Your home is a safe place where you can relax, unwind and enjoy yourself undisturbed and in peace. At least that’s how it should work! Life never goes completely to plan all the time though, so the odd problem or crisis is bound to occur now and again. Knowing that something is inevitably going to go wrong at some point means that you can be prepared for such eventualities, and therefore avoid panic and helplessness should disaster strike. The key to preparation is organization, which will prevent many issues arising in the first place and make it easier to handle unavoidable issues that may arise.
Preventing a crisis
There are varying grades of problem, crisis, and disaster that can befall you, but all will have a degree of stress involved. How much any particular situation stresses you will depend on your ability to cope with it, so there’s no one size fits all solution to managing a crisis situation. The best approach is to prevent anything going wrong in the first place. Keeping your heating, hot water, plumbing and electrical systems and appliances serviced and well maintained should help prevent breakdowns and loss of facilities, so don’t neglect this important task. Plot all the dates for appliance and system checks on a calendar or wall-planner and make sure you get maintenance visits booked in plenty of time. You also need to have a regular schedule for carrying out home maintenance tasks like clearing gutters to prevent blockages and stop water getting into the house, or cleaning paths and patios to help avoid accidents from slippery surfaces.
Dealing with a crisis
Most importantly, don’t panic – it will do you no good and won’t help the situation. Identify the cause of the problem if possible, so you can explain to the tradesperson you contact. Depending on location you will need to find a local tradesperson, so research emergency plumber Toronto for example. If there’s anything you can do while you’re waiting for your help to arrive, don’t waste time thinking about it. Bailout or soak up any pooling water from a leak or overflow, for instance, so the risk of damage is minimized, and the working area is clear for the professional when they arrive. Have a list of contacts readily to hand so you can call the best person for the job rather than just ringing the first name in the telephone directory. It’s also a good idea to keep a store of batteries, fuses, light bulbs, torches and anything else that could prove useful if something goes wrong. Staying calm is your best defense in these situations, enabling you to focus on what needs to be done and who needs to be contacted.
It shouldn’t take too much time and effort to get a crisis situation plan developed, and if you have one, it can cut through indecision and uncertainty in the heat of the moment. You may not, hopefully, experience these crisis situations very often, but the reality is that trouble can and does happen, so being prepared will stand you in good stead long-term.