What are some really great/proven ways to correct my tongue thrust without having to wear my retainer? (Photos)

I've already had braces once, now I have a U Hawley with a sort of cage to keep my tongue back that I wear at night. Now, apparently, my bite has opened up again. They said I need to wear my stupid retainer even earlier into the evening. I hate this retainer enough and it's a serious boot to my self confidence whenever I put it in. I feel like a dog with a muzzle on. They said my gap is 1.5 mm- used to be less than 1. It hasn't affected my speech or anything but they said I had to fix it.