Suddenly the colleague collapses in the elevator: A dramatic event in the office throws Ms. B. off course. Mental health expert Reinhild Fürstenberg explains how eyewitnesses and helpers can deal with accidents and similar shock situations at work.
By Reinhild Furstenberg
Ms. B.*’s manager recommended that she contact us directly. Ms. B. had experienced a stressful event in the company two days ago and was completely beside herself as a result and was no longer able to work. What happened?
Ms. B. has been working in sales for the small company for two years. Every day she takes the elevator to the eighth floor, where her office is. This was also the case on Tuesday when a colleague she knew very well suddenly fell over in the elevator next to her and could no longer be spoken to. A difficult situation for Ms. B.: The hectic attempts to help her colleague and to provide first aid while stopping the elevator at the same time caused Ms. B. to panic and the rest of the journey until the elevator door opened seemed like an eternity. A total stress moment for Mrs. B., especially since she was alone with her colleague in the elevator, with the feeling of losing control and at the same time fearing for her colleague’s life.
Even after the colleague had long since been picked up from the elevator by two paramedics, she got caught in an ever-worsening whirlpool of fear, confused thoughts and self-reproach until she could only cry. An hour and a half later, Ms. B learned that her colleague was stable again, which relieved her greatly, but did not significantly improve her condition.
Help in the immediate consultation
On the same day, Ms. B. contacts our immediate advice service about her company. The counselor first asks what happened and calms Ms B., who is still very upset. She also asks what was particularly bad for Ms. B. in the situation. Ms. B. says that she was very shocked when she saw her colleague, when he was no longer moving and could not be spoken to. In addition, two of her colleagues could not understand their fear at all, because “help came quickly and everything turned out fine”. Ms B. thought: Is there something wrong with me?
The counselor explains that her reaction is a normal reaction to such an abnormal event – and that Ms B. was not the one who reacted incorrectly or overly sensitively. The soul is simply overwhelmed in such extraordinary situations – the amounts of data that then arrive in the brain often cannot be processed so easily, even if it is very different what people experience as traumatic. Such a traumatic situation is like an earthquake for the soul; our whole organism is shaken up once. We have nothing to hold on to: the ground is literally being pulled out from under us.
The counselor also explains to Ms. B. that this condition does not last and is improving from day to day – the amount of data is gradually “processed” by the brain. She also advises Ms. B. to be aware that her life and everyday life has basically remained the same as before, it only feels different because of what happened, which is having a full impact. Ms B. is relieved – on the one hand about the good prospects and on the other hand about being able to speak to a person who understands her situation and is familiar with her topic.
Find your way back to everyday life
The counselor discusses with Ms. B. what she should now pay attention to. First of all, it is important to give yourself as much structure as possible in everyday life, because the event means that the inner structure is no longer as tangible as usual. A regular daily routine, light activities, but also relaxing exercise such as regular walks can help and are for many Those affected are a great support, especially in the early days. The faster you find your way back to everyday stability, the better it is for your own well-being. It is often helpful to talk about what you have experienced with people you know who are interested in you and who understand you. And to do things that are good for you and help you relax. It is also advisable to drink enough water and eat regular meals to strengthen the body after a stressful event.
Ms. B. reports that the picture of her colleague in the elevator comes to her mind several times during the day and also at night and she doesn’t know how to get rid of the pictures. The counselor recommends two ways to do this: On the one hand, Ms. B. should let the images that appear move away like clouds, but not work against them – then they tend to intensify. The second possibility is that she consciously distracts herself with something, does something practical, goes out or gets up at night. The counselor explains that the appearance of the images is a processing mechanism and that they should decrease over the next few days and weeks. If, contrary to expectations, this is not the case, there are good methods such as “EMDR” or “Wingwave” with which the images in the brain can be balanced and then cancel each other out.
The counselor goes through the structure of the next few days with Ms. B. so that she has a good and relaxing structure that she can use as a guide. Ms B. would like to get in touch again in three days and believes that she will be able to get through the time until then quite well. The counselor is pleased that Ms. B. wants to stay on top of the topic. Ms. B. is happy that she now has a contact point that she can call at any time if she realizes that she needs back strengthening again. Since she has a very good relationship with her manager, she briefly informs them about the positive impulses she has received. The manager is also relieved that Ms. B. is doing better.
Here are my tips for you:
- Realize that being shocked and incapacitated is a normal reaction to an abnormal event.
- If you can, talk about what you have experienced with people who you trust and who understand you. Don’t repress their feelings, but at the same time don’t give them too much importance.
- Try to get back to your usual routine as soon as possible.
- Pay attention to structure: A regular daily routine, light exercise and light activities support healing.
- Even if it may be difficult: Do things that give you pleasure and that you find beneficial and relaxing. This helps the psyche in processing.
- Eat regularly and drink enough.
- Do not hesitate to seek psychological support if necessary.
* Case study from the consulting practice of the Fürstenberg Institute. The case was anonymized with the consent of the person concerned.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
