Anxiety Support Group

Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...

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I’m so anxious about having rabies.

softlver
softlver

I really hate myself for being so anxious all the time. My window in one of my rooms had a small gap, enough for a bat to come in. My county finds rabid bats every year, but the city I do live in , within the county, hasn’t had any news of finding a positive bats or a bat in general. My brother recently said that he’s heard bat noises from the vents (heater), and I showed him a video of bats sounds and he said it kinda sounded like that,,, 



The heater turned on last night and my brother said it’s the same noise he heard but it was louder (link to noise: https://clyp.it/su3oru4m), the noise happens at night sometimes randomly, I do think it’s just a heater but the fact that it happens randomly and my brother said it resembles a bat scares me. I know this is ridiculous but I’m freaking out. I’ve never seen a bat here or heard one or anything like that. Do I possibly have a chance of having rabies? What if the bat came inside my room, bit me while I’m sleeping, and then just left afterwards and I’ll never know if a bat bit me?? I’m freaking out 



I keep thinking a whole bunch of things. I have a scratch on my hand, it’s very small and it looks new bc it just scab and I’ve read that small cuts scab very quickly. It’s like a paper cut. Is it possible to not notice a rabid bat came into ur home, bit you, and then leave without you noticing?? I’m freaking out

GirlinCalif
GirlinCalif
You don't have rabies. The first sign of rabies are flu like symptoms, fever, headache, sore throat. You would know if a bat came in your bedroom, you would wake up from hearing it flapping it's wings. The flapping wings is a loud sound. You would know if a bat was anywhere in your house.

A way to calm your fear and anxiety about this is to take action. Make sure your windows are completely closed. Then, no bats can come in. Besides, bats like dark, quiet places such as caves or abandoned barns. Not a light, bright, busy, loud family's house.

You don't have rabies! You'll be fine! :)
arfie
arfie
Hello Softlver. Welcome to DS.

I still hate myself sometimes for my turb0-charged anxiety levels, but I remind myself often that it is equivalent to hating myself for having brown eyes. I is what I is and I ain't what I ain't. It is allot easier to manage my anxiety when I don't waste energy on hating myself for suffering anxiety.

Part of my anxiety management is to shift the focus from whatever I am obsessing about in this round of the not-so-merry-go-round to the physical symptoms which always spin off of the anxiety attacks. Breathing, knotted muscles, dizzy spells, appetite, etc., etc. When I can ease those physical symptoms, the psycho symptoms ease as well. Once I have eased the physical, I am usually thinking straight enough to begin tackling the psycho symptoms, if needed. Many times, addressing the physical symptoms is all that is needed.

But that is me. . .

Gentle support while you find what works for you. Welcome to the forum.

For what it's worth, I am a bat fan and go out of my way to be around them. I am quite confident that you have a better chance of catching rabies from a house cat. Bats are far more afraid of us than we are of them, with good reason. We are MUCH bigger than them and smell like carnivores. Most bats eat bugs.
MaryContrary
MaryContrary
Bats are generally afraid of people. They sleep more than awake and they fly outside at night catching bugs. I would like having them again where I live. When I was a kid Mom and I would sit outside at night watching them fly above our back yard. I didn't know they were bats. We didn't have many mosquitoes! They only slept in the barn where it was open. They don't go into enclosed spaces. They like to be able to escape fast. I would not worry about being bitten at night. They most likely will be out and flying around then. If you should find one in the day, contact the local animal warden to get a live trap or way to release it outside. Please don't wish them harm. They are a good animal.
Relax, no worries.
Masha84
Masha84
I would confidently bet a lot of money, if I was a betting woman, you do not have rabies. But I can absolutely relate to getting a thought like that stuck in my head. I've had similar episodes. I have to remind myself that these stories I tell myself are just that, Fiction! Hope you are feeling better today.
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