Why Pets are Amazing for Your Mental Health – My Experience
To start off, there are a lot of fluff balls out there, but I assure you mine are the best. Anyways, I’m just kidding, but it’s probably true that most pet owners love their companions a lot. Like I cannot imagine a reality where I did not ever get my two cats: Charming (long-haired gray male) and Lily (short-haired white female). Best part of it all is that the feeling is mutual. The headbutts, playful bites to get your attention, barking, whining, and invading your personal space are just lovable (but sometimes annoying) ways your cat, dog, iguana, or whatever companion shows their love to you.
And guess what: If it’s not already kind of obvious, pets are also great for your mental health as well. All my bad days vanish because I know that I have a lovable ball of fur who loves me no matter what. Anyways, now poses the question: How exactly do pets help your mental health?
Picture of my lovable cats. One on the left is Lily and the right one is Charming.
They lower stress.
Scientifically, pets have been shown to decrease the level of cortisol (stress-related hormone) in your body along with blood pressure (NIH News in Health, 2018). But, whatever the scientific nitty gritties are, it’s pretty obvious at least for me. Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed with work or just with life, I sometimes go to my cats and spend 10 minutes petting and playing with them. It’s amazing because when I am stressed, I feel like there is a knot in my brain, but the second I start playing with my cats, that knot unwinds. I feel refreshed and happier because playing with any animal is not unenjoyable, and it sometimes can be one of the funnest things you can do. Like how I said in my last blog post that doing things you love is one of the big unwinders of a stressed mind, spending 5 minutes with your pet is another one of those activities.
They rely on you.
Sometimes taking care of a pet is a lengthy and strenuous task like owning a dog, but because you have a dependent to take care of, you have something to get you up in the morning. School days are hard and waking up even before the rooster crows is even more difficult. For me, I wake up at 6:45 AM every school day, and it sucks of course. But, I have to get out of bed in order to clean the cats’ litter boxes and change their food and water bowls because that’s what they need to get through the day. And I feel like for people who may not have that sense of need from anyone and may feel like a burden on everyone, having a pet whose daily responsibilities need to be fulfilled creates that sense of purpose. No matter what mental state you are in, I feel like owning a pet gives you the motivation to at least get out of bed and take care of them.
Love them to death but with all their lazing around, they won’t be able to take care of themselves. All day they just sleep, so I have to get out of bed to take care of their daily necessities.
You get physically active.
Now this benefit is more targeted toward dog owners or any pet owners whose companion needs to be pretty physically active during the day. In school, we sit for at least 5 hours a day. Essentially, we sit as long as it takes to fly to California. And for a lot of people after school, you go home, sit down at a desk and do your homework, sit down and watch TV, sit down and play games, etc. Either way, you are sitting down for a majority of the day. Trust me, if anyone were to be picked to see if they have a Vitamin D (vitamin that you get from being in the sun) deficiency, a lot of people will get a positive result. I cannot say anything about this topic as I don’t take my cats out on walks, but having more active animals like dogs forces you to take around 15 to 30 minutes out of your day and go outside and walk. Physically, you stay somewhat active and in shape, but mentally, forcing yourself to take a break and spend time with a pet you love is a surefire way to boost your mental health. Scientifically, exercise has been shown to release endorphins and dopamine (essentially feel good chemicals) into your body. Essentially, you get a free break every day to spend time with your dog or other pet outside and not do anything that requires much thinking. Sounds like a win win to me.
Anyways, in order not to make this blog post atrociously long, I hope you get the point that animals are great. These three benefits just touch the tip of an iceberg when it comes to how pets improve your mental health. For me personally, the $300 I (my mom actually) spent on adopting both of my pets was probably some of the best financial decisions I have made for my mental health. Remember that when it feels like the world has turned against you, your little fluff ball will always be by your side and love you unconditionally.
References:
Healthdirect Australia. (2023). 7 ways pets improve your mental health. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/7-ways-pets-improve-your-health
The power of pets. (2018, February 1). NIH News in Health. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-pets
Avantika Palayekar - Author
