Perfect pets
I hope you are all keeping safe and finding ways to get used to this new normal. Never did I think when I wrote my first blog that this would still be going on several months later or in fact be staying with us for what looks like quite some time. Please keep being kind to yourself this is new to us all and there is no right or wrong way to deal with it! If you are struggling reach out there are always people who are happy to listen
Thought I would make this next blog about something that is close to my heart so here we go:-
Animals and mental health
Big or small, love them or not they can have an impact on our mental health. This doesn’t mean you have to rush out and get yourself a pet there are other ways of getting the benefits without having to do that (we will look at that more in a minute!)
Firstly, let us just look at some of the benefits of interacting with our furry friends. They can reduce: -
Depression, stress and anxiety. What’s not to love?
Along with this they can combat loneliness as they provide companionship and more often than not unconditional love.
Research by Psychologist Alan Beck and Psychiatrist Aaron Katcher measure what happens to the body when you pet/stroke a friendly dog:-
Blood pressure goes down
Heart rate slows
Breathing becomes more regular
Muscle tension relaxes
Playing with felix or fido for just 5 minutes, can reduce your stress levels and raise your levels of serotonin and dopamine (our happy hormones). Studies show a dog can calm hyperactive and aggressive children.
Children with ADHD can benefit from working with and keeping a dog. Being given jobs to do such as feeding, grooming, playing helps a child learn to plan and at the same time be responsible.
On top of all of these benefits If we do own a pet we often introduce healthy habits into our lives: -
Getting out of bed at regular times otherwise we are rudely woken by a wet nose or a meow.
We get more physical as we spend time with our pets outside walking, throwing even chasing (especially when your favourite shoe is with them!)
We spend time in nature which has so many benefits ( look out for my next blog mental health and being outdoors)
Pets support social connection – many chats started apologising for your four-legged friends behaviour as they like nothing more than greeting people when covered in mud!
It’s not just dogs and cats we are talking about here. Since the 1990’s Equine Assisted Therapy has been around for teenagers. This allows a human-horse connection so enabling teens to address emotions and issues.
Okay so this is all the wonderful side and in honesty with so many benefits the negatives often don’t seem worth thinking about, but it is always important to remember a pet is for life and not just for Christmas. They need feeding, entertaining and loving on a regular basis and generally hate being left alone for long periods of time - this can be shown by chewing, scratching, howling or just generally looking sad and giving you those eyes so you feel guilty for days and promise them you will never go out again!
Like I said earlier you don’t have to own a pet to get all of these benefits there are other ways:-
Go to your local rehoming centre and volunteer your walking skills
contact charities such as hearing dogs for deaf people (https://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/) as these dogs often require socialising at the weekends perfect if you are out at work all week!
Go for a walk in the country and find a willing horse who is happy to accept strokes, I have always found them to be great listeners!
When it is fully safe to do so go to a petting farm and spend some time with anything that is willing to be stroked or cuddled