It’s the end of the day, you feel exhausted and deadbeat. On a day like this when your mental health keeps deteriorating and you feel nothing can make you feel better or can it? Actually, there is something that can make you feel better. That’s fluffy, playful and adorable which has four legs or maybe it’s feathery with two legs. Yes! I’m talking about pets and how they can actually improve your mental health. Pets affect our mental health in many ways. I’m not telling you to go buy a pet but in this blog I’m going to tell you why spending time with animals will actually improve your mental and physical health.
HOW CAN SPENDING TIME WITH A PET HELP YOU
Increases serotonin and decreases cortisol-
Spending few minutes with a dog or cat or even watching a fish swim makes you feel calmer and less stressed. Your body goes through physical changes in that time that can improve your mood. The level of cortisol decreases which is a stress hormone and there is an increase in the level of serotonin, a chemical that promotes the feeling of happiness.
Helps reduce depression, anxiety and loneliness-
Studies have shown that pet owners are less likely to develop anxiety and depression. Loneliness is a huge risk factor for poor mental health and our pets provide companionship and a sense of purpose. In this way pets affect our mental health by reducing depression, anxiety and loneliness.
Overcoming the limitations of ADHD-
Keeping a pet is beneficial for a child with ADHD. It gives them practice with chores, planning and responsibility. Pets need to play and that helps kids burn off extra energy. As the bond between a pet and a child reflects unconditional love, pets help children with ADHD increase their self-esteem.
They help kids with ASD functions better socially-
While research has previously found that pets can help kids with autism function better socially. A new study shows that children with autism who played with animals had significant drops in anxiety and social stress compared to when they played alone or with peers. They speculate that because pets offer unconditional acceptance, their presence can make kids with social challenges feel more secure and positively supported.
Their presence is comforting-
People with AIDS are less likely to be depressed if they own a pet. With an animal in the home, people with Alzheimer’s have fewer anxious outbursts. The animal also helps the caregivers feel less burdened. Cats seem to be particularly helpful since they need less care than dogs.
Vent out with the fear of being judged-
Most of the people dealing with mental health disorders are not able to vent out their emotions, they feel like people will judge them. You can talk to your pet about anything – your day, your hopes, your dreams. You can practice a speech with them, lament about a breakup, or utter truths that you may be afraid to actually share with someone else.
Helps with suicide ideations-
“Dr. Janette Young, program director for the Bachelor of Health Sciences at the University of South Australia stated that “We are looking at the people who have talked about not taking their own lives because of a pet. The pet has made them feel needed and wanted and loved… it’s a very emotive response. If you look at the theories around suicidality, it fits in with the need to be needed. To feel needed is very important.”
Lowers risk of Schizophrenia-
A new study from Johns Hopkins Medicine suggests that being around dogs from an early age may reduce the chance of developing schizophrenia as an adult. The researchers found a statistically significant decrease in the risk of a person developing schizophrenia if exposed to a dog early in life.
Equine Assisted Therapy-
Building trust with such a sensitive animal takes time, time that can become a healing, empowering process. For years now, children with a range of issues, including Cerebral Palsy, ADHD, ASD, abuse, depression and anxiety have benefited from equine therapy. The many ways of interacting with a horse—offering it carrots and apples; feeding, grooming, and cleaning up after it; leading it around on a long line; saddling up and riding it—gradually develop these children’s self-awareness and sense of agency.
A therapeutic bond with a horse will help in growing mutual trust, respect, affection, empathy, unconditional acceptance, confidence, personal success, responsibility, assertiveness, communication skills, and self-control. In case of Cerebral Palsy it can help them develop trunk strength, gross motor skills, attention span and increase in self-esteem. Equine Assisted Therapy integrates mindfulness at almost every step as the child learns to be present, in the moment, calm, focused and fully engaged.
Bird feeding and Birdwatching-
Just the way pets affect our mental health birds can affect our mental health too. Some recent studies have shown that bird feeding and bird watching, also called birding can make a measurable difference in your stress level. For many people, this act aids in curbing certain mental health ailments. This is beneficial for your mood, your health, and your quality of life in general.
Lowers Cholesterol-
Along wit mental health pets also help us improve our mental health. People who have pets tend to have better levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, compared to people who don’t. The reason for that isn’t clear but one of the reasons could be the more active lifestyle that comes with having pets.
Better Blood Pressure-
Pet owners generally found that minor ailments improved when they spent time with their pets. Furthermore, a study by the American Heart Association found that peoples blood pressure dropped significantly by merely petting animals these could be any animals not just your own pets.
Lower risk of Heart Attack-
In a study it is shown that, people who never owned a cat were 40% more likely to die of a heart attack than those who had. Overall, pet owners are less likely to die of any cardiac disease, including heart failure.
LOSS OF A PET CAN BE TAUMATIC
Pet affect our mental health in both positive and negative ways. One of the first major losses a child will encounter is likely to be the death of a pet, and the impact can be traumatic. Death of a pet can trigger a sense of grief in children that is profound and prolonged, and can potentially lead to subsequent mental health issues. In a paper appearing in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the team found that the strong emotional attachment of youngsters to pets might result in psychological distress that can serve as an indicator of depression in children and adolescents for as long as three years or more after the loss of a pet.
It can cause elevated mental health symptoms in children, and that parents and physicians need to recognize and take those symptoms seriously, not simply brush them off. Having someone to talk to in a sympathetic or therapeutic way may be extremely helpful for a child who is grieving.
ALTERNATIVES IF YOU DONT HAVE A PET
In some cases, people can’t keep a pet at home an alternative for that can be visiting local animal shelters and volunteering at such shelters. If you can keep a pet at home you can always adopt one from animal shelters near you it won’t cost you a single penny for adopting a pet.
In terms of how much difference a pet could make, it completely depends on the individual. It would be remiss to assume every single person would benefit from a pet. Likewise, it would be remiss to assume every single pet would benefit from an owner. Although for some, owning a pet can be the difference between life and death, and that’s no exaggeration.
REFERENCES
– https://pets.webmd.com/ss/slideshow-pets-improve-your-health
– https://www.parents.com/health/special-needs-now/how-pets-can-help-kids-with-autism/
– https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-personal-renaissance/201801/why-do-horses-help-us-heal – https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200910130412.htm
