Reflections on the 10 Days Spent in a Psych Facility in the Philippines in 2025

A first-person perspective on healing, memory, and reclaiming presence

After my stay in a psych facility in Metro Manila, I realized healing is not always loud or visible. Sometimes, it comes in quiet signs.

Here are three moments that brought me back to myself.

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The Wake-Up Call You Didn't Plan For

When a relative calls you by the name only your family uses, something inside gets stirred.

That name (your childhood nickname) carries weight.

It reminds you of who you were before the deadlines, the deliverables, the pressure to be “on.”

For me, that name is Ann-Ann.

We landed in Manila on July 3rd, after a 14-hour flight from Korea. At Newark Airport, I had shared a grilled cheese sandwich with my son Indra and thought, This trip will reset everything.

It had been three years since we last visited. Indra is 12 now, on the edge of adolescence. I wanted this time to matter.

From the first morning, the Manila air felt thick, not just with humidity, but with memory. Then someone said it:

“Ann-Ann.”

Not Miss Mae. Not Ma’am. Not Mama.

It cracked me open. That name reminded me of who I used to be.

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The Joy (and Tension) of Seeing Old Friends

On July 4th, I reunited with my old Managed Services teammates - Dan, Jet, Lawrence, Gincel, and Krizza.

There was joy, comfort, and kilig. Dan and Gincel were now a couple (sooo happy for them!) We shared Pinoy comfort food and jokes that only make sense in Taglish. Laughter came easily. I played host, interviewer, mentor, Ninang.

But beneath the surface and comfort, something else is happening in my brain.

I started talking too fast.
I was sleeping less.
I clung to my self-imposed schedule.
I was balancing too many things: client touchpoints, family dinners, reunions.

Reconnection can be beautiful.
But if you move too fast, it can also trigger everything you thought you had managed.

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When Mania Looks Like Motivation

Here is what people often misunderstand about bipolar disorder:

Mania does not always look destructive.

Sometimes, it looks like ambition.
Like drive.
Like you are “on fire.”

I looked energized and passionate.

There is a kind of urgency that comes from “making the most” of everything. Because you want to show up. Because you want to give your all. Because you want this to be meaningful.

But when you overextend, the crash is inevitable.

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The Day My Body Said: Stop.

By July 10th, the signs were undeniable:

• I wasn’t resting enough.

• Losing track of my belongings.

• Changing outfits five times a day.

• Speaking in incoherent thoughts.

My auntie brought me to my sister’s house. Indra stayed with my dad.

Then the van arrived: six people were waiting for me at my sister’s house.

I had been here before.

In 2014, my stay at that facility began the day before Indra’s first birthday.

But this time, 2025, I did not resist.

Because I knew what was coming.
And I was too exhausted to fight it.

Inside the van, I was chatty. Too chatty!

I said everything on my mind to strangers in red and black shirts. Someone put a cover over my head. That was the protocol. I wasn’t scared. It's really sad (and I'm disappointed with my relatives).

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Inside Metro Psych

I spent July 11–20 at Metro Psych Facility in Pasig City.

If you picture a psychiatric facility as cold and sterile, this one was not.

There was color, rhythm, and life.

And people who remembered me.

Every day, a group of 20 to 30 psychology interns arrived. They led activities. Hosted therapy sessions. Spent time with us in conversation.

I met Resident Assistants (RAs) who remembered me from 2014.

There was Ate Alma, steady and dependable.
There was Ate Christine, a mother of four, whose calm presence was healing in itself.

Their work went far beyond medication or hygiene reminders.

I also met an angel, her name’s Elaine, who’d always ask, “Mae, what’s wrong, you can tell me,” in a very loving voice.

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What Helped Me Heal

I didn’t stay idle. Instead,

• journaled, colored

• coached employees

• spoke to psych students about real-world work and how companies hire

• conversed with Elaine, Shaine, Pauline (co-patients, we hang out in common areas)

Even in that facility, I was still Miss Mae.
Still solving problems. Still serving.

That’s the point.

No matter where I go (United States, Manila, Metro Psych), I am a knowledge worker. That identity, that mission, kept me grounded more than the Depakote or Olanzapine ever could.

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3 Moments That Matter More Than a Vacation

Healing did not come from 21 days off.

It came from three moments that brought me back:

1. Being called my childhood nickname

   A reminder of who I was before the world added expectations.

2. Seeing Indra play cards with relatives

   Presence is sometimes watching your child create new roots.

3. Answering his honest question

   “But Mom, you’re not bipolar anymore…” I got to say:

Healing holistically, is about awareness.
It is choosing the next right thing, for your soul + spirit.

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A Quiet Return to Yourself

This is not a story of shame.

It is a story of return.

Healing is not always found in yoga retreats or luxury sanctuaries.
It could be like being escorted by 6 strangers in uniform.
It is gently explaining to your child that rest is not an escape, it is a way to reconnect with yourself.

You do not need to quit your job to reconnect.
You do not have to leave the country.
You only need a window of quiet.

Even if your calendar will not give you 21 days…

Maybe it can offer 10 minutes.
Or 50 seconds.

That is enough.

Enough to remember who you were before the world asked you to forget.

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Let’s Stay Connected

If you’ve been craving more presence, more calm, more clarity,
I help people simplify their systems and reconnect with what matters.

If this story spoke to you, reply or reach out.

You're never alone.