| How to Get Rid of Mice Naturally Posted: 10 Sep 2016 05:00 PM PDT Having mice in your home is both a nuisance and a health hazard. They can cause property damage, create a mess, and produce unpleasant smells. In addition, repelling and removing rodents from your home can be a hassle if you don't know what you are doing. It can also be dangerous if you use toxic chemicals and poisons. It's a good thing, then, that there are some simple ways to effectively get mice out of your home without the use of toxic chemicals and poisons. EditDiscouraging Mice Naturally - Keep your home clean. Many times mice are drawn into homes on the search for food. If there is nothing to eat, mice will be less likely to stay. Keep all food stored properly in airtight containers or in places that are safe from mouse attack.[1]
- Apply peppermint oil. Peppermint oil is a natural deterrent. The smell is simply too intense for rodents and they will not try to go near it. It also helps to mask the scent of any tasty morsels that have been missed when cleaning. You can get peppermint oil in most health food stores and even some major grocery stores.[2]
- Place a drop or two on a cotton ball.
- Place a cotton ball under or near your garbage can to deter mice from getting into it.
- Place the cotton balls in areas where mice are likely to enter your house, by doorways, or heat vents, etc.
- Peppermint oil cotton balls need to be replaced after 5-7 days, depending upon the quantity of oil you put on it.
- Try growing peppermint plants near the entryways. You can use the mint in cooking, as well as it serving a deterrent purpose.
- Use dried snake feces. Visit a local reptile center, zoo, or pet store and ask for some dried snake poo. Place near entrances and in places where mice seem to go. This will keep mice away.[3]
- Be sure to keep the feces out of the reach of children and pets.
- Zap mice with ultrasonic sounds. There are electronic units sold that emit an ultrasonic beeping sound that rodents hate. They should be available at your local home improvement store or online.
- These work only on a single line of sight, so you need to know the exact path the mice are taking.
- The units may only work for a short time because mice can become used to them.[4]
- Use a commercial, organic deterrent. Many companies that specialize in organic garden and home products make mice repellents that are better for the environment than traditional poisons. Many of these products use natural ingredients, such as peppermint, that are known to be disagreeable to mice. They won't kill mice but they should keep them out of areas where the product is applied.
- These products should be available at your local gardening or home improvement center. If you want a specific product, try doing a online search to see where it is available locally.
- Get a cat. A house cat can take care of the problem, especially if you have an outdoor/indoor cat. Cats that spend time outdoors are more likely to hunt to find their own food and may track down that mouse. Just beware, not all cats have enough energy or interest to hunt mice. Well-food indoor kitties might just see the mouse as a toy, and grow quickly bored of it after scaring it half witless.
- Even if you don't have a cat, you can use used kitty litter to deter mice. Place tubs of used kitty litter around entrances of the house. The mice will sniff the smell of cat urine and clear off in a jiffy.
- If you have a large infestation, a cat may not be enough to totally get rid of it. However, once you eliminate the infestation, a cat will probably prevent reinfestation.[5]
- Put your trash cans far from your home. Mice smell garbage and get attracted to your house. If you keep the cans away from the house, they are less likely to take up residence in your home.
- Promote the nesting of birds of prey in your yard. Build a shelter box in your garden to attract some onto your property. This may take some time, but it's worth the effort if you can attract a wild mouse eater to your yard.[6]
- Make sure the shelter box has no nails or safety hazards.
- A barn owl is the best. A family of barn owls can eat many mice in a night! However, you might attract other types of owls or birds of prey with your nesting box.
EditCreating Barriers - Find the location where the mice are entering.[7] Sometimes there will be greasy stains, and there will almost always will be feces near an entry point. There is also a characteristic odor.
- Mark the spot with caulk if it was hard to find, so that you can find it again easily.
- Block up any holes in interior walls. Start with the interior walls, as it's best to leave a way out for the mice. They may leave your home or apartment for easier pickings elsewhere. [8]
- Use spackle or caulk to seal holes that are relatively small. If you have larger holes that can't be fixed with caulk or spackle, you will need to patch your plaster or drywall. This is a bigger job but important, as a mouse can surely fit through a bigger hole.
