The unconditional love of a pet can do more for you than just keep you company or make you laugh. Pets can be loyal companions and cause your stress to decrease. They can help us emotionally, help our children, improve our heart health, increase, and hone our social skills and lift our mood.
Nowadays 98 % of pet owners believe that their pets are a member of their family and treat them as such. Pets offer us love and affection and can sense if we are happy or sad and act accordingly. In a survey, 74% of pet owners said that they had mental health improvements from owning a pet and also reported 75% of friends reported that they noticed an improved mental state when pet ownership happened. So, people are not only happier with pets sharing their homes, but they are healthier.
Interfacing with animals can aid us in managing long-term mental health conditions. Particularly, our animals and therapy animals can help alleviate social isolation, stress, feelings of loneliness, and anxiety. They sit with us and take walks with us; they sleep with us and keep us company in so many other aspects of life. Our pets do so much more for us including providing a sense of security and routine which involves emotional and social support. There are studies that have shown pets are initiators when it comes to meeting and getting to know people [think dog park] they help with friendship development and social support networks.
Cortisol is a stress-related hormone that can cause negative health consequences during stressful events. Interacting with animals can reduce those amounts and lower blood pressure in our bodies which is a win-win.
Other important studies have proven that animals raise our mood, reduce our loneliness, and increase feelings of social support. They also have found that children with autism spectrum disorder became calmer when they played with animals. The kids had better social interactions and became more engaged with their peers. Children felt that the animals offered them unconditional love and acceptance becoming a calm comfort to them. All this from having pet guinea pigs in their classrooms!
Each animal can give something different to each person. Take for example dogs, they are very present when they are with us. If an owner is struggling with something, they will sit with you and bring comfort. They can give you a look, a paw, or a lick to let you know they are there. Their attentions are focused on their owner all of the time. It is quite remarkable, the saying, dogs are a man’s best friend is so very true.
Dogs are also great motivators for better physical fitness in our lives. Dogs need to be walked several times a day, they like to play ball or catch their owner. This will increase your physical fitness level daily; it is going to relieve stress and elevate your mood as well. Therapy animals can also be a way to build bridges for new social interactions, just being around an animal decreases your blood pressure.
Stress can be about worry, worrying about the past, fretting about the future but when you own a pet it really does help you be and stay in the moment. By keeping your attention in the present, it reduces your stress level, it can decrease your reactions to nerve-wracking situations.
We pet owners will feel less lonely, our need for touch will be fulfilled with our beloved animals, our self-esteem is increased and by the way, they support us, we will be more resilient to stress. How amazing animals are! They do so much for us. Finally, our animals make us laugh! It can be so humorous watching them play and run through their antics, it is just another way of relieving stress which makes us healthier human beings.
If you are thinking about getting a pet, make sure you think it through. Owning a new pet is a lot of work, especially in the beginning but the dividends outweigh the work. Part of caring for an animal takes our minds off ourselves which is another way to relieve stress without even knowing it. So, talk to others who own pets or therapy animals, get the information you need, and then gather the proper resources and you are set to go. It is an investment that will bring you years of happiness.
Thank you, furry friends!!!