Hazel Experiment #1: Post-Therapy Drowsiness
initial observation: I usually feel drained and sleepy after therapy.
data gathered: if I lie down after, I will fall asleep and wake up 1-2 hours later. I will often have stress dreams and will wake up not feeling more rested.
data gathered: on at least one occasion I have left therapy intending to nap when I get home, only to find that by the time I have driven home I'm feeling refreshed and ready to go about my day.
data gathered: mental and emotional tasks take energy in the same way physical tasks do. I know this from personal observation and from Science (most recently Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman).
informed assumption: the tasks involved in therapy (lots of talking, being vulnerable, accessing memory, making new connections, understanding new information) are a lot of work accomplished in a short amount of time, like a mental and emotional sprint. being drained afterword is not surprising. finding effective steps to facilitate quick recovery seems likely.
hypothesis: if I take time after therapy to rest and recover, I will be able to go about my day without drowsiness.
plan: next week I will bring a snack to therapy. immediately after leaving I will take note of my physical and mental state. I will then take some time to de-stimulate (play a phone game, for example) and eat my snack. after a few minutes I will check in again with my physical and mental state and record how I feel.