- Make sure baseboards are secured and do not have gaps, so that mice can't squeeze out from behind them.
- If trapped within the walls, mice may chew new holes. This is why it is important to give them a chance to leave before sealing up the exterior entry point.
- Seal the exterior entry points. The usual recommendation is to fill holes with steel wool. Unfortunately, steel wool rusts and thus is not a permanent solution. Instead, use green kitchen pads, cut to the right size, or copper scouring pads. The pads must be secured to the sides of the hole or the mice will eventually pull them out. Large holes will need to be repaired.[9]
- Once you are sure that the interior walls are secure, seal any holes on the exterior of your building. You may use plastic scouring pads, but in some cases walls may need tuck-pointing or other repairs.
- Check entry points again. After a couple of days, look for evidence of any continuing mouse activity. If there is any, check the holes that you sealed, and look for more holes. Seal as needed.
- Clean up the area around the entrance. Remove feces and disinfect the area to get rid of the smell. Use a solution of one part bleach and ten parts water to accomplish this.[10]
EditTrapping Mice - Try a commercial live-catch trap. There are various traps that you might like to try using, all of which allow you to set the mouse free. The most common traps catch the mouse in a box that it can get in but not out of. This is a humane way to catch mice.[11]
- Once you catch them, you will need to release them at least from your home, perhaps in a heavily wooded area to give them somewhere else to go.
- Killing or removing rodents won't keep mice gone for long. When animals are killed or removed, more will move in to use available resources. In fact, killing or removing mice can actually result in a temporary spike in the food supply, causing remaining rodents to breed.
- Create a homemade humane trap. Use a glass bowl and a coin. Invert a large glass bowl with some chocolate stuck to the inside of the bowl. Balance the bowl at an angle with the large coin on the edge, edge to edge. Leave it in an area where you know the mouse roams.
- The mouse will enter under the bowl and reach up for the chocolate, upsetting the balance. The bowl will fall and trap the mouse underneath.
- Remove the mouse and place it well away from the house.
- Lure the mouse into a container it can't get out of. You can set up a aquarium with food in it. Put the aquarium in a spot that the mouse has been seen in, ideally in a place that blocks the mouse's usual path. Place something next to the aquarium that the mouse can crawl up, like a stack of books.
- The mouse should try to get the food and jump in to the aquarium. Once inside, the mouse should be trapped by the high walls.
- Check the trap frequently.
- Put a top on the aquarium if you find a mouse in there. Release the mouse well away from the house.
- Throw a towel over the mouse. It will stay under the towel for only a short time, so you need to act quickly. Put an inverted waste-paper basket over the towel. Tuck the exposed bits of towel under the basket so it is in contact with the ground. Slide an LP record or large piece of cardboard under the basket and towel. Carefully turn the basket over the right way, with the cardboard tight against the lip of the basket.
- Take the whole thing outside and walk (or run!) the basket, mouse, and towel as far from your home as possible.
- Once you're far from your home, release the mouse.
- It's best to put up mice repellents rather than traps inside your home. Wouldn't you rather keep the mice outside in the first place rather than deal with them in your home?
- Mice are often infested with fleas, ticks, and/or mites. If an infested mouse is killed via trap or poison, its parasites will eventually leave the body in search of a new host. This may be of particular concern to pet owners or those with small children.
- Mouse droppings can be hazardous to your health. Spray any droppings with bleach or other disinfectants (eg. rubbing alcohol) before cleaning them up and don't let them touch your skin or clothing.
- Get rid of mice quickly if you have dogs. Dogs have different immune systems than cats, and therefore may not be able to handle the possible diseases that mice carry.
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| How to Understand and Help Sociopaths Posted: 10 Sep 2016 09:00 AM PDT The way sociopaths think and operate is deeply different from most of us and thus, their reasons for their violent and abnormal behaviors are vastly different from most other people. People considered sociopaths are classified as having antisocial personality disorder (APD).[1] While you may genuinely want to help someone with APD, recognize that the best course of action involves creating clear boundaries and recommending treatment. EditRecognizing A Person With Sociopathic Traits - Be aware of manipulation. Many who have sociopathic tendencies will often blur the lines between what is true and what is made up.[2] These behaviors may include a high level of charm and charisma.
