Facing a Blackout in an Elevator
Today as I started my morning routine of going down to the beach, I navigated a terrifying situation by tapping into grounded presence.
Less than 15 seconds after getting on an elevator on the 21st floor, everything went dark. The elevator stopped and I found myself in a small, pitch black enclosed space, unable to see anything.
I could feel my adrenaline and heart rate spiking. I was on the verge of a full out panic attack. (Getting stuck in an elevator in a high-rise is one of my biggest fears).
And then, I took a deep breath. And then I took another.
Although my nervous system was still on high alert, I was surprisingly able to rationally evaluate the situation. As I continued to regulate my breath, I found myself contemplating “What can I do to get out of this situation?"
Without the panic controlling my brain, it dawned on me that I am staying in a building with a generator. In previous blackouts, the generator always kicked in within a minute or two.
I closed my eyes, continued to breathe, and waited. I told myself it was going to be ok.
About 10 breaths later, the power came back on. I relaxed slightly, but the elevator was acting very strangely. My reactive mind immediately imagined the elevator car free falling 20 floors and another surge of adrenaline kicked in. Fortunately, before the paranoia spiral was able to take over, I resumed breathing deeply.
During the ordeal, I was always right on the edge of panic. When I pressed the ground floor button, the elevator didn’t respond. For a few seconds, I frantically pushed buttons until I once again returned to my breath.
Finally after a minute or two, 19 appeared on the display, 2 floors below where I had started. Although I was originally headed downstairs, the elevator began moving up. I quickly pressed 20, hoping to find a way off of the elevator as soon as possible. The elevator door opened and I jumped out. Even though the elevator seemed to be working, I was too wound up to stay onboard.
I climbed one flight of stairs to my apartment where I simply stared at the ocean until my nervous system calmed down. About 10 minutes after the blackout, I was able to calmly take the elevator downstairs to take my morning walk on the beach.
Working from a beach condo in Panama as a part-time digital nomad has helped me to stay pretty grounded. Most mornings I get up early to walk the beach, meditate, and journal. I’ve noticed how positively this grounding improves my focus, creativity and decision making during my workday.
We all encounter situations that trigger our reactive, fear-based responses.
It’s a part of life. Tapping into grounded presence can be a significant game changer on how we navigate life and work when fear is present.
Whether you’re stuck on an elevator in a foreign country, dealing with a business crisis, facing an interpersonal conflict, or simply needing to make a tough decision, the outcomes are always better when we start from a grounded presence.
(August 18, 2023)
[Julie Allen is an executive leadership coach who helps executive women leverage authenticity as a superpower to transform the way they show up, make decisions, and deliver meaningful results in the workplace.]