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AIBU?

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Original poster

Extremely anxious out in the woods with predators outside please help me calm down

107 replies

spiralspiralspiral · 30/01/2022 23:17

In a property belonging to my in-laws at the moment, out in the woods, it's very wild where we are. We've had an awful week and a loss in the family. I am very tired, which obviously does not help anxiety in any way.

Normally I have a couple of drinks at night to sleep when we're out here (we don't spend much time here, usually) to block out the fear. I am terrified of the coyotes and bears and mountain lions, despite knowing logically they are not going to break into the house. Probably.

I can't describe how anxious I am just knowing they're out there. Despite knowing they don't want anything to do with us.

I can't have a glass of wine now tonight because I took naproxen for awful period pain. I took a beta blocker earlier, but now it's dark and night is coming.

How can I stay calm and sensible? I really need to sleep and I just can't bring myself to think of turning the light off and lying down later, will probably end up watching tv all night Sad which does me no favours for tomorrow!

OP posts:
TyrannosaurusRegina · 31/01/2022 09:06

Are you still here to tell the tale, OP, or did the mountain lions get you overnight?

Thebodyshopolive · 31/01/2022 09:30

Come back OP!

lottiegarbanzo · 31/01/2022 09:36

She's asleep! She's at least five hours behind GMT.

She was posting in her afternoon, about her worries about the night to come. Now it's the middle of her night.

AngelicaElizaAndPeggy · 31/01/2022 09:37

Bears?! 😱 Bloody hell, you're not at a national trust campsite, then.

Big predators won't bother to come and eat you if it's too much effort - they will be tired from a long winter and need to conserve strength. And the bears are all busy snoozing underground. Make sure you lock all doors, keep lights on and have a fire going if you can. Mountain lions will be off picking out sickly old creatures and other, easier stuff to eat. Good luck!!

(I say this, although I've never ever spent a night out in the wild like this ever, so my advice is not BearGrylls-worthy).

Branleuse · 31/01/2022 09:42

Hope you got through the night without being eaten OPx

Tal45 · 31/01/2022 09:55

I assumed you must be in a tent from the level of your anxiety, you really need to get some help as it must be miserable to be that anxious. As your ILs have managed to live there safely for however long I'm sure you'll be just fine - it sounds like a bloody amazing place to me!

My advice - don't ever go on safari in a tent in Africa.

dorkfink · 31/01/2022 09:58

Well I would feel similarly & have a very active imagination.

Check doors/windows are closed/locked

T00Ts · 31/01/2022 10:38

I rather love the idea of being tucked up safe in a beautiful home in the woods. It would feel a privilege to be surrounded by those creatures.

That said, I don’t like the idea of humans encroaching on their habitats particularly, it makes me feel sad to see images of wild animals around something as revoltingly human as a dustbin.

dipdye · 31/01/2022 23:34

Op? Everything OK?

Littlepaws18 · 31/01/2022 23:44

Odd post, if there's mountain lions and bears the likelihood is that op is in North America. The first posts and subsequent posts were posted in the evening uk time. They are ten hours behind us? So her posts would be midday where she was.... though she claims it's evening. Unless the posts are posted in each persons time zone and in that case I'd make a crap detective!

Oliveandshea · 31/01/2022 23:54

My advice - don't ever go on safari in a tent in Africa.

I unzipped my tent in Tanzania to see 3 hippos munching grass outside, they're feckin huge animals and very dangerous if you come between them and the water. I was so freaked out I just zipped the tent back up, pretended toy subconscious that I hadn't seen anything and conked out. Slept on top of the van the next night!

Original poster
spiralspiralspiral · 01/02/2022 00:57

Thank you all, it's been a long day here (emotionally demanding because of the bereavement, and many hours of driving to get home) so just coming back to this thread now Brew

Last night was fine in the end. Reading all the posts was helpful as a reality check to remind me all would most likely be well. Which of course it was.

We made dinner, and then went to bed and eventually I did fall asleep just fine. I did have a couple of moments of freezing in fear when I heard a noise, but was able to be rational and firmly tell myself it was just old house creaks and groans. Not a hungry creature trying to get in!

OP posts:
Original poster
spiralspiralspiral · 01/02/2022 01:03

@Littlepaws18

Odd post, if there's mountain lions and bears the likelihood is that op is in North America. The first posts and subsequent posts were posted in the evening uk time. They are ten hours behind us? So her posts would be midday where she was.... though she claims it's evening. Unless the posts are posted in each persons time zone and in that case I'd make a crap detective!
Nope. Not all of North America is 10 hours behind UK time.

