To be paranoid about a bug I’ve seen on my wall?

[TurkishDelight57]

I hate bugs and pests. I loathe them. They give me anxiety. Usually my flat is free of all pests because I’m painstakingly meticulous about cleaning every nook and cranny.

However today I spotted this creature and I have gone into full panic mode. I spotted a different kind of bug in my bathroom yesterday and that’s two bugs in 24 hours. That’s way too many bugs for me.

Please help me- what do you think this is??? Do I need to call a pest control professional? Don’t tell me it’s silverfish. Ugh.

Anxiety sucks, and I think you're right, personally, to book pest control if that's what you need to do.
I get it.
Perhaps you could self refer for talking therapy if you haven't already and try to unravel this particular focus and find strategies that may help.
Good luck

Sorry, just realised you are getting therapy already.
I know it's virtually impossible to rationalise things when anxiety finds a focus, so I'm sure you are on the right path.

Silverfish are little wiggly silver or grey things that look like mini fish ime - that looks like the chrysalis of a ?moth or other insect.

Is it moving around?

Are you averse to killing things OP? Surely just spray regularly with fly spray or some other bug killer and you won't get bugs in the house. The spray would get into all the nooks and crannies.

I'd spend the money on a therapist to help your bug fear. The insecticide is a much greater risk to your wellbeing than the bug.

Silverfish

@Polyanthus2 I am averse to killing things, but sometimes I do what I have to do I did spray it with some bleach kind of spray I had lying around (didn’t have any bug spray) and that seemed to kill it.

It was wiggling around, I saw it crawling on the wall (shudder).

I did consider spraying the bug spray all over the flat by myself, but I don’t have any and I also have asthma so it’s easier if the pest control guy comes and does his thing and I stay away from the flat for 3 hours. That way I don’t have to breathe the fumes in while they’re fresh.

Thankfully, he’s a friend of a friend and isn’t charging me anything extortionate.

@VelvetChairGirl I understand where you’re coming from, I really do, but nothing will ever get me used to bugs and I really don’t see myself having one as a pet. I’m sure I can work on getting over the phobia, but I won’t ever be their friend

I didn't imagine you spraying the whole flat with fly spray - more a quick squirt under the skirting board or wherever you think they are coming from.

Doesn't look like a silver fish to me - they are literally small wriggly silver coloured things . We used to have them - only just realised I haven't seen any since we had new carpet a few months back .

I think a certain amount of bugs / insects are part of life! We get a lot of those spindly legged spiders -
I call them ghost spiders . I think they eat a lot of bugs and other spiders .

@shinynewapple22

Doesn't look like a silver fish to me - they are literally small wriggly silver coloured things . We used to have them - only just realised I haven't seen any since we had new carpet a few months back .

I think a certain amount of bugs / insects are part of life! We get a lot of those spindly legged spiders -
I call them ghost spiders . I think they eat a lot of bugs and other spiders .

They look black against the wall / certain lights .

IMO def silverfish - had a lot of trauma with these bloody things

Also buy some protector c spray

Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the perimeter of your home, and along all the baseboards (especially in the bathroom). It sticks to the exoskeleton of critters like silverfish and earwigs and dehydrates them to death.
You just hoover it up after

I had a bad infestation one place I lived (due to damp) and they did chew some clothes which were left out, but never got anything that was put away properly

I know what you mean OP, I really hate bugs. I don’t have anxiety in general, and I try and rationalise to myself/sternly tell myself- they’re mostly harmless, they have a right to be on the planet as much as I do, they’re not that bad etc etc! But the underlying feeling is one of almost loathing and disgust, and I feel like it’s almost a primal thing, like a survival instinct that’s deeply buried. I don’t really kill things (I do evict) and generally can live with them, but I actually have learnt to respect and trust that instinct rather than thinking it’s me. Of course you don’t want it to take over your life, and I’m sure there are things that can help the worry become less intense, just saying I don’t think it’s that weird a worry!