Managing Emotions During TMS and Spravato® Care: 5 Skills

For people with depression, providers often recommend a combination of medication and therapy to help manage symptoms. If you have depression and these options aren’t giving you enough relief, you may be diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression, and your provider may recommend Spravato® and/or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy to be incorporated into your treatment plan.

No matter where you are in your mental health journey, or what treatments you’re going through, managing your emotions can be a challenge. Developing and practicing coping skills are key aspects to long-term improvement in depression symptoms. When you’re going through TMS and Spravato®, you can lean on coping skills to help regulate your emotions and improve your overall mindset when you’re navigating new treatment options.

You can work with a psychotherapist to learn what coping skills for depression work the best for you, and here are a few worth trying:

Create a routine (and stick to it).

If you’re experiencing worry and uncertainty while going through TMS therapy and Spravato®, it can be difficult to keep a positive mindset as you navigate treatment. By creating a routine, and actually following it, you can reduce the fear of uncertainty by creating stability.

If you can run through what’s going to happen for the next few days, including your treatment sessions, this can reduce feelings of anxiety. You can know what’s in your control, like leaving your house on time, and what’s not, like the wait time when you get to your appointment.

Routines also help to establish good habits and reduce the risk of decision fatigue, both of which can boost your overall mood.

Process your emotions through journaling.

Journaling is a coping mechanism that’s commonly recommended by mental health professionals. When you’re trying to manage your emotions during treatment, writing out your thoughts can help you process your feelings. It can also help you recognize potential patterns that are contributing to your depression symptoms.

Along with reducing negative emotions, journaling is also a stress management technique that can come in handy if you feel overwhelmed with balancing everyday life responsibilities with your sessions.

Reframe negative thoughts.

Even though you can’t control your thoughts, you can control how you react to them and how they affect your emotions. When a negative thought pops up into your mind, you can develop the ability to switch perspectives or reframe the thought into something more positive.

Reframing negative thoughts helps to reduce emotions that can become overwhelming, such as sadness and frustration.

Example: “I’m frustrated by my overwhelming schedule.”

Reframed: “I’m taking on more than usual because I’m actively working toward bettering myself.”

Open up to someone you trust.

It can take time to develop the ability to truly open up and be vulnerable with someone during challenging times. It’s not always easy to knock down your walls and trust that the person won’t judge you for it.

When you’re having trouble managing your negative emotions, it can be helpful to lean on a person in your support system, even if you’re just venting to them. It can ease the weight of the negativity off your mind while also bringing validation for your feelings.

Be mindful of the moment.

Mindfulness is a practice that helps regulate your emotions by grounding you in the moment. It’s a skill that involves being aware of your thoughts and feelings without judgment as a way of being kind to yourself. Being mindful means allowing yourself to have negative thoughts and emotions without letting them overwhelm you.

Mindfulness techniques include:

Psychiatry Treatment Centers can be your trusted partner in treatment for depression

At PTC, we provide Spravato® and TMS therapy for people with treatment-resistant depression. We also offer psychotherapy services to help you build lasting strategies for your mental health.

We’ll discuss your treatment options with you to determine which course of action is the right fit for your depression.

Reach out to our team by phone today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment. You can also book your initial appointment online now.