How Pets Can Help Us Heal...

 

One of the things I just love about having a dog is the many benefits I get from spending time with my furry companion, specifically a reduction in my stress level.  Stress is one of  main causes of inflammation in the body and inflammation leads to disease.  So, by reducing our stress levels, we help our body to naturally heal itself.  Although there are many stressors in life at this moment and we are all trying our best to handle whatever life doles out upon us.  I know I am.  I am trying to maintain my sanity amid a pandemic with three kids, a job and a house to upkeep.  I'm everything at the moment...child psychologist, teacher, cook, nanny, maid, home health nurse, carpet cleaner, driver...basically everything you can think that a stay at home mom would be plus more.  But when I sit down and take time to pay attention to our dog, I find myself focused on the present and begin to realize that life can slow down a bit.  We don't always need to be on a go go go mode.  We can slow down and smell the flowers.  Whenever I walk our dog, I see how he sniffs all the flowers, the rosemary that grows in our neighborhood, etc.  He takes the time to appreciate what is around him and watching our dog makes me realize how important it is for us all to slow down.  Pets confer immeasurable health benefits for their owners and a reduction in stress is just one of them.  In addition to a reduction in stress, pets help their owners get more physical activity (think walking your dog three times a day), a reduction in blood pressure (due to physical activity and less stress), lower risk of heart attacks, alleviation of depression (you finally have a companion to do things with), allergy reduction ( kids exposed to pets as babies had less risk of allergies), low blood sugar detection (some dogs have been trained to detect drops in blood sugar and can alert their owners when blood sugar is at dangerous levels), and less risk of stroke (due to a reduction in stress).  

Speaking of depression, we personally know someone who was able to get off her anti-depressant medication after she adopted her dog.  I love the fact that my dog gets me out of the house, helps me to get some much needed exercise and provides me with numerous health benefits.  One benefit is increased socialization.  When you have a dog, you are more likely to connect with people who ask about your dogs breed or are pet owners themselves.  You are more likely to hang out at a dog park and meet other pet parents.  Connecting with others is extremely important as isolation and loneliness are also detrimental to your health.  In the United States, there is an epidemic of loneliness.  According to an article I read, loneliness and social isolation can be as damaging to your health as smoking 15 packs of cigarettes a day.  Let that sink in.  It is important for us all to have social connections, meaningful relationships and to join social groups with people with have things in common with.  It is important for people to have positive people in their lives who are not negative, degrading or demeaning.  I love having friends who lift me up instead of putting me down.  It is vital for my own health and wellness.  

Having critters aside from dogs can also be beneficial for one's health.  Did you ever look at group of fish in a fish tank and start to feel more calm and relaxed?  Watching fish swim in a fishtank can also be beneficial.  Fish have a motion that is rhythmic as they swim back and forth creating a sort of hypnotic effect.  Watching fish swim is calming for our minds and is why fishtanks are so popular.  Having a fishtank in your home can reduce your stress, improve your sleep, lower your blood pressure and heart rate, decrease pain and anxiety, improve focus and creativity and have a calming effect for children and Alzheimer's patients.  And for myself, it is a gentle reminder of happy times from my childhood when my family and I visited islands, put on our snorkle gear and enjoyed watching the fish in the ocean.  I feel instantly transported to the ocean where my body would float weightlessly in the salt water with my snorkle gear on.  The beauty of the ocean never ceases to amaze me and I remember how at peace I felt watching the undersea world, an entire world devoid of the problems of humanity but a treasure for us all.

I truly hope you decide to get a pet for yourself, whether a cat, dog, hamster, hermit crab or fish tank.  The benefits from being with other Earthly creatures outweigh the additional work.