Mice Are Ruining My Life: Mouse Phobia | Conquering Your Fear of Musophobia Before It Ruins Your Life

Musophobia, or the fear of mice, is a relatively common phobia among people. It’s important to note that this phobia isn’t limited to just small rodents, it can also mean any other type of rodent-based creature as well.

Is it possible that this mouse phobia is capable of ruining someone’s life? ‘Mice are ruining my life: mouse phobia’ is the title of this article, as we aim to show if this claim is true; that mouse phobia is really capable of ruining a person’s life.

All right, we move on.

Musophobia or Mouse Phobia – What is it like?

Musophobia, or the fear of mice, is a relatively common phobia among people. It’s important to note that this phobia isn’t limited to just small rodents, but it can also mean any other type of rodent-based creature as well.

Mice Are Ruining My Life: Mouse Phobia – Why People Say; “Mice Are Ruining My Life”

Mouse Phobia The causes for this phobia vary wildly, but some of the most common include fear of disease or simply the uneasiness that most people feel around rodents in general. If you have experience with mice and rats or have witnessed someone else having problems with them, this could also be a cause for your phobia.¹https://inspectallservices.com/news/musophobia-are-you-afraid-of-mice

Below are the major reasons people say; “mice are ruining my life: Mouse Phobia”:

• Rodent Diseases

Rodents carry around with them a lot of diseases. Some of these diseases can be deadly to humans, so it makes sense that people would be afraid of them. The most common disease associated with rodents is the bubonic plague. This was a major problem during medieval times and is still around today. It’s spread by fleas that live on rodents, and it can cause fever, chills, and even death.

Other diseases that rodents carry include:

1. Salmonella
2. Heat illness
3. Hantavirus
4. Rat-bite fever
5. Hemorrhagic fever
6. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis
7. Leptospirosis
8. Trichinosis
9. Tularemia, and more.

• Destruction of Property

Diseases aren’t the only thing that rodents can spread, however. They are also known for destroying property and contaminating food sources. Damage done to your property by mice can be a very expensive repair, and it’s not always covered by insurance.²https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mice-in-apartment-solutions_b_197391

Mice love to nibble on things and have no regard for something worthy. They will chew on books, clothes, furniture, wires – anything they can get their teeth on. This destructive behavior can lead to big problems for homeowners, especially if the infestation is bad enough. Mice have also been known to cause fires by chewing on electrical wires. They will also go after any food that is left out not airtight, thereby contaminating the food which can lead to food poisoning if the food is eaten. It can destroy very vital and critical documents since it eats papers as well.

• Contamination of Food Sources

In addition to damaging your property, rodents can also contaminate your food sources. This is because they urinate and defecate everywhere they go. If you have food that has been contaminated by rodents, it can make you very sick.

Mice Are Ruining My Life: Mouse Phobia – A True Mouse Phobia Story From Anya Strzemien

I'm not the first person to have a fear of mice. But I might be more unique in the lengths I've gone to try to avoid them.

In summary, I ate nothing but takeout for a year, wore heavy winter boots in summer, got carried around like Whitney Houston in "The Bodyguard", and drank a lot less water than recommended.

I should explain how I ended up in this spiral. From age 24 to 30, I lived in an amazing duplex apartment in a Brooklyn brownstone with two friends. The apartment was so fun and charming that it could have been the setting of a sitcom. I lived on our second floor, which I accessed by a staircase from the library (!) on our first floor, where we also had a big eat-in kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms. That kitchen was gorgeous and sun-drenched by day...and a house of horrors by night.

Because the brownstone was old and in some disrepair (how else do you think us struggling twenty-somethings could afford it?), it came with some unwanted...furry...roommates.

The first time I met one of our mice, I was lying on the couch, probably watching "The Real World." Suddenly I saw a flash of fur bolt from our butcher block in the kitchen and disappear behind the television console in our living room. I screamed, contemplated moving out, and went to bed.

Then came the mouse droppings on the stove, followed by more on the counter. The infestation got so bad that any time I sat still in the kitchen for longer than five minutes, I saw that little furry streaker...and proceeded to lose my mind.

