How to remain calm while stuck in an elevator..

This weekend was very stressful. As some of you may know, myself and others threw Karly Shorts a surprise birthday party (yay she was surprised!) As I was trying to balance work, running, errands, planning and creating elaborate lies to fool Karly, things were actually going pretty smoothly.

I was anticipating the party and Karly's reaction and just hoping that no one would blow the surprise. Everything was going fine until the elevator decided to stop working as myself and 4 others made our way up (or tried to) to the 14th floor of The Washington Plaza Apartment complex.

After being stuck for almost an hour and a half, the power was shut off in our elevator and a very strong man pryed the doors of the elevator open with his bare hands. Very similar to how the incredible hulk may have handled this. The strong man freed us all and we made it to the surprise! However, many people fear getting stuck in an elevator for 15 minutes, let alone for an hour and a half!

Here's how to remain calm:

1. Think positively. I have been stuck on a Washington Plaza elevator before and it is not fun. However, the first time that I was stuck, it was only for 15 minutes, therefore when my elevator got stuck this time, I tried to believe that it wouldn't last very long. As time passed and I worried that I would miss the surprise, I began to think negatively--which just made me more stressed. In a situation like this it helps to stay positive and believe you will get out as soon as possible even though it may take a little bit longer than you think.

2. Continue to stay updated with the building employees that are associated with the elevator. Although the employees may be annoyed by this, they aren't the ones stuck on the elevator, so you can bug them as much as you want. I continued to call the front desk of the elevator every 10 minutes to be updated on the situation. This way, you will have an estimated time for when you will be free, and you can also be notified with what type of problem the elevator is facing. The employees may also help you remain calm, which is a plus!


3. Sing. I was stuck in the elevator with 4 people that had very good singing voices! Although I cannot sing for the life of me, this helped lighten the mood a bit, and even though I was thinking negatively, the singing brought a smile to my face every now and then. It may get a little crazy afer an hour, but you will get used to the tunes.

I'm sure there are other ways to remain calm when you are stuck in an elevator, however, these are just the tips that I have for you that related to my own experience! If anybody has experiences with being stuck in the elevator, feel free to tell your story or comment!

Random thought: I have great friends. =)