A Life Stress Free – With Pets
July 20, 2013 1 Comment
Watch Your Stress Melt Away!
As pet owners, we are very lucky to have a pet by our side that waits on our every word. Pets, possibly unknowingly, are some of the most important beings in our lives. They comfort, protect, and keep us calm during stressful times. We come in, after a long day, falling apart from the day’s events. Who is there waiting to give us undivided attention? Our dear animal friend. All they want is attention, in return for complete and total loyalty.
Our pets play a vital role in our level of stress management. Let’s face it, our world is filled with stress. Stress comes in many forms both large and small. Because it’s everywhere, it may seem hard to manage all of it. But spending time with our animal friends have been proven to aid in this department. Here are some ways our pets helps us deal with stress:
- Comfort: Something warm, fuzzy, and personal to snuggle with.
- Someone to Talk Too: Pets will never say you’re wrong or that your opinion doesn’t matter. You can vent.
- Confide In: Pet’s wont tell anyone your wishes or secrets. This is like having your own personal confession Priest.
- Attention: Your animal friend will give you 100% attention if you ask of it.
- Love: Love is apparent when you see how your pet looks at you when you say their name up close.
- Loyalty: You pet will go anywhere you go, do anything you do, and would follow you to the moon if you asked it.
Scientifically speaking, it has been shown that spending time with animals can reduce stress greatly. Dr. Edward Creagan, M.D. writes in the MayoClinic’s online blog as to the validity of hormones that are released when humans interact with pets. We sites the following story with a patient:
Several months ago, I was asked to see a woman in her early 30s who had suffered a devastating accident that resulted in paralysis from the waist down and a life-threatening infection from a broken bone in the thigh. She underwent multiple surgeries and was started on a complicated medication schedule. Before she left the hospital she was instructed in the importance of keeping the wound clean and how to change the dressing, and reminded to strictly follow her medication schedule. The patient was bright and clearly understood the importance of these recommendations.
Over a number of months, however, the patient returned to the hospital frustrated and in a desperate situation from dehydration and pain. Once again, she was given careful instructions, which she said she understood.
When I later visited with the patient in the outpatient setting, I saw a miraculous transformation. Hope had replaced despair, and joy had replaced anger. I asked her what had happened. She said, “I owe it all to Toto.”
Toto was a dog that my patient had rescued from the local pound. This dog, in turn, helped save its owner by giving her a reason to get out of the bed every morning. Toto needed to be fed and walked. Toto had to see the vet, and so on.
Toto brought something more as well. As scientists have discovered, animals have healing powers. When you stroke a cat or pet a dog, you experience a surge of healing hormones and chemicals that produce feelings of peace and serenity.
We all love spending time with animals but who knew it was so beneficial to our stress level management? Pets are more than pets. Pets are little beings that enter our lives to take things from us — our worldly distractions. They remind us of the joy of just being alive. They remind us that it’s the small things that matter — the belly rub, the ball, the savoring of a good meal. Animals are treasures leading us to deeper treasure, when we allow ourselves to be shown.
One of the saddest decisions I ever made was to move here and leave my cat at Mom’s. Another was leaving my husband and disappearing to North Carolina, thereby leaving my cat of almost sixteen years, 4 states, 12 homes or apartments, and all of the ups and downs of that time — Cromwell. Cromwell died before I came back to Maine, which once more broke my heart. But my cynical ex-husband, J., buried him in the tulip bed, where he loved to lay in the sun. And he buried him with a can of tuna and his favorite string. That act redeemed J. in my heart.