I’m knackered and delighted that my house tenting went so well.
Even though my house is only five years old, I found termite droppings on the counter underneath the corner cabinet. Termites are often brought into a new home via cabinets bought at home improvement stores in the U.S.
I felt shocked to learn this! You may be surprised, too.
I immediately arranged a spot treatment. Afterward, my home was placed on a six-month wait list for tenting.
Not too long afterward, I learned about a cat who hid under a post-and-pier house during tenting and died during tent fumigation. Fortunately, my house sits on a cement slab. But I suddenly started to worry that one of my cats would hide in the house and meet the same dismal fate.
I decided to take my older cat out of the house in a carrier. The other wilder one fears humans and runs off when they’re around. But what if she didn’t? The thought tormented me for a while because I feel responsible for the health and safety of my pets.
It wasn’t realistic to board my cats. Allowing them to spend the night in the wild seemed the least traumatic option. Chitta spends many nights in the wild already, and when the weather is good, Tara sometimes does as well.
The “wild” means my one acre, two-thirds containing glory bushes, ohia trees, ferns, and other wild species.
The whole tenting affair proved to be another opportunity to observe the situational anxiety I feel and learn more about how to work with it.
That particular worry (inadvertently killing my pet) halted at some point. I had come to a clear conclusion about what I perceived as the best option, and perhaps my brain turned off the anxiety as a result. After all, all options contain some risk, and I knew I would do my best to keep my kitties safe.
When anxiety arose again a week before the tenting, I told myself, “This will be over in a week.” Surprisingly, that helped tremendously. I used the same “mantra” whenever I began to feel anxious, adjusting the timeframe as each day passed.
Knowing my physical limitations, I decided to pace myself to prepare for the tenting. I started four days in advance and worked on one section of the house at a time. I decluttered as I went and decided what to double-bag in protective plastic provided by the company.
Pacing is one of the best ways to minimize stress and anxiety, at least for me.
Most days, I held my checklist in hand and felt clear and directed. One day, however, I felt paralyzed and in a fog. I wandered around the house and did whatever I saw next. I couldn’t shake the feeling, but I kept productive nevertheless.
Every day, I told myself, “You did really well today. Look at what you got done!” This self-praise made a big difference, too. It diminished stress and anxiety and made me feel good about myself.
I set up an area under my car canopy for the cats. It had outdoor rugs, chairs, and a water bowl. I moved two folding tables there so they could lie beneath them to feel more protected.
I stayed at a nearby neighbor’s tiny guest house to visit often and feed the cats at their usual mealtimes. The cats were unnerved to see a giant red and yellow tent around their house. They walked around it more than once, trying to find a way in, but their efforts were futile.
I sat under the canopy for the first few hours to provide them with some sense of stability and safety. Eventually, they went off into the bushes, and I was allowed to leave and grab some rest myself.
I came back for their dinner time and stayed for a few hours again. Tara protested the situation loudly, but she ate voraciously. Chiita likes to nibble. I had to wait for a while so she would get her fill. The same scenario repeated itself the following day at the crack of dawn.
The fumigation team removed the tent mid-morning about 24 hours after it went up. But we weren’t allowed into the house again for another five hours; the inside air had to test zero for poison. The cats sat on the front stoop about five minutes before the team leader arrived to test the air and let us in—like they knew he would be there soon and could hardly wait.
Each cat went to her favorite spot and promptly fell asleep for hours, leaving me to do all the moving back-in work myself. I also slept like a baby that night, knowing my cats were safe. And I felt satisfied with a job well done.
Although we were out of the house for only 29 hours, the whole process felt intense, from preparation to completion.
I’ll probably always experience some degree of situational anxiety. Those pathways seemed burned in my brain. But, learning and using tools like pacing and self-encouragement help reduce stress and anxiety to a more manageable degree.
Do you pace yourself? Do you praise yourself? Does it help you reduce stress and anxiety? I would love to hear in the comments.
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Until Next Time
I hope you enjoyed meeting my cats! My body needs rest after all the standing, lifting, and moving. I’m planning an easy weekend with rest and connection on the agenda.
Thanks for reading. It means a lot to me!
Much love and best wishes to you.
xo Sandra
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ohhhhhhhhh that takes A LOT of stuff.... I don`t have....seriously... termites from used cupboards...
man... they should put a warning on them : (((