23 Ways to Support Yourself After a Healing Session
I slam my laptop closed. Sigh the loudest I possibly can. Throw on my tennis shoes and headphones. Press play to my ‘moody’ playlist. Get Luna in her harness. I get outside. And I walk.
This is what I require after any kind of processing – an EFT session, therapy, coaching.
Because your healing doesn’t only happen in the space you paid for.
It is in every moment of your day and life. And those hours after your healing session for the day? Those hours can help you move through or will have you stay stuck in the feelings.
So, if you have no idea what to do after a healing session, I’m going to give you 23 ideas of what you can do.
This list is broken into 4 categories:
To move out of the energy
To reflect
To support and nourish your body
To thank yourself for showing up
Because you will need different activities depending on your energy level that day, the healing session you did, and how much more you need to sit in it.
Save this blog post as your menu to choose from.
Activities for when you need to move out of the energy
Go on a walk
I am a certified walk LOVER!
Have a problem? Go on a walk – the solution will come. Want to get more movement in? Walk! Want a low pressure hangout with a friend? Walk and talk!
Walks are such a great activity to do to leave the energy of the healing space and move into a new energy.
You can literally walk away from the energy. Or if you forget to make that the intention – getting yourself moving and walking will help give a mood boost.
2. Shake the body and imagine flicking the energy off
You know the kind of shake you do when you feel a bug on you and you’re freaking out a little bit? That’s the level of shaking I’m talking about.
Shake your arms – you can do this with them next to your side or raise them slightly so your wrists are near your head.
Shaking is going to help break up and move any stagnant energy.
Then, flick your hands as if you’re trying to get water off of them. While you do this flicking motion – imagine you’re flicking off this energy and it’s leaving your body.
It’s that simple!
3. Do a hard workout
I’m so sorry to be another person telling you this – but it actually does help.
Find any exercise that increases your heart rate.
Like running, kickboxing, weight lifting, jump rope, biking, swimming.
While you are doing this exercise, imagine the energy is moving through you and expelling with your sweat or heavy breath.
Plus, the added benefit is that exercise can lower your cortisol levels. Here’s how that works: the body releases cortisol during the exercise to give you energy > you allow enough time to rest > your cortisol levels drop lower than the starting levels.
4. Write everything that first comes to your mind and burn it
So, I have to be honest here – I might have a bias for this one because I love matches. BUT you don’t need to worry because 1 I follow fire safety and 2 my birth chart has a majority of fire signs so it just makes sense.
Here’s the deal with this activity: you’re going to write down everything you want to about the session you had. The topic, how you feel about it, what came up in the session, any realizations, any beliefs you want to work to release, emotions you want relief from.
After that you’re going to burn the piece of paper (WHILE following fire safety – I can’t have you getting hurt!)
This practice helps you release what you wrote through the act of writing it (so getting it out of your brain) and burning it.
As you see the flame, imagine it cleansing what you wrote from your body and energy. As you see the smoke, imagine the smoke carrying away what you wrote.
Plus, this practice supports feeling closure around a topic with the finality of the paper being burned and transformed to ash.
5. Energetically cleanse the space
I have a confession – sometimes I forget to energetically cleanse my space until it really feels like the space needs it.
So, I’ll be taking my own advice for this one!
If you do virtual healing, aka seeing your practitioner through video or doing any healing in your home, cleanse the space’s energy after your healing session.
While you do this, imagine any stagnant or unsupportive energy being cleansed from the space.
There’s many ways you can do this:
Sound – music, sound bowls, singing, clapping, bell
Smoke – candles, incense, herbs
Water – simmer pots, spraying florida water
Your energy – imagining a cleansing white light moving around the space
Air – blowing with your breath, opening a window or door to allow energy out and fresh air from outside in
Earth – having house plants with the intention of cleansing energy
Pick what works for your space, routine, and energy levels.
My preferred methods are clapping, simmer pots, and opening my balcony door.
6. Sigh LOUDLY
Literally as loud as you can. Bonus points: Imagine you are sighing out the energy that you want to let go of.
Example: Breathe into all the shifts and reflections that came up and feel supportive. SIGHHHHH out what you don’t want to carry along for the remaining day.
7. Dance to your favorite music
What I’m about to say might sound slightly counteractive BUT my favorite music to listen to (especially after I just processed some hard shit and likely cried a lot) is early 2000s moody boy music. There is something sooo magical about the songs being so real — aka angry and a bit hopeless — about how they feel and they don’t apologize for it.
