Therapy gives you dedicated time to slow down, talk through what you’re experiencing, and work toward the changes you want to make. But what happens during the rest of the week?
A lot can come up between appointments. You may notice a pattern you want to talk about, have a stressful day, realize something after your session, or simply want a way to check in with yourself. Having a few mental health tools you can turn to between therapy sessions can help you stay connected to what you’re working on without feeling like you have to “do therapy” every day.
At Tampa Counseling Place, we’ve created a collection of free mental health resources you can use whenever they feel helpful. Here are a few ways to support yourself between sessions.
1. Track Your Mood and Notice Patterns
It can be surprisingly difficult to remember exactly how you felt throughout the week once you’re sitting in your therapist’s office.
A mood tracker gives you a simple way to pay attention to how you’re feeling over time. You might start noticing that your anxiety is worse on certain days, your mood changes after specific situations, or certain habits seem to help you feel better. You don’t need to track every detail of your day. Even a quick check-in can give you something useful to reflect on and, if you choose, bring into your next therapy session.
👉 Download our free Mood Trackers & Reflection Guides that are designed to make those check-ins simple.
2. Watch The Reflection Room on YouTube
Sometimes it helps to hear mental health topics explained in a more conversational way. The Reflection Room features videos on mental health, relationships, personal growth, and everyday challenges, with conversations designed to help you better understand what you may be experiencing.
You can watch an episode when a topic feels relevant, save one to come back to later, or even bring something that stood out to you into your next therapy session. It’s another free way to keep learning and reflecting between appointments without making it feel like homework.
👉 Head to our Youtube channel and check out our mental health videos from our team of therapists.
3. Try a Guided Meditation When You Need to Reset
Sometimes what you need between therapy sessions isn’t more thinking. You may just need a few minutes to slow down. Guided meditation can give you a structured way to pause, focus on your breathing, and reconnect with the present moment. It can be especially helpful when you notice yourself feeling overwhelmed, mentally exhausted, tense, or caught in a cycle of overthinking.
If meditation is new to you, you don’t have to sit silently for 30 minutes or completely clear your mind. A short guided practice can be enough to give yourself a small reset.
👉 Listen to our free guided meditation available through our mental health resource library that you can listen to whenever you need them.
4. Use Music to Shift the Moment
Mental health support doesn’t always have to look like journaling or meditation. Sometimes putting on the right music while you drive, clean your house, take a walk, or get ready for the day can help you shift your energy.
That’s why we created several therapy-inspired Spotify playlists for different kinds of days. Whether you need something calming, motivating, uplifting, or helpful for focusing, music can be another simple tool to add to your routine. It isn’t meant to replace therapy or other coping skills. It’s just one more way to give yourself a little support when you need it.
👉 Listen to our Spotify playlists catered for whatever mood you’re feeling.
5. Use a Guided Journal to Keep Exploring
Sometimes a therapy session brings up something you want to think about more, but you’re not quite sure where to start. A guided journal can give you questions and prompts that help you continue reflecting at your own pace. Our Therapist in Your Pocket Journal was created to give you a place to explore thoughts, emotions, patterns, and goals outside of your appointments.
You don’t have to complete it in order or write pages at a time. You can choose the prompts that feel relevant to what you’re currently working through and leave the rest for another day.
👉 Download our “Therapist In Your Pocket” journal for that extra bit of support.
6. Take a Mental Health Quiz When You Want More Insight
Sometimes you know something feels off, but you’re having trouble putting it into words. A mental health quiz can be a starting point for self-reflection. It may help you think more intentionally about symptoms related to anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, or other areas of your mental health.
These quizzes aren’t meant to diagnose you. Instead, they can help you notice patterns and give you language for experiences you may want to talk about with your therapist. If something in your results stands out to you, consider bringing it into your next appointment.
👉 Take one of our quizzes to learn more about yourself and help understand what you’re feeling.
You Don’t Have to Use Every Resource
One of the most important things to remember is that taking care of your mental health does not need to become another item on your to-do list. You don’t need to journal every day, track every mood, meditate every morning, and complete every resource you find. Choose what actually feels useful to you.
Maybe that means using a mood tracker for a few days before your next appointment. Maybe it means listening to a meditation during a stressful evening. Maybe you keep a running note of things you want to discuss with your therapist. The best mental health tools are the ones that genuinely support you, not the ones you feel obligated to use.
Find More Free Mental Health Resources
Therapy may happen during a scheduled appointment, but taking care of your mental health happens in everyday life too.
Tampa Counseling Place has created a growing library of free mental health resources you can use between therapy sessions, including mood trackers, reflection guides, guided meditations, mental health quizzes, playlists, journals, and more.
Explore our Quizzes + Resources page and save anything that feels helpful to come back to whenever you need it.
