I think that since the hospital now seems so familiar to me, I may be just assuming that everyone else knows what an average day is like in the psych hospital, when in fact it is rather enigmatic to most people. So this post is going to be about what we actually do.
Daily Schedule
- 8:00am Breakfast
- 9:00am Morning meeting
- 9:15am Phones
- 10:15am Therapeutic group
- 11:15am Therapeutic group
- 12:00pm Lunch
- 12:30pm Outdoor walk
- 1:15pm Therapeutic group
- 2:00pm Order meals
- 4:00pm-7:00pm Phones (starts at 2:00 on weekends and holidays)
- 4:45pm Dinner
- 5:30pm Outdoor walk (except in the winter when it’s dark)
- 7:00pm Therapeutic group
- 8:30pm Wrap-up group
- * We each meet daily with our doctor and social worker; sometimes together, sometimes individually
This obviously leaves us with quite a bit of leisure time since we don’t have to do our own meal prep, etc. Of course we have to do ADLs like exercising (either by walking laps or using the exercise bike when it’s available); drinking water (which most people don’t think about but in here, the drinking water tap is behind a locked door and we have to find a staff member every time we want to fill our little 800mL pitchers); cleaning our rooms; showering/brushing teeth; and paying bills (if we have any kind of life outside of here, which all of us do).
ADLs don’t take up all our free time so sometimes I go around lamenting that I’m bored and when I’m feeling more productive, I do things like:
- Calling a friend or family member on the outside
- Listening to a Spanish podcast
- Blogging
- Reading a book
I keep referring to books I’m reading because I spend a lot of time doing that. In my first post ever ( https://apostateturtle.com/?p=39 ), I listed some books I was reading. I finished Pure and would definitely recommend it. Now, I’m doing another post on what books I’m reading right now. Some of them are the same as before, but there are also new ones. I might be engaged in too many projects at once, but I like it better that way anyway.
Davis, K. (2020). How to Keep House While Drowning: 31 Days of compassionate help. Independently Published. (ISBN 9798564362962)
This book is fantastic. It’s 54 pages long and divided into 31 chapters. It addresses what goes on in our minds that fuels neglect of ADLs. I wish I had had it when I was on the outside and I look forward to using its insight more fully when I discharge.
Greczyn, A. (2021). Wayward. River Grove Books. (ISBN 9781632993540)
I’m only a quarter of the way through this memoir. This part of the book is hard to read because it involves a lot of trauma and she hasn’t gotten to the part yet where she overcomes. It’s extremely well-written and relatable.
Haidt, J. (2006). The happiness hypothesis: Finding modern truth in ancient wisdom. Basic Books. (ISBN 9780465028023)
I’ve been inspired to write so many blog posts just because of this book, and you may have noticed my constantly referencing it. It’s positive psychology without toxic positivity, which is hard to come by.
Lewis, C. S. (2005). El Sobrino del Mago. ZonderKidz. (ISBN 9780060884277)
My baby sister got me this one for Christmas! It’s The Magician’s Nephew in Spanish. It’s fun because I’m surprised at how much I’m able to follow.
Merriam-Webster. (2016). Merriam Webster’s word-for-word Spanish-English dictionary. Merriam Webster. (ISBN 9780877792970)
Baby Sister had the wherewithall to get me this to accompany the C.S. Lewis book. Since we usually don’t have our phones, it’s extremely useful to be able to just flip through this dictionary when I don’t understand a word.
Schwartz, A. (2017). The complex PTSD workbook: A mind-body approach to regaining emotional control and becoming whole. Althea Press. (ISBN 9781623158248)
My doctor told me to read this one. It’s got a lot of information about my diagnosis, along with exercises and tips for getting better.
Van Der Kolk, B. (2015). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Penguin Books. (ISBN 9780143127741)
I finally got around to cracking this one open last night when I couldn’t sleep, but I ended up socializing instead of reading so I’m only on page 3. The information on just the first three pages was impressive, so I expect it to be a good read.
So there you have it, that’s what psych patients do all day. For some reason, when people come back from open-heart surgery they get treated gently, but when we come back from the psych ward, we’re asked if we feel rested from our “vacation.” It’s not a resort, guys. There are rules upon rules and we work all day just like when we’re on the outside and employed. We also don’t stay in our rooms all day and pout about our problems. We’re here to get better and move on with our lives!
