I
didn’t know that such good help was freely available
A recent elevator jolt followed by a moments
flickering of lights triggered a panicky flashback of a time when I once got stuck
inside for real. Back then we had transported a heavy metal desk inside a tiny
dumbwaiter sized contraption, which when we shifted it, likely loosened one of
the carrier chains. Our long day had already been a challenging one of excruciatingly
heavy lifting and I sensed my blood pressure rise when the emergency button
fizzled. Fortunately I had a pocket phone to dial 911, where the dispatcher immediately
empathized, as she too, had once been stuck in a freight elevator for three hours on a
Texas hot day and without water.
*
When we escaped 20 minutes later, I dashed straight
for fresh air and started singing “♫Green Grass & High Tides Forever.♪” That
mask aside, I was still upset and quite angry. The building manager said no one
should be using that elevator because people keep getting stuck in it. Well,
what are “Out of Order” signs for? And right then the other half of our crew managed
to do just that. At the end the manager asked for us to deduct for the time we
were stuck in her elevator! And naturally, she didn’t leave us a tip.
*
That evening my anger grew into rage over the stupid
incident and I felt I was on the edge of doing something rash; like smashing
the elevator door with a sledgehammer, so no one else could get stuck. Yeah,
that’ll sure show ‘em! I told myself that this wasn’t the real me, but still
couldn’t calm down for the life of me. So for the first time I dialed a crisis
hotline.
*
It was 4 a.m. and I hadn’t slept a wink. Eric, a
well-trained crisis specialist answered on the first ring. I was almost embarrassed
to start explaining my claustrophobic panic, but Eric coached me to breathe and
slowly explain what I was experiencing.
*
Just when I’d been thinking that nothing in the
world could calm me down, Eric engaged me thoughtfully for an hour’s
conversation. We talked about various aspects of the incident as well as some deeper
personal feelings. Finally as I grew weary, Eric helped me calm down enough to
get some good rest.
*
I was surprised how much a one hour heart-to-heart
phone call helped when I was experiencing a panicky crisis. Some people must be
well suited for difficult jobs like these and I imagine they source their
excellence from rigorous training and broad emergency experiences. I’m thankful
for empathetic people like this. I didn’t realize how helpful they can be. One
certainly made a difference for me. And I would encourage anyone else
experiencing an oxymoronically ‘minor emergency’ like mine not to hesitate to
do the same and reach out to one of these this free helpful resources, whenever
they might come across their own dire time of need.
*
Here’s a start for those numbers of many resources:
Last updated: 6 Mar 2019
Last updated: 6 Mar 2019
From the Psych Central Staff website:
“Whether
you’re in crisis or are just looking help for a friend or family member, there
are dozens of organizations available to help you deal with a variety of
immediate concerns, from crisis situations and domestic violence, to rape and
substance abuse. Most of these hotlines are available 24 hours a day, and can help
you with whatever level of assistance you need — from general information about
the topic, to helping you find an immediate intervention. The hotlines below
are listed in alphabetical order according to topic.”“If you’re suicidal, we recommend contacting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline toll-free at 800-273-8255. Additional crisis and suicide hotlines are available in the category below, Crises and Suicide.”
Need help for domestic violence? Call toll-free: 800-799-7233 (SAFE).
Immediate Online Assistance
Try one of these free crisis chat services:Crisis Chat
Crisis Text Line (on your smartphone)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
IMAlive”
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