- They may manipulate you by over exaggerating their good qualities or by trying to sell you something that may not be all that he says it is. They may also try to stress the apparent safety of a clearly unsafe situation.
- Feel free to say "I feel like this is manipulation, and I don't feel comfortable with this situation."
- Avoid being conned. People showing antisocial personality disorder can use deceit to gain trust or to make a buck. They may be compulsive liars, use various aliases, or use cons to profit off others or just for pleasure.[3]
- If someone seems to be sweeping you off your feet or wants you to commit to buying something immediately without having time to think it over, walk away.
- Be wary of doing business with someone who shows sociopathic traits. They may trick you into thinking things are wonderful when they are not. Often, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
- Watch for aggressive behavior. Those with antisocial personality disorder tend to have a pattern of aggressive behaviors including hostility, irritability, impulsivity, and/or violence. These behaviors may be followed by a lack of remorse or empathy for people that may be hurt.[4]
- They may be physically aggressive and want to fight, or they may be verbally aggressive and be prone to loud shouting.
- Be careful when engaging with someone you think may have antisocial personality disorder. Guard your emotions (and perhaps even your physical body) if you fear harm.
- Look out for a lack of remorse. Most humans feel guilty or sad following hurting someone else's feelings. For many people with sociopathic personalities, there is a lack of remorse and perhaps pleasure in causing hurt or manipulation. They may try to rationalize their behavior or outright not care about others' reactions.[5]
- If you find yourself hurt after an interaction with someone yet they don't seem to care about how they hurt you, this could indicate sociopathic tendencies.
- If you find yourself demanding an apology or wanting a sociopathic person to take responsibility for their actions, you may need to accept that they may not be able to do this at this time. It is more important for you to accept this and move on as best as you can.
- Watch for intense egocentrism and a sense of superiority. Many people that display sociopathic tendencies tend to see themselves as superior to others in terms of wit, charm, and intelligence.[6] They may treat others as inferior and find fault in others easily without ever finding fault in the self.
- They may talk about the self endlessly and embellish stories or events in a way that makes the self appear superior to others.
- They may outright consider other people inferior to themselves and live life within this mentality.
- Recognize patterns of substance abuse. Many people with sociopathic traits tend to abuse alcohol or other drugs. They can end up going to prison because of substance use and associated actions while on substances.[7]
- Substance abuse can look like uncontrollable use of a substance to a point that is physically dangerous, or frequent continued use over time. They may engage in risky behaviors as a result of the abuse.
- Often, those with sociopathic tendencies grew up in a home or with a caretaker that also abused drugs or alcohol.[8]
- Look out for repeated law breaking. Those with sociopathic personalities tend to be reckless and take many risks.[9] A person may have countless run-ins with the law, go to prison, and have a blatant disregard for rules and laws.
- He may come up with excuses for why he behaved the way they did, and put the blame onto other people and never take personal responsibility.[10]
- The law breaking may also be related to substance use or abuse.
- Check for irresponsibility. Along with rule-breaking, people with antisocial personality disorder often engage in highly irresponsible behaviors. This person may engage in unnecessary risks with money, cars, business, and people. They may not follow through on custody or child support or may neglect their children.[11]
- They may have poor work habits or not show up for work.
- They may engage in poor interpersonal relationships, have very rocky romantic relationships, and may not learn from their mistakes.
EditUnderstanding A Person With Sociopathology - Understand genetic heritability. While it can be hard to accept, as much as 50% of sociopathology can be attributed to heredity, meaning it can be passed on genetically. People with sociopathic traits are born with tendencies to act the way they do.[12]
- Just like a child doesn't choose to be born into an impoverished family, an individual does not chose to be born predisposed to an inability to relate to others like 'normal' people do.