If you also love a good moody music playlist, DM me on Instagram and I will literally send you the PERFECT playlist.
But if that’s not your style, find the music that you do enjoy listening to and will help you out of the energy. It can literally be anything.
8. Read or watch a piece of fiction
I will ALWAYS advocate for consuming fiction. (Especially smutty sports romance – but maybe we can discuss this a different time)
Fiction helps us move out of our own energy and minds by literally transporting us to another world. We can focus on their issues or be entertained by their lives. And it stops us from ruminating in our minds when we really just need a break.
Grab your kindle or tv remote. You can thank me later!
9. Take a shower & wash it off
I don’t know about you but my shower is my sanctuary. It always brings me peace and allows me to process the day.
And I have the added benefit of showering to wash off the day and energy I do not want to carry because I love to shower at night.
Not saying you have to shower at night – but it is my preferred time!
So, how do you do this?
You take a shower. You ask the water to wash away the energy you want to remove. You visualize or imagine it washing off your body to the ground and it rinsing down the drain.
Easy peasy! But if you’re still like “what energy do I wash away?”
Here’s something to ask the water: Please wash away (or remove) any energy that is not mine or does not serve my healing.
Activities for when you need to reflect
Journal and circle
You can do this in two minutes or twenty. Which makes it the perfect activity when you need to reflect but the energy is not there.
All you need is a writing utensil and paper (or write on your phone – choice is yours).
Do a full brain dump. Everything that comes to your mind about the session, how the topic you worked on, how you feel now.
Then, take a breath to pause. And go back to what you wrote and circle what you really want to remember. This is a physical way to do the “use what resonates and take what doesn’t” advice.
2. Pull a tarot or oracle card
While you’ll likely have many many takeaways from your healing session, sometimes you need to turn to the cards for clarity, another perspective, or guidance for what it all means to you.
And I love that we have this tool for that.
The cards will help you look within. So, when you pull cards as reflection, allow yourself to really sit with each card.
What do I mean by that? Look at the card! Notice the details and what thoughts come to your mind – and give yourself a few minutes with the cards before you run to look at the guidebook.
Here’s some question ideas:
What part of me most needed today's session?
How can I continue to work on this topic over the next week?
What part of me am I getting closer to by working on this topic?
What support can I show myself today?
Or ask the cards any question that is still lingering in your mind!
3. Share a takeaway with a trusted friend
This must come with a disclaimer: make sure you tell your takeaway to someone who loves and supports you and who will keep what you said confidential.
Give them the TLDR (too long didn’t read) of the session and what you realized.
You don’t need to go into any super personal details either.
Here are a few examples of real texts I’ve sent:
“Had therapy and feeling weepy”
“So I had therapy and she loves the idea of the ____ trip!”
“Just had therapy - going to be celebrating my growth & playing with my inner artist today”
4. Keep a reflection journal
There are currently 7 journals I am using and they all have a different purpose. Because the separation works for my brain.
You can either go extreme with probably way too many journals. Or you can just keep one: the reflection journal.
Keep it for the BIG reflections.
Write the one helpful thing that your practitioner said. Write the realization you had immediately after clicking “leave call.” Write the epiphany you had 4 days later while trying to not get shampoo in your eyes.
5. Talk to the moon
Okay – if you’ve been around for a while this should not come as a surprise. I LOVE the moon.
And it really helps to talk to her (yes – she is a girl).
I love to do this on walks at night when the moon is shining. But you can do this while inside, while it’s a new moon and you can’t see her, or literally as anytime by addressing the talking to the moon.
Share your goal, your realization, ask for support, ask for guidance, tell her what you’re worried about, share why you’re struggling, tell her what you’re doing to support yourself.
Of course, thank her for listening – and go back to talk to the moon when you feel she is calling to you.
Activities for when you need to support and nourish your body
Ask your water to support your intention
Water is a necessary piece of survival for humans – and it is so much more than just something to quench your thirst.
Masaru Emoto theorized that water could hold onto our intentions and energy.
So, what would happen if you spoke to it? Water would hold that intention and support you through it.
It’s as simple as it sounds: speak to your water, telling the water your intention, and holding the intention as you take your first few sips of the water.
Some ideas for the intention of supporting & nourishing your body:
“Water please support me as I move through this healing today and provide nourishment to the parts of myself who need it”
“Please nourish the parts of myself that are hurting and working towards healing”
“Please help me move any stagnant energy and support me as I continue with my day”
And of course – I encourage you to thank your water when telling it your intention.
To learn more about Masaru Emoto’s work with water, I recommend reading The Miracle of Water by Masaru Emoto.
