Relapsing into this stupid fear

[textsfromthemoon]

Hey everyone, it's been a while since I've made a post here, but this past week I've really been struggling, it's been quite a while since my rabies fear has really been an issue and I'm just having trouble rationalizing my anxiety brain and I find reading what some of the "regulars" who post here have to say really helps me

So it all started earlier this week when I had a nightmare about my rabies fear, it started coming back into my mind a bit after that, but last night is when it became bad again, I work second shift in a shelter and my supervisor had asked me to go through the kitchen and remove expired food as we're getting a big order of new food next month. So it was about 10:30 pm and I was taking some bags of food to the dumpster, our shelter is quite literally in the middle of the woods and the garbage dumpster is at the bottom of our long driveway, so I brought the garbage down in a wagon and then went back into the building. About 15 minutes later I washed my hands after using the toilet and felt a stinging on my hand, I looked down and noticed two small cuts or sort of "pin prick" looking type things next to each other on my hand, since then I've of course been freaking out that somehow a bat bit my hand and thats where the marks came from, I've been trying to work through things logically, I didn't see any bats (but of course anxiety brain is saying "oh it was dark") and its the dead of winter and I live in the north so I'm not sure that bats are even active at this time (we do have bats in my area in the summer. but its around 20 degrees F most days so I'm guessing they're hibernating or have migraited?) I read the stickied thread again which helped a bit but my anxiety brain is so loud right now, any tips on silencing that part of me? I just keep looking at my hand and thinking how much it looks like a bite :(

[GRVY]

20 degrees. Bats are not out. Either migrated or hibernated. I hope this helps.

[textsfromthemoon]

Hey thank you for replying, it definitely does help, I did actually look that up (I know Googling isn’t the best to do but I tried to stay away from fear mongering stuff and stuck to just factual sites) and learned that the hibernation/migration time for bats in my area is typically mid-October-April so you were right thank you again I appreciate it! I’m trying my best to fight this fear but it’s been sort of coming and going all day :/

[Darksky]

We have bats that actually live in our house under the eaves. They are definately hibernating this time of year, I haven't seen them for ages.

Don't worry xx

[Double_Rainbow]

We have bats that actually live in our house under the eaves. They are definately hibernating this time of year, I haven't seen them for ages.

Don't worry xx

Oh Dear Lord... I hope they don't get into the house, do they? Not now obviously, but when it is a warm season?

[Darksky]

No they don't get in the house even with open windows but I look at them totally differently. I don't have a rabies thing and I love my bats. They are amazing, the way they swoop so close but their sonar has them diverting at the last second. Sitting in the garden watching them is lovely.

I bet you think I'm totally nuts

[Double_Rainbow]

No they don't get in the house even with open windows but I look at them totally differently. I don't have a rabies thing and I love my bats. They are amazing, the way they swoop so close but their sonar has them diverting at the last second. Sitting in the garden watching them is lovely.

I bet you think I'm totally nuts

IDK how I feel about it, quite honestly. The fear of bats never really was my thing until very recently. It still isn't, not as much as others seem to have around here. But I certainly won't touch them or knowingly go very near them. Quite honestly, I wouldn't want them in my house either, since I have little kids. When I read the recent rabies death of a 6 year old in Florida, it breaks my heart. This could have been easily avoided if the father was more cautious.

[textsfromthemoon]

Darksky, my mom likes to sit on the deck at her house and watch the bats in the summer too, they’re always swooping between the trees catching bugs and things! though I guess it makes sense they’re hibernating now, haven’t seen any bugs in ages because of the cold so I imagine there wouldn’t be much for them to eat.

I’m trying to remind myself that a bat couldn’t come up and bite my hand and fly away without me noticing it, even in the dark? That’s where my anxiety comes in, it was dark out as it was nighttime and the two cuts on my hand became noticeable right after I went inside, but they didn’t bleed or anything which I’m assuming a bite would? It looks like little abrasions on my skin, maybe from wrestling those heavy bags into a giant dumpster (I’m short! )

[Fishmanpa]

I’m trying to remind myself that a bat couldn’t come up and bite my hand and fly away without me noticing it, even in the dark? That’s where my anxiety comes in, it was dark out as it was nighttime and the two cuts on my hand became noticeable right after I went inside, but they didn’t bleed or anything which I’m assuming a bite would? It looks like little abrasions on my skin, maybe from wrestling those heavy bags into a giant dumpster (I’m short! )

I want you to notice what you did. You changed factual statements into reassurance seeking questions. Take the question marks away and you have facts with no room for anxiety and speculation.

Positive thoughts

[GRVY]

I never really had a rabies fear until late this year. I am still not afraid of bats. As kids we used to go out in the evening and shoot our nerf guns in the air to watch the bats follow the nerf bullets all they ways down to the ground and then pull up at the last second. We built bat houses and had bats living in our trees and under our front porch. We occasionally had them in the house too but my dad always caught them and released them.