Please Help!

Question
I was changing the water of  Blu..my Betta last night. I had him in the net to put him into a glass until I could wash out his bowl. Blu jumped right out of the net and on to the floor. I'm a bit squemish about touching fish, and the whole thing freaked me out, that I just stared at it crying. After getting my bearings, I got the broom and dust pan and was able to get him back into the bowl. Needless to say he was out of water for about 5 mins....maybe longer. To my surprise, Blue is still alive, but very lazy, and just lays at the bottom of the bowl. This morning when feeding him, he did not rush up to the top of the bowl like he usually does, he just stayed at the bottom. Please help, as I'm very concerned about him. This may sound crazy, but I beleive he is upset with me for not coming to his rescue sooner and I'm also concerned that the brisstles from the broom may have harmed him. Does fish have feelings? Is there more I can do? because of everything, I am now very scared to change his water which I still have to do, because it was never completed.

Answer
Hi Sondra,
It's okay, stop freaking out. In future reference, always keep your hand over the net so that Blu can't jump out, and try to always have someone around when you are water changing in case he does jump out and you are too scared to pick him up.
He may stay dazed for a while, and the bristles from the broom and the dirt on the floor and dustpan may have done a number on his slime coat and the best thing you can do for him right now is to add some sort of water conditioner - such as stress zyme, aquarium salt, or even your dechlorinator if it says on the label that it adds slime coats. Keep him stress free with clean water for a few days and he should recover. Don't feel too bad, and my best to Blu.