2. Have a good meal
Just like water – your body needs food. And food can bring you comfort, support, and nourishment. Both literally and energetically.
Have a comfort meal. Eat a portion of your favorite food. Look up foods to support you through healing or a specific emotion – or to support the energy of a chakra center.
Use this to replenish any energy you may have used while in that healing space.
3. Do Touch-and-Breathe
Okay – I obviously had to mention EFT at some point in this blog post! And Touch-and-Breathe earned its well deserved spot on this list.
This is the most simple way to do EFT Tapping.
Because all you need to do? Press your fingers lightly on each EFT point and take one breath before moving to the next point.
This gives your body the stress-lowering benefits of tapping while providing extra nourishment with a slower pace and focusing on only your breath and the experience.
4. Take a bath
Yes – you can speak to your bath water. Go re-read my first point about speaking to water if you need a refresh of how you can do this.
But also, you can just take a bath! Use it for comfort and to support yourself. Use it to wind down from the day and relax a bit.
Depending on how much energy you have, you can keep it simple: bath + you = relax
Or you can add to the experience with candles, a book, music, dimming the lights, a special soap, epsom salts.
5. Do yoga
When I first started doing yoga, I thought it was just the physical practice of the poses – asana – but through widening my learning of yoga, I realized it was much more than that.
So yes, you can do the physical practice, and you can practice the other seven limbs of yoga as well.
The eight limbs of yoga include:
Yama - social ethics
Niyama - personal ethics
Asana - poses
Pranayama - breathwork
Pratyahara - withdrawing senses inward
Dharana - art of effortless concentration
Dhyana - meditation
Samadhi - complete harmony with universal consciousness
I’m not a yoga expert – so if you’re interested in learning more about yoga, here are a few teachers I really enjoy:
Yoga Off The Mat Podcast with Divya Balakrishnan – for yoga philosophy and understanding more than asana
Yoga with Kassandra – for the asana physical practice
Susanna Barkataki – for trauma-informed yoga and using yoga for social justice
6. Connect to gratitude
Take a moment right now and name one thing you are grateful for today.
Don’t skip that! Name one thing.
Okay – perfect!
Notice any difference in how you’re feeling?
That is gratitude in action.
Here’s some of the science because gratitude can actually rewire your brain: gratitude practices can boost serotonin and signal your brainstem to produce dopamine.
Serotonin helps regulate your moods. Dopamine makes feelings of content bigger and builds off of itself – giving you a more positive attitude about life.
Activities to say thank you to yourself for showing up
Get a little treat
YOU. DESERVE. A. LITTLE. TREAT.
Okay – I won’t yell anymore but I needed you to know that.
If I could teleport into your mind right now, I would leave a sign that says: you don’t have to do anything to deserve a treat. Or joy. Or any kind of pleasure. Nothing. You deserve it because you’re alive.
And you just did hard work by showing up for yourself and being courageous by looking at your pain sooooo a treat is definitely necessary.
If you need permission to do this, here it is: Close this blog post (you can read the rest with a treat in your hands), put on your shoes, grab the way you pay for stuff, do the transportation thing of going to your favorite place, and buy or order what you WANT. Enjoy it. Smile. Say thank you to yourself for showing up. And be super happy that you listened to this idea.
A little treat can be anything. My current treat preference is a large Diet Coke WITH a large fry – yum. But you get to choose any little treat that feels like a thank you.
2. Say thank you
Yes – it can be this simple. When you leave the room or end the call, say “thank you” to yourself.
It can be more detailed with exactly why you’re saying thank you. Or you can keep it to those two words.
In your mind or spoken out loud. It’s up to you!
3. Write a love letter
I want you to write yourself a love letter for a few reasons: it is a fun way to say thank you, the love letter allows you to be creative and expressive, and it is doing the healing work.
Loving yourself is not saying “I love myself!” once and having it feel true literally all the time. It just doesn’t work that way!
So when you’re writing a love letter to yourself, you are engaging in the self-love practice – and you have a letter to read anytime you need it.
Keep the letter for the hard days. Write it addressed to a specific emotion or part of yourself. Read it every morning. Use the letter as proof you’re healing.
You can use this practice however you want.
Now you have 23 ideas of things to do after a healing session to move out of the energy, reflect, support and nourish your body, or thank yourself for showing up.
Giving these ideas a try? I want to know how it goes! Send me a DM on Instagram @growthbymargaret
Thinking about working with an EFT Practitioner? Get the details on my one-on-one EFT Tapping sessions!
