Summary

An individual recounts their harrowing experience of being locked in a bathroom during a solo cruise trip, leading to a panic attack and the subsequent realization of the importance of staying calm and breathing techniques to manage stress.

Abstract

The narrative describes the author's first day on a solo cruise along the Dalmatian coast, where an unexpected malfunction of the bathroom doorknob leads to a panic-inducing situation. The author, trapped in a small, windowless bathroom, struggles with hyperventilation and fears being unnoticed for hours. Through a combination of cold water, rhythmic banging, and persistent calls for help, the author eventually frees themselves after about 25 minutes. The incident underscores the critical role of breathing and maintaining composure during high-stress situations. Post-rescue, the author reflects on the lack of a clear emergency plan and the importance of being resourceful. The experience also prompts the author to consider the value of communicating one's whereabouts to others for safety, especially when traveling alone.

Opinions

The author believes that their survival instincts were crucial in finding a way out of the bathroom.
There is an opinion that even if the author had their phone, reaching out for help would have been challenging due to not knowing anyone's contact information on the boat.
The author reflects on the incident as a learning experience, emphasizing the importance of being aware of one's surroundings and the functionality of essential amenities like doorknobs and locks in new places.
Writing about the traumatic event is seen as a powerful tool for processing emotions and facts, helping the author to cope with the aftermath of the panic attack.
The author suggests that having people aware of their whereabouts would have been reassuring and could have prevented the escalation of panic.
The author expresses gratitude for the empathetic response from fellow passengers after the incident and values the connections made as a result.

Experiencing a Panic Attack for the First Time

The importance of breathing through the process

It was Day 1 of a seven-day cruise along the Dalmatian coast in Croatia. My first solo trip on a boat with 32 other passengers I’d never met before. I was stoked to get a cabin of my own, although I was prepared to share a room with someone. I’d briefly introduced myself that afternoon to some of the passengers during the check-in process.

We stopped at our first swim stop outside the island of Mljet in about an hour of setting sail. The water was crystal clear with perfect temperatures for swimming. It was refreshing to be out in the ocean. I dried off from my swim and wanted to take a quick shower and freshen up before the boat docked in the town of Mljet for the evening.

As I closed the door to the bathroom to take a shower, the bathroom doorknob came loose in my hand. I didn’t intend to lock the door as I was by myself. I wanted to just close it shut. My cabin was one of the corner rooms towards the bow (front) of the ship, right under the bridge (captain’s office). The bathroom itself was a small space, about four feet by three feet, without a window or a porthole.

I tried to put the knob back in and realized very quickly that I couldn’t turn the knob. The second it dawned on me that I was locked in, I started to experience my first panic attack. My heart rate went up and my breathing soon turned into hyperventilating.

My mind was racing with multiple thoughts of what to do next.

Was I at risk of passing out here?

Will anybody even notice that I am missing until the next morning when doing a head count for the tour?

Can someone hear me if I start banging or screaming for help?

How am I going to get out?

The boat was beginning to move from the swimming spot and the crew was retracting the anchor and the tow line to start sailing. There was too much noise that there was no way anyone could hear my cry for help.

Stop, Breathe, and Think

The first order of business was to get showered and dressed. Stepping into that shower and rinsing off with some cold water was the best I could do in that state. The cold water helped regulate my breathing. I quickly got dressed and needed a plan for my escape.

Once the boat started moving, I started to bang on the bathroom door with a steady rhythm and alternated it with screaming, “Anybody there? Help!” After a few minutes, I started to bang toward the shower walls hoping there was another shower on the other side and someone in the adjacent cabin would hear me.

I then banged on the ceiling so the captain on the bridge could hear me. When I started banging on the ceiling, the bathroom light started to flicker. I couldn’t afford to be locked up in a dark AND small space, so I stayed away from the ceiling.

I was sweating bullets. It was so hot. The outside temperature was over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and the bathroom was stuffy. I hadn’t yet had a chance to turn on the air conditioning in the room.

I toweled off my sweat and this time I used the doorknob for the banging. It produced a louder sound than my palm. Soon, the other side of the doorknob dropped off the door in the room. Oh great! I thought. Now, I had a small, gaping hole in the bathroom door.

The bathroom door had some frosted glass on it. I started to bang on the glass and the noise was louder on the glass. I was getting ready to increase the intensity of my banging to break the glass if needed.

After about 25 minutes or so, but what seemed like an eternity to me, a crew member heard my cry for help and came to open the door. He was apologizing and talking about repairing the knob but all I could think of was to get out to an open space and breathe.

I went to the top deck and just sat next to the first familiar face I saw. There were passengers from the United States who were sitting together. I had to share the ordeal with somebody, and they were empathetic listeners. Two of them exchanged their phone numbers with me and said they would check in on me from time to time.

Post-incident analysis

I didn’t take my phone into the bathroom. But even if I had taken my phone, I don’t know whom I would have called? I didn’t know anyone on the boat well enough to know their numbers. I would have had to call the cruise company’s office number in the UK to send a message to the boat in Croatia to send someone over to open the door. Seemed like a long shot. It almost sounds like a perfect story for a prank call, doesn’t it?

I am writing about the incident after four days, recounting the sequence of events. Writing about it has helped me process the trauma. I realize my survival skills kicked in quickly to find a way out of the bathroom. I didn’t think I was going to die in there, but the thought of having to spend the night in the bathroom did cross my mind. I suspect I would have broken open the glass door, but I am glad it didn’t get to that.

This was an interesting start to my solo trip. Although the door was repaired, I didn’t close it for the rest of the trip. If I had shared my room with someone, the roomie would have eventually come to my rescue.

Writing is a powerful tool to process facts, thoughts, and emotions. It really helps to write about and label things for what they are.

Now I know what a panic attack feels like. Breathing through stressful events is so important. Recognizing that I needed to take deep breaths and stay calm was something I was able to do effectively.

Is there more to it?

I always try to see if there is more meaning behind an incident than what meets the eye. Was it to take the phone to the bathroom? Was it to check if doorknobs and locks are functional in a new place? I think I will automatically be doing these things in the future.

But I did learn an important lesson for my future travels, solo or not to let someone know about my whereabouts. Just having people who knew to look for me was reassuring enough for the rest of the trip.

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