If you EVER needed an excuse to go out and buy or adopt a pet (I highly support pet adoption), I’m about to give you several! Most of us, at one point or another, have owned and cared for a pet. It’s hard work at times, can be costly at times and is never easy when it’s time to say good bye. However, the benefits of having a faithful companion far outweigh the not-so-easy moments by far. Let’s explore what having a pet can do for your health, assuming of course that you are not allergic to animals. If you are, hope is not lost. You may be allergic to cats, but can have a dog? Today, hypoallergenic dogs are bread for people with allergies, so that may be another possibility.
Pet’s do more than just hang around. They become our friends. We get to know them and their personalities, just as if they were human. They listen, when we need an ear. They greet us when we arrive at home, they walk with us to the store and follow us around the house. With pets, we don’t ever have to be alone and as some pet owners can attest, we rarely are!
Studies have shown the positive effects of pets on the mind, body and soul. In fact, the Center for Disease Control has a page on their website dedicated to the good of owning and having a pet and how it can improve one’s health.
So, what are some of the benefits of having a pet?
Psychological Benefits
- Widowed women who own pets have fewer physical and psychological issues and take less medication than recently widowed women who don’t own pets.
- Older adults with less social confidants are less likely to suffer from depression if they are animal owners.
- Pet owners have greater self-esteem.
- People are better able to cope with rejection if they own a pet.
- People report and increased sense of belonging and meaningful existence.
- Overall reduced stress.
Physical Benefits
- Pet owners exercise more.
- Lower cholesterol levels.
- Lower triglyceride levels.
- Lower blood pressure.
- Higher incidence of healing and recovery.
- Reduced allergies (seems counter intuitive, but it’s been proven).
If you don’t have a pet friend and you struggle with any of the aforementioned conditions or any other conditions that may benefit from the love of a faithful companion, please take the time to study what a pet can do for your health. Having something to nurture and focus on, other than yourself, is sometimes all we need to help us focus less on the bad that may be happening to us, and instead focus on the good that we can create for another living being. Pets are full of love and positive energy and let’s face it, we could all use more of that.
So, enjoy the pet you have or go out and get a pet friend and enjoy the smile that it brings to your face and to your soul.
Tina