They Help to Lower Our
Level of Stress Hormones
Another amazing chemical effect
that animals have on our brains is
their ability to reduce the level of
stress hormones, in particular, cortisol.
If you have a pet, you've
probably experienced this yourself,
feeling the day's stress melt away
when you get home to some affection
from them. Cortisol can be
damaging to our mental and physical
health, so this is an important
therapeutic function of therapy animals
in both physical and mental
health care.
How ESAs Positively
Impact Our Mental
Health
So, we now know how ESAs can
help us to feel better from a purely
chemical standpoint, but what
about the psychological impact of
having an animal by your side?
There are a huge range of ways
that animals can help us feel better,
some of which you may not
even realize are happening. But
that is the beauty of ESAs—they
are a form of therapy that does not
even feel like therapy. This integration
is extremely helpful in the
beginning to help heal mental
health patients. Here are some
ways in which pets can help with
mental illness from a psychological
standpoint.
They Provide a Point of
Focus and Distract Us
from Our Symptoms
Pets and ESAs are a wonderful diversion
from our problems. Pets
require us to focus on something
other than ourselves which can
help to stop panic attacks and interrupt
cycles of depressive thinking,
or even suicidal thoughts.
Having an ESA forces an owner to
take on tasks outside the scope of
themselves, which can be motivating
and beneficial for mental
health.
They Encourage Us to
Stick to a Routine
Speaking of the tasks that ESAs
encourage us to get on with, these
can also help owners to stay in a
healthy routine. The feeding, exercise
and grooming needs of pets
can help encourage us to keep a
daily schedule that we wouldn't
otherwise, which helps care for our
mental health.
They Help to Foster
Emotional Intelligence
and Encourage Mindfulness
Pets can teach us a lot about emotions.
Your emotional support animal
is not dwelling on what it did
last week, or even what it will do
in the next hour! Pets are masters
of mindfulness and can set a great
example for people with mental
illness that struggle to embrace the
present. Through their intervention,
pets can help you recognize
your own emotions, and even help
you experience them and move on
quickly.
Think About It—Have
You Every Been Around
A Pet In A Bout of
Tears?
Chances are, that while you were
crying your pet came and snuggled
up to you, alerting you to the fact
you were crying, keeping you
company during your tears, but
ultimately reminding you that there
is an important presence there
waiting for your undivided attention
when you're ready.
Emotional support animals can
help to heal us and make us feel
better in so many ways. Whether
it's improving the chemistry of our
brains, or giving us the psychological
support that we need, ESAs are
the perfect natural therapy to help
deal with and overcome mental
health challenges. Looking into
getting an ESA dog, cat, or any pet
today!
Internaonal Pain Foundaon—13