A few years later I was alone in the kitchen, cleaning up from dinner when a mouse shot across the passage to the living room. Of course, knowing that my mortal enemy lurked near the exit meant that I was trapped in the kitchen, probably for life. This is how I found myself standing on one of our dining table chairs at 1 AM, screaming and crying until someone woke up, came in, and carried me out.

Every phobia usually has a backstory, and mine goes back to a snowy night in college when I was crossing Broadway, and put my foot down...on an enormous rat. When I lifted it up, the rat scurried away. I haven't been the same person since: there's now LBR (Life Before Rodents) and LAR (Life After Rodents).

Here are the ways my roommates and I dealt with our situation:

1. Peppermint balls: Our landlord insisted that placing cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil around our kitchen was a foolproof method for getting rid of mice. This did not work.
2. Glue traps: Let's just say their deployment brought on tears, a hammer, murder, and a vow to never use glue traps again.
3. Ultrasonic repellent (i.e., the thing you plug into your wall that only mice can hear): I did notice a decline, but since I couldn't hear it myself, how does one know?
4. Steel wool: Theoretically, this works, but we had more holes in our old kitchen floor than we could keep up with.
5. Living traps: This worked once.
6. Wearing big winter boots every time I walked through the kitchen, lest a mouse ever touch my feet.
7. Being carried--either by piggyback or like a damsel in distress--any time I suspected there was a rodent within a 50-foot radius of my person. This method was also employed on the sidewalk when I saw rats.
8. Avoiding any use of the kitchen at all: You could say that I let the terrorists win. I basically threw my hands up and said "Fine, the kitchen's yours." I basically ate takeout for a year, bringing it straight up to my room (where I'd never seen a mouse), eating very carefully over a paper plate, and then carrying the waste out of the building to the garbage cans on the sidewalk.

Speaking of which, our apartment was immaculate, or as immaculate as the apartment of three 20-something girls who like to clean but also entertain a lot.

I even kept a Britta in my bedroom so that I wouldn't have to go into the kitchen for a glass of water.

Rather than confront my fears, I eventually just moved out. It wasn't just because of the mice--there was also my boyfriend, with whom I was thrilled and very ready to cohabit--but let's just say the mice made that decision a little easier.

As we looked at apartments, the mice weighed heavily on our (my) minds. We asked every broker if the building had mice, and to double-check we'd seek out building residents or nannies to ask them if they'd ever seen a mouse. Finally, we found a great place, confirmed with would-be neighbors that there were no mice, and signed a lease.

For the last two years, I've been counting my lucky stars that I haven't seen so much as a bug in our apartment. I walked around barefoot, went to the bathroom in the middle of the night without fear, and even attempted to cook again. Basically, I was getting my life back.

Then, one day in August, several days shy of our second anniversary in the apartment, I came home from a bike ride. As I put my bike away, I saw that familiar flash in my peripheral vision. I muttered "Oh noooooo," looked around our kitchen island, and saw a terrified baby mouse disappear behind our dishwasher as I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I grabbed my phone, and my laptop, and curled up on the living room couch. Ninety minutes later my boyfriend came home to find me sitting in the dark (who can turn on lights when it means touching the floor on which a mouse may have walked?).

In the days following we (he) waged war: steel wool, another ultrasonic repellent, and living traps. We haven't seen a mouse since, but I was still living in fear.

This week, with my own Kevin Costner away on a trip, I'm home alone. My first thought was "I'm home alone...or AM I?"

And then I had another thought: F that. I'm a grown woman, and I spend my hard-earned money on this apartment. They don't. I decorated it. They didn't. I cleaned it. They don't. By God, I'm going to take back my apartment.

But I also have an exterminator coming on Saturday just in case.

What Mouse Phobia Can Lead To

Regardless of the exact cause, Musophobia can lead to significant anxiety when confronted by rodents. Some of the most common symptoms include a racing heart, sweating, shortness of breath, and panic attacks.

