Maybe this seems a frivolous post after the intensity of some of the things I have written about (I think we all found my pumpkin carving shenanigans particularly gruelling), but I would not have coped during my stay on Stanage without my iPad, the ward WiFi and various TV streaming apps. I’ve talked in previous posts about the role that TV and film plays in my self-care and general mental wellbeing, and on the ward it was no different. Much like my visitors, tv shows helped me remember that there was life outside the double-locked doors, where people did not check on you every hour, and where every week celebrities waltzed with professional dancers for the public’s votes.
I was thrilled when I found out I could get WiFi on the ward. My iPad, my phone and my Kindle were all essential in helping me feel connected and I felt a lot more settled once I knew they were all online. Maybe that seems sad to some people, but that little rainbow of WiFi at the top of my iPad screen meant the world to me.
I actually had a complete meltdown about halfway through my time there, when I returned from an evening at home with Tom to find that the internet was down and nothing was connecting. I had got used to watching boxsets on my iPad before bed every night (whilst eating the biscuits mentioned in yesterday’s post) and it really helped to relax me. When I realised that on this particular evening I could not do this, I freaked out completely. It took a long time for Tom and the support worker on duty to calm me down. I genuinely did not know how I was going to cope without being able to escape into my screen before trying to sleep. Obviously I calmed down eventually and the internet was restored the next day, but this demonstrates how much I relied on these little routines while I was in there. (And still do.)
Netflix didn’t work on the WiFi. I’m not sure if it was just too much for the NHS WiFi, or if my iPad was already trying to tell me that it was nearing the end of its life (it was), but my go-to for streaming was not available. Because of this I ended up watching a lot of 4OD (Channel 4 catch up tv) and BBC iPlayer. The amount of boxsets on 4OD is actually really impressive, and I found myself watching a lot of comedy I hadn’t seen before. Drifters (basically a female version of The Inbetweeners) was surprisingly good, if incredibly revolting, and the absolute best thing I discovered was a series called Friday Night Dinner. Please, if you get chance, watch this. It’s so simple, so effective and so bloody funny. At a time when I couldn’t have cosy nights in with my family, I loved watching TV where that was all they did. It was really comforting, and really entertaining. Also, they’re currently filming a new series of it, which is very exciting.
TV shows provide us with so many things, and during my hospital stay they distracted me, gave me an evening routine, and made me laugh until I cried the good kind of tears.
Never underestimate the power of good WiFi and the right apps.
Sarah x
BPD and Me 