Is there a way to safely restart my phone on my own or do I need to take it to a store for help?
Remove the battery for 30 seconds, then install and power up.
If the phone still won't boot, give the 'get Verizon software repair download', the Samson download bricked it. This IS NOT a Verizon fault. It's Android and Samsung. The fix, without loosing all of your data, is to have it reflashed by a Samsung tech. They usually visit BestBuy stores. Find one and get it done by the visiting tech.
Can you clear the cache partition ?
