Are you feeling overwhelmed by what’s happening right? It seems like the smallest things are ginormous and frustrating. Case in point: A shopping trip to the Lowes in Weaverville ended in a meltdown.

I wanted a kit to clean out the dryer vent I’ve been battling. Where does one find such a thing in that store? A couple of workers were standing in an aisle chatting; I asked for their help. One said, “Look around the front of the appliances,” and resumed his conversation.  So, I looked around the appliances. Nothing. Well, it’s duct work; maybe it’s in that area. Negative. Well, it’s a brush; maybe it’s with the brushes and brooms. Nope.

Now I’m fuming. I’m not getting the help that I needed. I’ve walked all over the store twice and I can’t find what I know they carry because it’s listed on their website. And in my head, I’m in total meltdown mode. Let me stop here and say, no Lowes workers were harmed in my meltdown. On the outside, all looked well. Inside, I’m stewing; I’m giving them a piece of my mind and cussing their customer service. And then it hit me.

What is wrong? Why am I having a meltdown over something so petty? Maybe those workers were solving a problem or maybe like all of us they’re missing social interaction and just wanted to chat for a minute. No doubt their lives are stressful, too. So, when I came across this information, I was intrigued and wanted to share it with you, too.

It’s called Psychological First Aid. It’s actually a free course being offered online by Johns Hopkins University and is being taught by Dr. George Everly, the co-author of the book The John Hopkins Guide to Psychological First Aid and co-founder of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation.

Now, In addition to teaching personal coping techniques, he also delves into what he calls the RAPID psychological response model.  Interestingly, this is the type of training volunteers and workers receive in order to be prepared to deal with everything from mass killings to community violence. And if you complete the course, you receive a certificate showing you completed the class.

Already some 200,000 are enrolled in the course and it’s the most popular one being offered on the Coursera website. I’m gonna check it out; if you want to as well here’s the link. And remember, it’s free!

Tammy