BELIEF | ACCIDENT | HOME

1 Home Accident That Made Me Loose Self-Belief

There’s more than one test to confirm adulthood: Home accident!

All common home accident aren’t always so common when they happen. Even when you’ve studied all the ways to prevent them, you might never be so prepared.

Especially when your self-belief gets hurt.

You are never really an adult until your self-belief or decision-making skill is tested.

This one recent incident proved that, and I watched my few modules of first aid training fly out of the window.

Unlike the most common accidents in the home, such as falling objects, bruises, choking, cuts, burns, tripping or falling, etc. This one was a little different.

It comprises everything and then nothing. Yes! I went blank when I arrived at the scene.

The Household Injury and Early Mistakes

It was 2:30 a.m., and I was deep in sleep. I had a busy day, so you can guess how tired I must be.

Right in the middle of my sleep. My phone’s vibration manages to wake me to consciousness. It wasn’t loud. But it had just enough buzz to get me up.

I picked up the call, and immediately! I hoped I had an earmuff on before receiving the call. I heard screams and noises right at the highest pitch and note.

I immediately cut the call. This time, every ounce of dizziness had left my system. That was when I noticed my neighbor was the one calling me. She appeared to be in so much pain.

Then I saw the notification of her missed calls. First mistake… never mute your phone over the night.

Turns out it has even sparked a debate. It’s bad. You might never know when there is an emergency.

I got to the scene and it was horrible. She had been bleeding from a deep glass cut on her wrist. I tried to keep it all together within me, but it only took a few seconds to lose control and step on a broken glass myself.

The cut wasn’t much, but it was a second mistake.

Ensure that you’re safe, even when rescuing others. You really shouldn’t be aiming to add to the number of cases.

Now! It dawned on me that this is more than just an injury or home accident. It’s another adulthood test. This time, it comes from having to decide since I now live alone entirely.

Over time as an Engineer, I have seen several work hazards and undergone health, safety, and environmental training. But I haven’t truly helped out with any of them.

Another mistake.

If you haven’t done it under pressure. Don’t believe you know it so much.

But I thought I had it under control.

In fact! My self-belief stood right before me when I asked the other neighbor to raise her hand so I could offer some first-aid treatment. Immediately, I saw the depth of the cut, my self-belief left me.

I looked at her slowly ticking eyelids, and all I thought of were stats like;

• 156,300 people die from home injuries every year.
• When blood loss is rapid, blood pressure falls, and people may be dizzy.

At this point, I had lost all confidence. And do not ask about the almighty 911. It takes a decade for emergency response teams to respond here. So it wasn’t an option.

After so much rambling all within 30 minutes to 1 hr.

Alas! The other person wore some self-belief and made good decisions that soon got us all to the hospital and it was all stitches and anesthesia before 4:00 am.

Since getting to a new stage of adulthood. I’ve learned that you can not over-prepare for certain events. Your self-confidence, belief, and strengths can leave it right when you need them. So it wouldn’t hurt if you prepared for that instead.

I’ve since done some reading, and here are some things I can deduce;

8 Tips to Prevent Home Accidents in Your Home

1. Avoid cluttering your space with items that can make you trip.
2. Avoid climbing unstable platforms to get to unsafe heights.
3. Use nonskid pads to prevent your rugs from sliding or making you trip and fall.
4. Wear friction-aided slippers when in the shower.
5. Keep emergency items and first aid kits at home.
6. Check your smoke detectors regularly.
7. Practice emergency protocols with your kids.
8. Don’t walk around with a knife or scissors.

What to do in the Case of Any Home Accident

• When you fall — Take your time. Try rolling over to your side and then push yourself to a side-sitting position. Then, crawl to any item that can help you get up or place a call for help immediately.
• When you cut yourself — Use alcohol for easy treatment and apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Clean the wound, then apply petroleum jelly or an antibiotic. Cover the wound with a bandage and head straight for the hospital.

I know it’s easier said than done. But you better get prepared than see your self-belief run faster than your fears.

Read these two stories on home and bright or dark moments.