The vast majority of people don’t like bugs. But for a few people, bugs are one of their biggest fears, worse than going to the dentist. The official name for a fear of bugs is entomophobia. There are hundreds of phobias, but a fear of insects is one of the most common ones.
The most common phobia is arachnophobia, which is a fear of spiders. This makes sense because face it, spiders are pretty scary. Perhaps one reason why so many people fear spiders is because they know just how much they outnumber us.
Most spiders and insects can’t hurt you. But phobias ignore this reasoning. Often a fear of spiders and bugs develop in childhood or they can manifest after a traumatic event. If you wake up in the middle of the night to discover a spider crawling on your face, you can bet you will probably develop a fear of them.
If you are ready to show these pint-sized insects and spiders that you are not going to be afraid of them anymore, it is time that you confront your fears. Earthwise Pest Management, your home pest control in Sacramento, offers ways you can conquer entomophobia.
Seek a Therapist
If your phobia is bad enough that you lose sleep at night or can’t take a shower because you once saw a spider in there, then you should seek the help of a therapist. There are specialists out there who use cognitive therapy to help reshape behaviors. They can help you get over your fear of bugs.
Confront a Bug in Nature
We’re not making this stuff up. Experts say that if you confront a live bug in the wild, it will help you face your fears and deal with the fact that your fear is controlling you.
Start off by locating and following an insect that doesn’t totally creep you out, like a ladybug for example. Once you feel comfortable around ladybugs, move on to another insect.
Visit an Entomologist
An entomologist is a person who studies insects. And we are willing to bet that anyone who would make the conscious decision to study bugs probably likes them. They aren’t afraid of them for sure.
An entomologist can explain to you all about the anatomy and behavior of insects, it would be a lot like being in school. An entomologist is likely to have dead bugs on display, you can check them out up close without fear of them biting or otherwise hurting you.
Positive Thinking
Right now, when you think about bugs, you probably think about the ones that bite, sting or are super creepy looking. Start replacing these negative thoughts with positive ones and you might see bugs in a different light.
Focus on the bugs that don’t creep you out so much and think about all of the good bugs do for our ecosystem. And admit to yourself that only a very small percentage of insects bite or sting. Convince yourself that if you leave bugs alone they will leave you alone and perhaps you will feel better about them. Tell yourself that you can control bugs and that they cannot control you.
Understand Your Fear and Accept It
Own up to the fact that you have a fear of insects. Tell everybody about it. Also understand that you are not alone as there are many people with the same fears as you.
Think back to when you first started fearing bugs and see if you can discover an event that may have set that off. It will help if you understand why you have a fear of insects.
If you have an insect infestation, call Earthwise Pest Management.