Pets Pawsitive Impact on Overall Wellbeing
/
By Bree nussbaum, AMFT
Animals are proven to enhance health in a variety of ways including mental and physical wellbeing. From a holistic point of view, they make a welcome addition to any home and for all family members.
Mental health benefits
Creating a secure attachment: Sometimes relationships with humans can become insecure resulting in challenges and confusion. Pets can serve as secure attachments and help us understand how to open ourselves up again to relationships and loving someone. Dogs in particular are companions that show unconditional love.
Reducing stress: Research shows that relationships with pets can decrease cortisol levels which are a stress-related hormone. Pets like fish may be particularly calming to watch them swim back and forth.
Reducing loneliness: Pets can be a companion and something that often needs your love and care. Caring for a pet can help to reduce loneliness and increase sense of purpose.
Improved Mood: Having a pet around can help improve mood. Perhaps your pet makes you smile or knows when you are upset. A pet can help you regulate in order to improve your mood.
Physical health benefits
Increasing activity: Two or three shorter walks a day with your dog, or playing with a cat around the home can help increase daily activity and get your body moving. The benefits are twofold with you and your pet both getting exercise!
Lowering blood pressure: Living with animals in the home has also proved to reduce blood pressure for the owners.
Caretaking for yourself and your pet: Taking care of something else, might encourage you to take better care of your physical health. For example, in a group of teens with diabetes, some were in charge of taking care of a fish while others only had to manage their health. The teens with the extra responsibility of the fish were more likely to regularly check their blood glucose levels and take care of themselves more than the control group.
Overall, pets positively impact our physical, emotional and mental health. Whether big or small, all pets can encourage positive change in their new home. Consider the options that best serve you and your daily life and see how pet ownership could transform your health.