Tips for releasing Fears of Insects

Last week I helped a dear friend to gently escort a cockroach out of her camera bag. A lovely person standing near watched the process and asked me how I got so comfortable with insects - and I thought it was a great question.✨
As humans, many of us instinctively recoil at the sight and especially at the touch of certain insects. The natural reaction when we feel it is to wave our arms or even scream & jump back. I am not immune to this- I actually trained myself to not react.✨

I don’t have a phobia, but I remember a time when I was younger- I probably would have waved my arm to get anything that landed on me off. Then I became a mom. To cats.
Cats have whiskers and fuzzy tails which brush against you and they can sometimes feel like a light insect is walking on you.🐈

I was terrified that I would accidentally bump them if I reacted to a light touch thinking it was an insect. So I trained myself to stay perfectly still if I felt a light brush - and to look at the source before I reacted or moved.

It’s really not as hard as it sounds. Most of the time it would be a kitty whisker. Sometimes a ladybug, or a stink bug, ants, and yes - I have even had a cockroach walk on me- I live in the (US) south and they are extremely common here. It was fine. Because I didn’t react- I calmly was able to take them outside where they belong. (Once I was at an outdoor restaurant patio with trees around and one fell on my arm! I just discreetly put her on the floor so she could escape without creating a panic.)

So that’s it! That’s how I initially began getting used to insects without triggering a fear reaction. Now that I can communicate with them I’m extra grateful for the training and it allows me to connect better. ❤️Also an added bonus- when dealing with insects that sting- if we don’t freak out and try to shake them off violently - they are far less likely to get scared themselves & this in turn decreases the chance of a sting/bite. 🐝✨🐜

This photo is of a cockroach that got inside and had a sip from the kitty fountain where I noticed her and then gently took her outside.✨