I posted early evening my time. It was fully dark and temperature had started to drop further, out in the remote woods the nights just feel long to me.

Why is my post odd - what are you driving at?

OP posts:
MrsTerryPratchett · 01/02/2022 01:08

My favourite story about bears (and I've camped in areas with everything from lions to bears to gorillas and guerillas!) is my lovely MIL when she was in Canada. There were a few bears in the area and the park ranger said to her that if she saw one to say, "hey bear". They would fire beanbags rounds at them and shout "hey bear' and the bears would get the message. The thought of Canadians shouting, "hey bear" instead of crapping themselves and running was hilarious to me.

Original poster
spiralspiralspiral · 01/02/2022 01:13

I assumed you must be in a tent from the level of your anxiety, you really need to get some help as it must be miserable to be that anxious.

My day to day life is not miserable at all. This level of anxiety is very context specific.

I do have general anxiety (hence the beta blockers) but it is usually just minimal background noise in my 'normal' life. It's not normally like this.

OP posts:
Original poster
spiralspiralspiral · 01/02/2022 01:15

@MrsTerryPratchett

My favourite story about bears (and I've camped in areas with everything from lions to bears to gorillas and guerillas!) is my lovely MIL when she was in Canada. There were a few bears in the area and the park ranger said to her that if she saw one to say, "hey bear". They would fire beanbags rounds at them and shout "hey bear' and the bears would get the message. The thought of Canadians shouting, "hey bear" instead of crapping themselves and running was hilarious to me.
See, this is hardcore, all you people who have posted about camping outside Shock

I take my hat off!

OP posts:
blyn72 · 01/02/2022 02:24

You're surely not alone in that house, are you?

I would feel as you do so I sympathise; just look forward to going home soon.

CobraChicken · 01/02/2022 17:14

@Littlepaws18

Odd post, if there's mountain lions and bears the likelihood is that op is in North America. The first posts and subsequent posts were posted in the evening uk time. They are ten hours behind us? So her posts would be midday where she was.... though she claims it's evening. Unless the posts are posted in each persons time zone and in that case I'd make a crap detective!
You would make a crap detective, yes.

The OP's first post was at 11:17pm GMT.

If they were in Ontario (EST) it would have been 7:17pm. Same if they were on the Eastern side of the USA...

In Manitoba it would have been 6:15pm. Or, same for Minnesota if we're talking USA.

Even across in Alberta it would have already been 4:17pm and definitely starting to get twilight-ish!

Peas252 · 01/02/2022 17:29

I'm sure I've read this before but it was a wolf or ghost, rather than lions and bears.

Hellocatshome · 01/02/2022 17:33

If it helps at all I have a family member who had a mother bear and her cubs in their back garden, they didn't realise they were there for quite a while and had their back door and windows wide open and the bears made no attempt to enter the house.

Porcupineintherough · 01/02/2022 20:45

@Peas252

I'm sure I've read this before but it was a wolf or ghost, rather than lions and bears.
My mum had a similar reaction during her first night in the rainforest in Cameroon. She made me baracade the bedroom door in case gorillas tried to break in????
itwasntaparty · 01/02/2022 20:52

Well I've been in the a lodge in the rockies at a ymca and the mama bears teach the baby bears how to break in the windows of the cabins...

MrsTerryPratchett · 01/02/2022 20:53

@itwasntaparty

Well I've been in the a lodge in the rockies at a ymca and the mama bears teach the baby bears how to break in the windows of the cabins...
Bears are shot or relocated for this kind of thing. They don't just leave them to it!
itwasntaparty · 01/02/2022 21:05

Yes they do they're protected in that area.

FAQs · 01/02/2022 21:07

@WeatherwaxOn

Years ago I was in Canada and went for a walk with DH. We were walking through woodlands to a beach and it was deserted other than a guy putting up some signage which said that there were cougars in the woods - we should proceed quietly so as not to disturb them and provoke attack. The problem was that he also put up another sign which said that there were bears in the woods and to avoid attack it was a good idea to make loud noises to drive the bears away. Fortunately we saw neither, nor did we have any trouble with them at the very rural b&b we stayed at. Still unsure why the signage was meant to help as either way you were in potential danger.
🤣
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