- Realize environmental factors. While a history of childhood abuse is present for many people with sociopathic traits, it does not represent all individuals who express these tendencies. Generally, individuals who express sociopathic traits tend to receive a diagnosis of conduct disorder in childhood or adolescence, and often express behavioral difficulties such as aggression, deceitfulness, and destruction.[13]
- Children diagnosed with conduct disorder often have histories of having a dysfunctional family, traumatic experiences, family history of substance abuse, and inconsistent discipline within the home.[14]
- Recognize differences in experience. While it's easy to be upset with someone in your life that appears to have sociopathic tendencies, remember that this person does not experience the love and trust that most people experience. Imagine a life of not experiencing the butterflies of being around someone you romantically love, or knowing how to fully trust loved ones and friends. These individuals also likely do not feel the connection of friendship that most people consider 'normal'.[15]
- Sadly, these individuals do not even know what they are missing in these experiences, having perhaps never experienced healthy trust or love, given or received.
- Understand what motivates the individual. Because these individuals often lack the ability to empathize with others, they tend to be invested in self-interest. They may tend to be hypervigilant in meeting their own needs, with no attachment to other people.[16] It is likely they do not have the skills to approach the world in any other way, so life is about taking care of the self and only the self.
- Because there is no apparent benefit to helping others or treating others with respect, no action is taken to help or improve the lives of others.
EditHelping Someone With Sociopathic Tendencies - Have empathy. While these people often are the source of a lot of frustration, pain, and hurt, remember that they are human, too. Despite these people often being very hard to love, it is for this reason they are in special need of empathy, care, and respect.
- Don't excuse negative behavior, but be willing to share love and compassion with a fellow human.
- Reach out in positive ways to show that you care, like sending cards or baking cookies. Say that you forgive him for his actions, even though he hurt you.
- Many people that grow up to show sociopathic tendencies were subjected to childhood verbal, physical and/or sexual abuse. Many experienced chaotic or unstable families while growing up, or the loss of a parent.[17] While this is not an excuse for behavior, it can allow you to have compassion on a person who has had a difficult or traumatic childhood and had to find other less-adaptive ways to survive.
- Avoid enabling. This is especially hard if a person with sociopathic tendencies is in your family. You want to love and accept the person, but without enabling him to hurt or manipulate other people. Let the person know you are unwilling to enable his lifestyle or contribute to him hurting other people.
- Say, "I want to support you, but I cannot contribute to you hurting other people."
- If the person is recklessly spending money and then cannot afford rent and asks to stay with you, be careful in saying "yes". Housing this person may enable him to spend money on drugs or other harmful items, and may cause added stress to your life and living situation.
- Avoid giving money to a person. If they ask for money, offer to buy groceries or contribute to rent if you feel inclined to help.
- It can be difficult to see someone destroy their life and hurt other people, but remember that those are their decisions and you are not responsible for them.
- Set clear boundaries in your relationship. A person may try to push boundaries or manipulate you or the relationship.[18] Let the person know what you are available for and what you are unavailable for. This will help the person realize the predictability of the relationship, and that you are unable to be manipulated.
- Don't allow the person to push boundaries with you. If they call late at night, don't pick up the phone. If they threaten to kill themselves, call the police. Don't allow any responsibility that you do not consent to in being in this person's life.
- Don't let the person call all of the shots. Say "no" to any activities you don't want to participate in or contribute to, and be firm.
- Discourage any harmful situations, such as doing drugs, engaging in criminal behavior, or other irresponsible behavior.
- Say, "For you this may be normal, but for me, this is pushing my boundaries. I'd rather not participate in this."
- Protect your own rights. People with sociopathic personality patterns may disregard respect for you and your personal rights or violate your rights outright.[19] Stand up for your rights and do not tolerate anyone treating you in any lesser degree than you wish to be treated. Remind yourself that disrespect received from someone else doesn't reflect any lack on your part, it reflects the problems or insecurities of the other person.
- A lack of empathy for other people can contribute to stampeding over other people's rights. Someone with sociopathic tendencies will often display a high self-appraisal, which may lead them to believe that they can treat others as lower than the self.[20]
- Understand your role in their life. The cause of this disorder is unknown, but biological or genetic factors may play a role.[21] Remember that although it may not be a person's fault that they are a sociopath, this individual is still responsible for their actions, and you do not need to fix those issues or damage your own life by staying around.
