Can you get rid of mice without traps or poison?

I've had a mouse problem this week, and I haven't been handling it very well. As you know, I am a nature-loving spiritual woman who believes that everything is connected. At least, in theory, that is what I think. But when it comes to seeing a mouse run along the baseboards in my kitchen and disappear under the fridge, my goal shifted rather rapidly from living in harmony with nature to how can I kill that mouse and any family members that may also be here.

So, I ordered all the mouse traps, but it didn't go for any of them the first night. The mouse wasn't interested in that organic peanut butter I added to try and make it irresistible. The next night I put out one of those sticky trays, and of course, the mouse chose the road of suffering. My husband had to end their life. And I felt sick about it. I was greatly relieved the mouse was gone.

All the websites I read on getting rid of mice said the same thing, "you never have just one mouse." I didn't believe it. There was very little evidence in our cupboards of even one mouse. I was confident that we had got it quickly, and we were the exception to the more than one mouse. The next night, my husband saw a mouse run from the dining room to the living room. Of course, he chose to share that news with me just as I was about to turn the light on and retire for the evening. GAH! No sleep for me.

Yesterday, I did some deep diving into how I was reacting to this mouse. I recognized that I was so agitated by this mouse's presence for a couple of reasons.

1. We are living in another lockdown in Ontario. It is not safe out in the world. I need to feel safe in my home more than ever. Having a rodent on the loose does not feel safe to me. It makes me uncomfortable. I am a jumpy person, and every time I open a cupboard, I brace myself, not wanting to startle the mouse or have it surprise me! I don't have the emotional energy for it.

2. It's messing with my beliefs. I once read something that said most people live as functional atheists. The article talked specifically about Christians, but I think it applies to most of us that say we believe in a higher power of any persuasion. We don't look for spiritual solutions to physical problems. We take things into our hands and get it done. So, I started thinking about how I could deal with this spiritually. Could I pray away the mouse? Theoretically, I believe that is possible.

So, yesterday, after sorting through my feelings and using some of my best coaching practices on myself, I decided on a holistic plan of action to try and get rid of the mouse/mice. Here's what I did:

1. Spiritually: I sat in the living room, the rodent's last known location and talked to it. I thought about the interview I did with Mary Reynolds and what she wrote about in her book, The Garden Awakening. She successfully convinced insects in her garden not to eat certain plants by having a conversation with them. She dedicates a couple of plants to them and allows them to eat what they want on those plants. The insects leave the rest of the garden alone. I thought I would give it a try. I told the mouse that this house was not a place for it to share with us. I asked it to leave, and I said it wouldn't end well if it stuck around. This house isn't big enough for the two of us.

2. Practically: I order some containers and packed up everything that might temp the mouse in our cupboard in them. I also got additional traps. Getting rid of a mouse is not cheap!

3. Emotionally: I did a lot of self-coaching on how I could shift my thinking from a place where I felt fearful and anxious to a place where I felt courage and took action.

4. Physically: I've been taking care of myself. I listened to some Sleep Music on my Insight Timer app, put peppermint oil around my room and lavender on my pillows and slept for 8 1/2 hours.

The mouse hasn't been seen for 36 hours now. Did it leave? Is it regrouping? I'm not sure. What I do know is that I believe the things that happen in our lives contain lessons for us. I've made a call to deal with a foundation issue I had been procrastinating on making. I have seen how my values and beliefs must work in practice or they are just platitudes. I've found a way to be grateful for this creature even if I don't want it in my house.

Note: I am an Amazon affiliate and the link to Mary's book is to Amazon. I would prefer you purchase from a local bookseller if possible. If you use my link I benefit so you are helping a small business as well.