Trauma

How do you quantify trauma?

I’ve been very vocal about the war that’s been happening over the thermostat and the ripple effect that it has had on us. To some, it seems like a silly spat over one small thing. However, there are nuances to the situation that make it difficult to explain with words. As a result, it makes it difficult to paint the full picture to get the rest of the world to understand. It’s very much a mind game and the HVAC system is being used in such as a way to assert control over the situation.

The thermostat isn’t in my apartment – it’s in the apartment of the family that is above us. Prior to the begininng of October, the fellow upstairs could turn the heat off and AC on whenever he wanted to. A locked thermostat has since been installed, so the temperature is set by the landlord and can only be changed by her. However, within 48 hours of installation, the fellow upstairs figured out a loophole: place a portable heater near the thermostat and it throws the sensor on the thermostat off. It’s believed that he has the portable heater cycle so it doesn’t cause the temperature on the thermostat to go above 23 degrees celcius.

The mindset behind this is what’s causing the trauma: the belief that only the fellow upstairs gets to determine what happens with the thermostat and the temperature. No amount of talking or negotiating will get him to change his mind, as it’s his way or the highway. Trying to get the landlord or city involved only causes him to dig in his heels deeper, using it as a weapon and throwing it back at you. He’s sly, cunning and has a charisma to him that results in you looking like the bad guy. The accompanying result is the toll it takes on your mental health, as you KNOW what the problem is but every single attempt to resolve it only gets thwarted.

To the world, this may this may come across as a ‘temperature war’, but there’s so much more to it. Words cannot even begin to explain all of the little nuances of the situation that make this situation what it is. The trauma may not be visible or easily recognizable to an outsider, but once you step inside and you pick up on all of the subtles, things start making more sense…