HOW TO RECOVER FROM YOUR HOSPITAL STAY

In case you’re home recovering from being in the hospital, ASK THE THERAPIST is right there with you, with our top tips for regaining a sense of well-being following a hospital stay:  
1. Take your time recovering.  You couldn’t wait to get out, but now you’re so listless you can’t move.  “Learned helplessness” is a survival skill in the hospital, so it may take some time to unlearn it. Here’s the tip:  Rebuild your capacity for making choices.  If being in the hospital is all about being powerless, being yourself is all about making many choices. Begin every sentence with “Right now I choose…”  Every choice, no matter how small, will rebuild your sense of autonomy and self-esteem which may have been compromised by the powerlessness and passivity of being a patient.  
2. With all good intentions, people may try to sympathize with you by telling you their hospital horror stories.  Don’t you go there!  Say, “I’m sorry you had that experience.”  Be vigilant: Stay in the solution not the problem.  Focus on the good things about the hospital.  For example, remember the staff members who were responsive, considerate and thoughtful.  Talk about their kindnesses, and how they made a difference.  Attitude is a key aspect of recovery from anything.  You are detoxing from a challenging experience. Complaining only prolongs the detox process.  
3. Get your endorphins going again.  Music will perk up your brain. Sing show tunes, Motown favorites, Beatles tunes or whatever.  Play piano, guitar etc. This is especially crucial if you spent any time anesthetized.  And don’t forget to laugh. I recommend funny movies and stand-up comedians whose DVDs you can get in the library.  Try Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, Ellen Degeneres, Wanda Sykes, whoever makes you laugh.   
4.  Retail therapy: As soon as you are up to it, go shopping. Get yourself a present! You deserve it!!  Let the present be as expensive as possible without triggering guilt.   
5.  Have compassion for your own suffering/the suffering of your loved one.  Be gentle with yourself.  Meditation and mindfulness practice will help.   
6.  As a well-being specialist, I find that any experience can strengthen our well-being, if that is our intention.  So savor this time of recovery as an opportunity to appreciate everything you missed when you were in the hospital.      
Susan Dingle LCSW CASAC is a therapist on the North Fork providing counseling for tweens, adolescents and adults. She is currently accepting new clients, and can be reached at 631/734-8658.