victoria Miller. Principal Psychologist and Associate Director here at MWG.