All this goes to say that a fear of mice is not totally unreasonable!³https://cpdonline.co.uk/knowledge-base/mental-health/musophobia/ They are unpleasant creatures who carry around disease and destruction, which is why rodent control is much needed!⁴https://insightpest.com/do-you-suffer-from-musophobia-the-fear-of-mice/

Mice Are Ruining My Life: Mouse Phobia – How to Get Rid of This Fear Once & For All

Do you suffer from musophobia? Whether it’s a fear of mice themselves or the diseases they carry, it can be an incredibly difficult phobia to deal with.

There are several different treatment options available for musophobia. To receive treatment, you will likely need a referral from your GP or a psychologist. Some people with musophobia don’t require treatment.

This could be because their phobia doesn’t have a significant impact on their day-to-day life or their well-being. It could also be that they have learned and implemented effective coping strategies which reduce the need for formal treatment.

However, if your symptoms are frequent or severe, or your phobia is impacting your life in any way, treatment may be a good option.

The type of treatment you will be recommended will depend on several factors, including:

• The frequency and severity of your symptoms.
• The root cause of your phobia.
• How significantly your phobia impacts your life.
• Your overall health and well-being, including your mental health.
• Your doctor or psychologist will create a treatment plan that is personalized to you.

The most common treatment options for musophobia are:

• Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavior therapy is one of the most popular types of treatment for a variety of phobias. CBT is a type of talking therapy that can help you to identify and change your negative perceptions and harmful, flawed, or negative thoughts surrounding mice and rats. It can also address the associated emotions and behaviors you experience.

CBT also helps you to identify and address the root cause of your phobia, which can help you to overcome your negative thought patterns. CBT sessions can be done individually or as part of a group.

During the sessions, you will:

• Discuss your triggers and symptoms.
• Explore what caused your musophobia.
• Explore your fears in more detail.
• Learn how to recognize your negative thoughts and change the way you are thinking.
• Learn coping strategies and calming strategies, such as deep breathing exercises, distraction techniques, and coping statements.

• Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy is another popular treatment choice for people with phobias. It is also commonly known as systematic desensitization, and it involves you being exposed to rodents in a safe and controlled environment. The exposure will be systematic and gradual to ensure you feel safe and in control.

The psychologist will assess your phobia and may create a fear ladder of scenarios and situations involving mice and rats that are ordered from the least to the most frightening. They will then create a series of mice and rat-related exposures for you to face.

The exposure will be gradual; for example, it may begin with looking at a picture of a mouse. Once you are comfortable with this level of exposure, you will then move on to the next level, which could be talking about rodents or watching a video of mice and rats.

You may then progress to using Virtual Reality (VR), before eventually being exposed to a live rat or mouse. Exposure therapy can address the negative thoughts and emotions you experience with rodents and can help you to change your physiological and psychological responses.

• Clinical Hypnotherapy

Clinical hypnotherapy is another popular treatment option for people with phobias. Hypnotherapy uses guided relaxation techniques and focused attention to help you to identify the root cause of your fear and help you change your thought patterns and any negative feelings you have about mice and rats.

Although different hypnotherapists will run their sessions differently, you will likely be put into a relaxed, hypnotic state and then a combination of techniques will be used to repattern your thoughts and memories related to mice and rats. Hypnotherapy can also teach you calming strategies, such as deep breathing and relaxation techniques which can help you to reduce your symptoms in the future.

• Medication

Medication is not a common treatment option for people with musophobia. However, you may be prescribed medication if other treatment options fail, or if your phobia is particularly severe. You may also be prescribed medication if you experience anxiety or depression alongside your phobia.

If you are offered medication, it will likely be in conjunction with other treatments, such as CBT.

Some possible medications that you may be offered include:

• Anti-anxiety medication.
• Beta-blockers.
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

You can also watch the video below to know how to get rid of your mouse phobia:

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Additional resources and citations

• 1
  https://inspectallservices.com/news/musophobia-are-you-afraid-of-mice
• 2
  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mice-in-apartment-solutions_b_197391
• 3
  https://cpdonline.co.uk/knowledge-base/mental-health/musophobia/
• 4
  https://insightpest.com/do-you-suffer-from-musophobia-the-fear-of-mice/