How Our Pets Help Our Mental Health

How Our Pets Help Our Mental Health

Man and animal. An honest relationship built on trust and understanding. But to what extent does this relationship go? It has been scientifically proven that having pets and animals in your life can improve your health in many ways. A pet can be a great source of comfort, motivation, and most importantly companionship.

Pets have been known to be a great source of motivation for people. Dogs are especially good at encouraging their owners to take them out for a walk and get some exercise. Taking your dog out for a walk or to the park can be beneficial for people suffering from depression because it helps get you up and active. Walks can also lead to conversations with other pet owners and can help owners stay socially connected. People with more social relationships and friendships tend to be mentally healthier.

Pets can also have calming effects on their owners which is usually achieved when stroking, sitting next to, or playing with a pet. Pets provide companionship for their owners and can provide a sense of security. Having at least one pet in the house for the soul purpose of companionship has been shown to be especially valuable among older people or people who live alone since they do not get much interaction. Studies have also shown people who have Alzheimer’s are thought to have fewer anxious outbursts when there are pets in the house to help keep them calm.

Studies have also shown pets being a great management tool for children with ADHD. By taking charge of the jobs needed to care for a pet like feeding, walking, and bathing, it can help children learn to plan and be responsible. Pets also need to play and being able to play with their pet helps release extra energy children with ADHD have. Pets are also great listeners for children and can offer unconditional love and cannot criticize children for having too much energy. These things can aid in the development of a child’s self-confidence and can help a child learn to manage their ADHD.

Animal assisted therapy is another benefit of owning a pet to help manage your overall health. It has been proven to enhance the effectiveness of traditional therapy. Even within a few minutes of interacting with a pet or a therapy animal the bodies levels of serotonin and dopamine go up. Relaxing the nervous system which in turn reduces the tension in the body. Therapy animals have also been known to help alleviate symptoms in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and help people who suffer from other types of anxieties or depression.

There are many wonderful benefits to owning pets. Whether it is to help manage your anxiety or just have some company, pets have become an important part of many people’s lives. It can be comforting to know that there are better ways to improve your quality of life and one of those ways could be welcoming a new pet into your family. Our society often faces many challenges like loneliness, depression, PTS, anxiety and so much more, but we do not have to face them alone. So long as you keep an open mind and an open heart, anything can be possible with the power that comes from the unconditional love a pet offers.