- Don't make it your responsibility to "save them" or "change them." Recognize that change can only happen on his initiative, not yours.
- Offer your support and encouragement to any positive activities. This may be praising, taking responsibility, or seeking treatment for drugs. Encourage things around responsibility.
- Suggest treatment for addiction. Many people people with antisocial personality disorder struggle with addiction, mainly with substances.[22] Substance use and addiction can contribute to poor choices and increase risky behaviors. While you may not be able to do much to lessen this person's behavior, working through addiction can have positive effects and lower overall risk.
- There are many treatment options for substance abuse, based on need. Addiction can be treated through outpatient therapy, inpatient treatment, and residential care.[23] Talk to a mental health care provider to see which option is best.
- Suggest therapy. Therapy can help in rewarding positive behaviors and discouraging negative behaviors. Talk therapy in which the person is able to discuss difficulties in childhood or their insecurities can also be helpful.[24] Often, people with personality disorders refuse therapy or only go when mandated by courts. In the case for people with sociopathic tendencies, therapy can be most helpful for accompanying psychological diagnoses such as anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders.
- Empathy can be learned.[25] Through therapy, one can begin to understand and experience empathy with animals, people, and all living things.
- Sociopaths are less prone to emotion and may use emotions against other people. It is most effective to deal with this person in terms they can understand; if you must deal with this person, don't get your emotions involved.
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| How to Choose Between Yoga Vs Pilates Posted: 10 Sep 2016 01:00 AM PDT Are you deciding whether to book yoga class or Pilates class? Are you confused about the differences between these two? There are several different factors that you should be thinking about if you are deciding which is your preferred type of exercise. You may be thinking of taking up a relatively new type of exercise and are finding it difficult to decide between yoga and Pilates. The one that you choose will become a part of your life and the decision you will make will depend on the results that you would like to attain. EditClarifying Your Goals - Are you looking for physical rehabilitation? Both yoga and Pilates can offer help in rebounding physically. For example, for individuals with physical injuries, Pilates has been a tried a true method of reducing physical pain and recovering from injury.[1] Yoga, on the other hand, has been often used as part of mental and emotional rehabilitation.[2]
- Yoga can be an excellent exercise for rehabilitation, sometimes better than yoga depending on your particular needs. A very experienced, knowledgable yoga instructor can help you build strength and flexibility, choose exercises that fit your abilities, and how to modify exercises if you need to.
- Yoga classes can vary a lot, depending on the focus, teacher, or yoga studio. There are classes designed for chair-bound seniors in nursing homes, meditative yoga, yoga for preschoolers, and classes that Olympic-caliber athletes attend. Pilates is not quite as diverse in its presentation.
 - Decide whether toning your body is a concern to you. Yoga and Pilates are both wonderful for toning and strengthening all of the muscles groups in your body. Pilates tends to have a greater focus on muscle toning. For example, if you are trying to lose weight, you could try Pilates exercises using different Pilates machine which add the cardio and fitness element to your Pilates poses and will help you to burn additional calories. There are no machines in yoga practice.[3]
- Think about what mental health improvement you want from your exercise. Yoga has been known to have a lot of beneficial effects on mental health. Doing yoga will calm your sympathetic nervous system, helping with stress, and your hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, which controls hormone levels.[4]
- Consider whether the pursuit of spirituality is something you want out of exercise. Yoga is an ancient practice that often involves exploring spirituality. Mediation is a large part of yoga. Yoga and Pilates involve the alignment of the body and the mind, but Pilates will not add focus on the spirit to this unlike yoga.[5]
- On the other hand, yoga can also be done without a large focus on spirituality, if that's not your thing. When it comes time to choose a class, if yoga interests you but spirituality does not, you can look for a more secular yoga class.
EditUnderstanding the Main Differences - Read on the origins of both practices. You might find it beneficial in your deciding process to research online on the origins of yoga and Pilates.[6] Some of the main points of interest include:
- Yoga started over 5000 years ago in India. What is colloquially referred to as yoga is actually part of a larger philosophy and way of life. It was invented to promote a better understanding of oneself and the alignment of the mind, body, and spirit.
