If you are prone to anxiety or feel like you lose your composure when it comes to emergencies, then this post is for you.
Emergencies give us a sense of dread, things are happening outside of our control and that we need to solve quickly.
Often when faced with an urgent situation, we run through a mental list of everything we need to do and how we can help. But it is not uncommon to feel out of our depth and not the right person for the job.
This is why we have emergency services – who are trained to deal with things like this. But before they arrive, or before you get to a place of safety, you need to get through it.
So how can you better cope with emergencies, from staying calm through everything from an emergency dental treatment to helping in a crash?
Why calmness is key
In urgent situations, our ability to think rationally is challenged, and we might make decisions that aren’t to anyone’s benefit.
Keeping calm will mean we are better able to consider what actions we should take and the best way to go about them.
In an emergency, we often face the fight or flight mechanism – meaning we get a rush of adrenaline that gives us too much energy to cope with.
Relaxing into the situation
You don’t have special training, so you need to rely on your natural ability to relax when things get tough.
In the face of urgent situations, here are some ways to help you relax.
Take a deep breath, hold it for a moment and give yourself a moment to think. Each breath gives you another second. It is not often we are faced with life-changing or life-threatening situations, but sometimes those few seconds can change the outcome. It is allowing us to clear our thinking and take action.
Focus on the situation after you have taken a moment. If it is a car crash, fire, or someone is otherwise hurt, the first thing you need to do is make room for them and call the emergency services.
Note: the dispatcher will do their best to gather information, be as clear and calm as possible as you describe the situation.
The most important thing is that people remain safe. Emotions run high, and it can be hard to keep a level head.
Adapt to the changing situation. In this modern world, scary situations do arise, and we need to be able to adapt and move with everything that is happening. While a final goal like ‘get to safety’ or ‘find the missing tooth’ is essential, adjusting as the situation expands is necessary.
Preparation
You can never truly prepare for an emergency; the very nature of energy is that it just happens. They aren’t predictable and can be very worrying.
We can prepare things like first aid skills and mindfulness to help us swiftly reduce our stress levels and improve our thinking ability and even keep emergency supplies with us.
We never know what life might throw at us, but we do know that staying calm in an emergency can save lives: our own lives and the lives of others.