How To Calm People During Crisis: 7 Hints To Help You Deal With an Emergency Situation
January 25, 2008 8:35 pm CrisesSooner or later most of us will be called upon to deal with some type of emergency or crisis. Do you have confidence that if such an event happened to you, you would be able to deal with it? If not here are a few hints to help you.
1. STOP for a minute, take a deep breath and calm yourself. While assessing the situation talk to yourself saying things like, “Stay calm.” “One thing at a time.” “I can do this.”
2. Act calm and confident even if you are not feeling that way. This will help both you and the victim.
3. If someone else is available ask them to get appropriate help (calling 911 is the most common response). If you are alone you will need to do this. Let the victim know what you are doing.
4. Pick one thing and keep repeating it to yourself and the victim. (“I will stay with you until help arrives” or “I will put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding”, or “Help is on the way.)
5. If dealing with an angry and aggressive person, stand still and say “ I can understand that you are angry but please calm down” or “you are scaring me”
6. If someone is threatening suicide don’t approach but say things like, “Can you tell me why you feel so bad?” or “I see you are very upset right now” or “Do things seem so hopeless at the moment?”
7. Stay in the moment, try to stop your mind from imagining all the worst possible outcomes.