- Pilates was invented in the early 20th century as a method of body rehabilitation and strengthening. It started as a tool to rehabilitate World War I soldiers, but it took off when dancers started using it to increase their dancing performance.
- Evaluate the different focuses of both practices. Yoga and Pilates are similar in a lot of ways. They both include movements and poses intended to increase strength, flexibility, and the mind body connection. Ultimately though, yoga is a practice focused on your mind and how you feel, with strength and flexibility coming as a side effect. Pilates is a practice focused on toning your body and bettering your posture and movement.[7]
- Weigh the differences in how breath is used differently in yoga and Pilates.[8] The breathing techniques you use in Pilates and yoga differ quite a bit.
- With Pilates, the breath is used more as a technique of providing the muscles with the energy they need to exercise effectively. Concentrating on the breathing technique throughout Pilates will help you to manage the quantity of oxygen coming into the body and travelling to the muscles to help them become more relaxed.
- In yoga, the breathing exercises help you to achieve relaxation. Throughout yoga routines it is important to continuously concentrate on how the breath is being employed. Sending the breath to areas that may be tight or are holding stress can help to relax these specific muscle groups in your body.
- Evaluate your desire to improve your flexibility. One of the main differences between yoga and Pilates is that yoga can be used for improving the flexibility of the body and it will also gradually increase the flexibility of your joints. Stretching and holding static poses is a central theme in yoga. Pilates is more dynamic, and while flexibility will improve in Pilates, it's not a focus.[9]
- Decide how important increasing strength is to you. Pilates focuses on trying to relax muscles which are tense and provide strengthening of the numerous muscles of the body. Unlike yoga, Pilates includes the use of resistance machines in addition to mat exercises, making it much more similar to weight training than yoga is.[10]
- Yoga and Pilates both contain several poses that are suitable for toning the abdominal muscles. However, Pilates exercises are a lot more intense and results may be achieved much quicker than they might be if practicing yoga. Through frequent Pilates exercises, a flatter and firmer stomach can be achieved.
- Evaluate the differences in mental benefits between yoga and pilates. Understand that yoga will focus on your mind more. Exercise has been proven helpful for individuals who are suffering from depression or anxiety. Yoga might be the most effective exercise to combat the illness because it focuses on the mind and spirit as well as the body. Quiet reflection and meditation are a large part of yoga practice. Many people start yoga with reducing stress as their main goal.[11]
EditTrying Both Out - Try Pilates in your home. Although it's impossible to get the full Pilates experience at home, you can get an idea of what it's like. Perhaps the best way to get started with Pilates at home is to use Youtube. Youtube has a wealth of free videos of instructors giving beginner lessons in basic Pilates exercises.[12]
- One thing you can't get out of home pilates exercise is the use of machines, so keep that in mind.
- Try yoga in your home. Nothing more is needed for yoga than some space and free time, which makes it a great exercise to get started with at home. You may find purchasing a mat to be helpful but it's not necessary. Search online for instructions on how to perform basic poses and postures. There are many video as well as text tutorials that will allow you to get a feel for what yoga practice is like.[13]
- Look for classes near you. If you wish, you can continue to practice yoga or pilates at home, without ever stepping foot in a class. However, finding a good class might help you get the full yoga or pilates experience, and get the most out of the exercise. Search online to find classes near you. Compare the prices and the reviews. Then choose a few check out in person.[14]
- Once you arrive at a yoga or Pilates studio you're interested in trying out, talk to the instructor about your goals and what you're looking for in a class. This will help you decide what class is right for you.[15]
- Attend classes for both to decide which is best for you. If you haven't yet decided for sure whether yoga or Pilates is what you want to do, spend some time at classes for both. Look for classes that offer free trials, or free classes for newcomers. Attend a quality yoga class and a quality Pilates class a few times each and by then you should be able to make a fully informed decision on which will better serve your needs.[16]
- Please consult with your doctor before you take yoga and pilates class. Some of the poses may be dangerous for you if you have had surgery or suffer from any illness.
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