While medication can make us feel
better, it can’t fix our problems entirely. From my personal experience medication alone is not the best way to heal those of us with mental illnesses. There are so many other effective ways to boost serotonin levels
and one I’d like to talk about today is owning a pet.
While pets can’t fix all our mental
health problems, animals do have an unbelievable healing power. Caring for and
spending time with animals can improve our mental health by giving us purpose,
responsibility, a distraction, and affection. If I have an anxiety filled day my favorite
thing to do is to relax on the sofa and snuggle up with the cat. She is always
happy to spend time with me and makes me feel loved and needed. After getting a
cat I didn’t feel so alone anymore. I felt like I had purpose again and as
silly as it might sound, a reason to get up in the morning.
Pets never judge, are always
supportive and are cute as can be. What’s not to love? There have also been
quite a few studies that have proven that just petting an animal can reduce
stress and increase serotonin levels, which is exactly what anti-depressants
do. There are groups like the American
Humane Association that set individuals up with therapy pets that can ome and
visit you regularly if you cannot own a pet; or if you can/do own a pet, you can register
them as an emotional support animal for under $100. This allows you to bring
them with you anywhere and lifts pet restrictions on places like apartments,
restaurants, and airplanes. Many people struggle with mental illness and there
are many animals in shelters in need of loving homes. It’s a win, win for both
humans and animals. So if you’re looking for another option to fight off your
anxiety or depression, besides or in addition to your medication, take a trip
to your local animal shelter. You might be surprised by how much of a
difference owning a pet can make!
You bring up an excellent topic! I never knew it could be so easy. After quick research I have found many sites that will register your pet as an Emotional Support Animal. It's true that my stress level goes down just after a few minutes with my dog and I agree that it could be beneficial to many people.
ReplyDeleteThis is great for people like myself who loves their dog, but I could see it as a potential problem as well. Easy access to EAS registration creates the (assumed) opportunity for ANY animal to be taken anywhere. This could include potentially dangerous animals. I'm not sure I would want to share a public transportation ride with an animal who got their certification online.
Audrey, I see your point on it being a potential problem. Not only would potentially easily provoked or aggravated dogs and cats be with the general public but also the people themselves might take too much advantage of this. I honestly think it's a great loophole for people who are apartment hunting, shopping and the like. I know I would love it if my little Corgi came with me to more stores than just Petco. Instead I have to plan ahead and see how long I leave him by himself at home. But I can't help but think that people would cross that line and register all their pets just because. Whether or not the animal is disruptive at a restaurant, I feel like it would lessen the meaning of an emotional support animal. Sooner or later "legit" people needing emotional support animals will be looked down on because of the other pets' out there who give the whole idea a bad name. You're right, easy access to registration might not be such a good idea.
DeleteMeggsBenedict,
DeleteI like how you wrote about animals giving us a purpose. Many cold winter mornings all I want to do is stay under the covers all the day. It is because of my dog that I get up early and start my day, meaning go out for a walk with my dog, come back to feed him, and play with him for a while. Whether it's laziness or feeling down, dogs change our way of thinking and give us motivation to get through our day.
I fully agree with you Audrey. Sometimes when I am really in just an overall bad mood, nothing quite cheers me up like a few good minutes with my dog. I really think that even laying down with him makes me appreciate how much a living thing really cares about me! I totally love my dog.
DeleteBut I agree with the second half of your comment. As much as I love my dog, I don't think I would feel safe bringing him into a restaurant where people are constantly moving. He's only a little guy and he thrives for attention so I'd be afraid people would get sick of him or disgusted if he goes near their food! But it's nice to know how easy it is to sign him up!
There's nothing like a snout poking you every two minutes to motivate you to get outside and exercise. That and the doggie kisses are two of the ways I control my own depression.
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