What I Liked About Residential Treatment

Photos from Amazon

     While there are many aspects of residential treatment that I really liked and enjoyed, including individual counseling, group sessions, crazy games of Quelf, walks, so much sunshine, great talks with staff and peers, encouragement, reading good books, like Intuitive Eating, laughing and singing quite often, restaurant outings, "field trips" to get lab work done, hilarious conversations, and lots of funny videos, I have realized that a lot of what I truly enjoyed about my time in treatment was the fact that I was cared for around the clock. The nurses, counselors, therapists, dietitian, psychiatrist, and medical doctor all took a great deal of effort and time to make sure that I was properly taken care of. Of course there were aspects of living in treatment that I didn't like, such as the inconsistency of rules, people getting away with things that they should not have, and the rules that wouldn't bend, such as not being able to take a shower at night, most of it was truly great. Being someone who typically does not recognize my needs, and after being home for over two months, realizing how I am not under constant care makes me really appreciate my time in treatment, and honestly, somewhat selfishly miss it.
     On my first tour through the house, I was shown the call button near my bed and was instructed to use it during the night to get the nurse for at least the first 72 hours of my stay so that I could get medicine, water, or be let into a bathroom since they locked. It truly was an odd experience pressing the button and having someone respond, but it was also comforting in some way. The nurse who answered my call that first night was very sweet, even though I was completely groggy, and what I find neat, is that she was also the nurse on my last night at the house and was the one who discharged me at 6am in the morning. Bless her heart. It was different to be on the "other side" of the call, since as someone with three years of experience being a Resident Assistant, a junior firefighter on and off for years, and a natural "mom" or care-taker, I am always used to being the one who is responsible to help others, whether at camp or at 2 AM in the middle of the night with an upset or locked out resident.
     In treatment, the first 72 hours were jokingly referred to as "princess time" because you could do so little for yourself, you weren't even allowed to do your own dishes or bringing your plate to the kitchen. The staff took care of you constantly. I think what I really miss, though, is the idea that people were always around to care for both my physical and emotional needs. As someone who is highly concerned with health and well-being, to have my vitals taken daily, medicine already ordered for me that I was allowed to have, and being taken seriously and allowed to rest when I said that I felt ill was super comforting and validating. I guess for a long time, I have put off getting my medical needs taken care of BECAUSE I view it as burdening my family (financially, time wise, not my parents' favorite thing to do, and I don't want to worry them). To be taken care of in this aspect felt wholehearted and unconditional. Granted, there were times in residential when I didn't feel completely taken care of physically, but for the most part, I did.
     There were also times when I needed to process something after a group, either to dive into the materials deeper or on a level where I could understand them, or to talk through something, or hear another perspective. These back and forth conversations around health are something that I truly treasure and honestly, I would want to go back into a residential treatment center again if I could have a similar experience of openness and positive communication. I wish this was more present in our daily lives, that people could freely ask and answer questions and have meaningful discussions, have the freedom to politely decline a conversation and topic without having feelings of being rude, and that the stigma of mental illnesses would go down so that these things would be allowed to happen. I feel so blessed by the opportunity that I had to enter a residential treatment facility when I did. It was exactly at the right time, and who knows, it may even shape more of my future life than I had expected.

I started this blog as a memoir to share some of my life stories with you. My goal is that these encourage and educate you on how to live a more joyful, healthier, full life; one of hope.

I write about my fascination with whole foods, my love of Jesus, my struggles, my childhood stories, my passion for education, and my devotion to creating a healthy life (body, mind, and spirit) for every person in the world.