It can be helpful to plan self-care after each couple session.
Couple sessions can be draining, so planning for recovery from this can help you to heal.
Self-care can be done with friends, alone, with your partner, or something else.
Some dogs seem to understand about humans and self-care. So hugging the dog might help.
It may be best not to discuss hot topics or the session you have just both left. Leave it behind you for four hours or the rest of the day.
If you can plan to be free from any thinking work, that might help. So chill and recover.
Chill and Recover
Chill and recover after every session. This chilling is self-care.
Self-care can include activities such as getting a haircut or massage, playing a game, or eating out.
Self-Care with a Friend
Self-care could be with other friends, or with your partner.
Some couples plan to have a milkshake together and call it a weekly date directly following their session with me. Often, they already have a babysitter in place, so they just dive directly into a dinner date or lunch date after their couple session. If you date, then it ‘s important to hold to your dating rules, to not talk about work, the children, the relationship issues or the couple session.
If you self-care with other friends, it can be helpful to leave your couple conversations behind. It would be helpful if you choose not to discuss the session or the relationship. Have a break from it for several hours.
Self-Care Alone (without your partner)
If the relationship seems to be strained following a session, then self-care alone could be a preferred choice. You could plan to go for a run or read a novel. You might prefer to choose some alone-time.
Try not to eat too much icecream. Or chocolate. ๐
The idea is to allow several hours for recovery from the couple session. To plan time to self-care. And to avoid engaging in discussions with your partner that include hot topics.
Plan to create relational space until you have healed enough, and recovered enough, to resume your daily work. You can plan to allow time for self-care when you schedule in your relationship session.
Although it can be tempting to continue the conversation that you had during the couple session, resist the urge to talk about it for several hours, or the rest of the day.
Self-care can become a happy, healing and wonderful time that will improve the progress you made in the couple session.
Book a session
You can book a couple session with me in Frankton, Hamilton. I also can meet via Zoom if thatโs preferred, or if you live far from my practice.