Income Assistance Panic Attack

After this post this blog goes on a short hiatus and will resume Friday June 15.

Once, many years ago, probably in the 1990s, I was either applying for Income Assistance (IA) or needing to deal with an IA matter; I can’t recall which.  Once I put my name at the drop in I asked if there was time to run a quick errand. Likely but couldn’t guarantee it. Good enough. I ran the errand and waiting a bit. I checked and they said my name had been called so I put myself down again and this time waited there. More time passed. Still nothing. I think I might have put my name down one more time. Still nothing. Finally my anxiety about being there (I really needed the money) caused me to have a serious panic attack and I starting rocking back and forth rapidly.  They took me to another room and talked me down. They then discovered that when I had put my name down the first time, they had pulled the wrong file, so the wrong name kept getting called, and that’s why I had had to ensure a prolonged waiting period!