I finally understand this phrase – when you see a bat, you lose your ever-loving mind. At least I did. This past weekend, there was a living, breathing (although injured so not flying so much), bat in my bedroom.
Let me set the scene… it was 11pm, I was in bed with the lights out just about falling asleep when I heard a strange noise. My cat racing across my bedroom in serious pursuit of something then slapping the radiator (the one that broke the weekend before). Then I heard the wings slapping the metal and knew something was seriously off.
When I sat up and turned on my bed-side lamp, I saw a freaking bat inching its way on my floor less than three feet away from me. And I completely lost my sh*t. Think: blood curdling scream at the highest pitch imaginable followed by instant tears and a mini-breakdown.
Bats and I weren’t friends to begin with. I have never liked them. In fact, when I was in the Costa Rican rain forest and the guide wanted to stop to show us sleeping bats, I told him in no uncertain terms that he better avoid that part of the “guide” or else. But having a bat in my bedroom? Invading my space?
I went bat-sh*t crazy.
Let’s just say that I did not act rationally – at all. In fact, I think I reverted back to tween days in that moment. It was terrifying and uncomfortable and I was trapped in my bedroom (after my scream scared him enough to fly out of my room and I slammed the door and put a pillow at the bottom of the door).
I was quite literally, backed into a corner.
Luckily uninvited bats are not a part of our daily lives, but it reminded me of that same feeling when you feel as though you have no options at work. Your boss has given you an ultimatum. Or perhaps he/she has so much control over your success or failure in your role that you have to fall in line. Or as a business owner that feeling of needing to take on work that you don’t really want to because you have to pay your bills or you will get evicted.
Being backed in corner changes your decision making skills. You aren’t nearly as smart as you are in everyday life. Your thoughts aren’t clearly thought-through or planned.
You react. That’s all you know in the moment.
From my own bat-induced corner, I called my parents… who were two hours away. As if my dad would be able to get the bat out of my place. There was no way that I was leaving my bedroom – what if he was right there or flew back into my room? I was beyond irrational and options didn’t readily present themselves.
When I have been frustrated at work in the early days, I felt backed into a corner. I thought there was only one option – quitting immediately. There wasn’t a gray area of trying to make it work – of altering things to make sense or tweaking my own perspective.
So while I do not wish you to have an unexpected visitor in the form of a bat to experience the true meaning of going bat-sh*t crazy, I hope that my experience can help you gain some perspective.
Do you feel backed into a corner? Are you only seeing one alternative? Do you have someone who can help you troubleshoot actual options or swoop in to get the bat out of your place?
And if you’re curious, I called the super of my building, waking him up, and he helped save the day. He coaxed me out of my bedroom to let him in and then I helped to find the hiding back. Of course I found him and freaked the eff out again and ran into my bedroom with a scream and tears. But he got the bat outside for me. An option I never would have considered on my own (thanks Mom).
Yes, I am still jumpy and unsure about what lies behind each corner at the moment, certain that a bat is going to jump out at any time, but at least now I know that if go bat-sh*t crazy again, I will know how to manage it better.
