Not only do bed bugs have a physical effect on your health and wellbeing, they can also cause psychological discomfort too. People who have an infestation of bed bugs in their family homes are known to experience a variety of symptoms, ranging from sleep deprivation to anxiety. It can be a disturbing and often traumatic experience.
The stress of dealing with a bed bug infestation can lead to some serious mental health complications. An encounter with a nest of bed bugs itself is very stressful, as is itching constantly and being grossed out, but then adding in more stressors such as the cost and execution of treatment and damage to property, cultivates even more fear and anxiety.
Here are some top tips on how to psychologically cope better with a bed bug infestation.
1. Know that you’re not dirty – Just because you have bed bugs, doesn’t mean you have poor hygiene. You cannot cause bed bugs by being unsanitary. The likelihood is that you or someone in your home was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and became a carrier.
2. Prepare yourself – Try not to feel completely overwhelmed by the amount of preparation that needs to be done to get rid of bed bugs completely. Having bed bugs means you will have to reorganise your home, and may need to declutter it in some ways. Actively adjust your mentality to the steps you need to take, helping you avoid stress and anxiety.
3. Know that your bed is still a safe place – Our beds are always seen as our haven to go to at the end of the day, or when we’re feeling poorly. So it’s no surprise that it feels a little violated when bed bugs have infested. There are measures you can take, such as encasing your mattress inside a protective sealed cover that keeps the bed bugs inside and eventually kills them off, thus preserving the mattress. If this is something you feel like you can’t get over, then just make certain you dispose of the mattress in the right way. Empire Pest Control have sent us a brilliant infographic explaining the right steps to take.
4. Call the professionals – If you have a bed bug infestation in your home, you need to call a professional pest control company right away. You won’t be able to get rid of the infestation alone without help. If the anxiety of dealing with this stressful set of circumstances is impacting your life in any way, you should seek support (both in terms of providing a helping hand with the practicalities, and somewhere to vent), or if things really get on top of you, turn to your therapist who can talk you through it.
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