Talk therapy
Regular sessions with a therapist, kept up long after the crisis passes
Scheduled conversations with a licensed therapist, weekly or every other week, in person or over video and messaging. People who stick with it long after the crisis describe it less as fixing a problem and more as maintenance: a standing place to unload, spot patterns and say things out loud that would otherwise be carried around. Cost varies widely with insurance and format, and finding the right person can take a few tries.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Dwayne JohnsonDoes it
Actor and former WWE champion · The Rock
Told Oprah that therapy helped him through depression, and that the two lessons were that he is not alone in mental struggle and that he has to talk about his fears rather than hold them in. He says he is now not only fine with getting it out but sometimes enjoys doing so in public.
Source: WW: Oprah's 2020 Vision Tour with Dwayne Johnson, full transcript“Therapy really helped me. … I need to talk about this. I need to talk about my issues. My fears. My depression. And it will be okay.”
WW: Oprah's 2020 Vision Tour with Dwayne Johnson, full transcript (opens in a new tab) · 27 Jan 2020 - Jennifer AnistonDoes it
Actor · Friends and The Morning Show
Says she has gotten a lot out of therapy and credits it, with meditation, for the settled place she reached in her 50s. Being a public person brings a lot of tough stuff along with the good, in her telling, and therapy is how she has processed it.
Source: Bustle: Jennifer Aniston Talks Therapy, Meditation, and Staying Positive (quoting People) - Michael PhelpsDoes it
Olympic swimmer · Most decorated Olympian in history
Checked himself into an inpatient treatment center in 2014 and has kept regular sessions with a therapist since. He says he came out of that first session feeling like a new person and thinks choosing to go in saved his life.
Source: Fortune: Michael Phelps is pleading with men to get therapy
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under stress.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Daily meditation
10-20 minutes of formal practice, most days
On record from 21 of 62 tracked people: 17 do it, 1 recommends it, 3 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily walking
A long walk most days, often without headphones
On record from 19 of 62 tracked people: 14 do it, 5 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Journaling
Writing to unload the mind, usually first thing or last thing
On record from 14 of 62 tracked people: 13 do it, 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
Gratitude practice
Writing down a few specific things you are grateful for, daily
On record from 13 of 62 tracked people: 11 do it, 1 recommends it, 1 has discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Deliberate solitude
Regular time with your own thoughts and no other inputs
On record from 12 of 62 tracked people: 9 do it, 3 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily prayer
A fixed time for prayer each morning, before the phone and before the day starts
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.