The Endless Waitlist: How to Build Resilience While Waiting for Treatment
People are starting to pay more attention to their mental health, but psychologists are having trouble meeting the demand for treatment.
With extended periods on the waitlist for treatment, there are several things you can do to build your resilience.
No matter how small the action, you'll be surprised how much you can do on your own to help your well-being as you wait for an appointment with a therapist.
One of the good things to come out of this pandemic is that people are paying more attention to their mental health. However, sadly, with more and more people willing to ask for help, therapists—myself included—are reporting increased demand for treatment. According to one survey, 84% of therapists have increased their caseload significantly to meet the demand, which just isn’t sustainable long-term. But the same survey also reported that most therapists are still being forced to turn people away, adding them to seemingly endless waitlists.
Trying to get an appointment is challenging at the best of times, and right now, many people are finding it impossible. The good news is that there are a few things you can do while you are on a waitlist for treatment that could even build your resilience:
1. Focus on resilience tools you’ve used before. Try to remember another tough time in your life that you were able to get through. What strengths helped you? What didn’t? Patience, determination, and flexibility will be particularly helpful now.
2. Make a list of your go-to coping strategies. There are so many ways—big and small—that we can cope during challenging times. Whether it’s humour or distraction (I hear Superstore on Netflix is funny!), meditation or yoga, talking to a friend on FaceTime or baking cookies, making a list and putting a plan into action can help you feel a lot better.
3. Don’t waste your energy on people who cause you stress. Whether it’s a conspiracy-believing relative or an anti-masker shopper in your grocery store, save your energy and practice patience. You can’t use logic or reason on those who are close-minded, and it won’t help you at all to cause yourself more stress by challenging them.
4. Take action. When we are feeling powerless about a situation it helps to channel that frustrated energy into a meaningful direction. Think about what you can do to make things better in your community during the pandemic. Sometimes that means writing or calling your local politicians to express your concerns. For others, it means volunteering your time for a cause. If you have the means it also helps to donate money to a cause you believe in.
5. Don't think about the future, focus on your values. Nobody knows exactly when and if things will go back to "normal." Pining for the days when we could travel or see friends can feel demoralizing right now. Instead, focus on the values that drive your interests. People who like travel might value education, awareness, understanding, and fun. Think instead about other ways you can express those values. Watch travel shows, read about different cultures, try cooking the food from a country you might like to visit one day. There are lots of creative ways that we can honour our values while we are stuck waiting for the world to open up again. It may not be your first choice, but sometimes even a second-choice can boost your mood.
6. Join an online meditation group. Meditation can be particularly helpful when you are stuck in a situation that you can’t change. Do a search to see if there is a group in your community that meets online to learn how to meditate with other novice meditators. Meditation isn't the easiest thing to learn so it can help to find a group so you get feedback and encouragement. While there are many apps that can teach you how to meditate, they are not a replacement for the group connection that you can get online. Sometimes you can find a local mindfulness-based stress reduction group. The Art of Living Foundation also has an evidence-based Happiness program that has been shown to reduce stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression.
There are no easy answers when trying to cope with a pandemic. So much has been lost and there is still so much uncertainty about the future. The pandemic is forcing most of us to dig deep and look for every little bit of strength that we have left. The good news is that there are things we can do to protect our well-being if we can't get to a therapist right away. Even if you are struggling with depression or anxiety, if you can find a few things that can help in the meantime—even a little bit—it can make a big difference while you are waiting for your first therapy appointment. And when you do reach that appointment, be sure to share with your therapist all of the things you’ve been doing that have helped. You might be tougher and more resilient than you thought!