The Mental Health Benefits of Owning a Pet
Pets come in a wide variety of different colors, shapes, and sizes with unique personalities that give them a special place in our hearts. Not only do these domestic animals look cute, but they also help to improve the mental health of their owners. There’s more to a pet-owner relationship than meets the eye, and this article takes a deep dive to look at its unique benefits.
A Pet For Every Lifestyle
Pets bring so much love and joy into their owners’ lives, making them popular additions to many households in the U.S. People of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy the mental health benefits that they receive through their relationship with their animal companions.
Some of the most popular animals that are owned as pets in the U.S. include:
Dogs
Cats
Fish
Reptiles
Rabbits
Horses
Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Having the grounding presence of a pet in your life can help to reduce your stress and anxiety. By simply spending time with them, you can feel more at ease and relaxed. Being around your pet helps to relieve you of mental and physical strain by lowering the amount of cortisol in your body, which is the hormone that’s caused by stress and can be harmful if too much is pumping through your system.
When you play with your pet, you experience feelings of happiness and bonding caused by a chemical release of oxytocin and dopamine in your brain. This can help you to be more present and live in the moment. Hanging out with your pet can also lead you to practice mindfulness and forget life’s daily stresses, giving you a refreshing emotional boost.
Pets can also provide a form of sensory stress relief through the elements of touch and movement. Petting, stroking, and cuddling with your pet can lower both your stress hormones and your blood pressure. This leaves you feeling more calm, relaxed, and at peace.
Give a Sense of Purpose
Your pet depends on you as its sole provider and caregiver. In turn, this gives you a sense of purpose and another reason to wake up every day. It also helps to keep you on a schedule and create more structure in your life. When your life is oriented around taking care of a pet, you begin to realize how valuable your efforts are and start to understand that your existence has a true sense of meaning that extends beyond yourself.
The job description may look different depending on the type of pet you own, but nonetheless, taking care of it also helps you take care of yourself. Completing daily routines such as walking your pet, feeding and watering it, playing with it, or cleaning its living space helps you to be more active and responsible. Having an important job to do, such as caring for your pet, directly gives you a stronger sense of purpose in your life and helps to boost your self-esteem.
Offer Unconditional Love
Pets are a unique source of nonjudgemental, consistent, and unconditional love. They don’t care about what you look like, what job you have, the type of car you drive, how much money you make, or anything else that the rest of the world may judge you for. They simply love you for being you and want to spend every waking moment of their life with you.
The relationship between a pet and its owner has a unique dynamic that’s mutually beneficial. This leads to both the person and the animal experiencing positive benefits from spending time in each other's company. The steadfast warmth that you experience in your pet’s presence gives you a calm sense of peace that can be hard to find in this busy world.
There’s no social pressure to be perfect when you’re around your pet because they’re quick to forgive and forget any of your “shortcomings.” This makes your pet your most trustworthy and loyal friend who will stay by your side on both your good and bad days.
Provide Companionship
The companionship that owners experience with their pets is something that’s unlike any other human-to-human relationship in their lives. Having a friend that you can come home to every day helps to brighten your mood and lift your spirits. This consistent and uplifting companionship is incredibly beneficial to people’s mental health because it gives them a stable source of friendship and an emotional safe space where they can fully let their guard down.
People have social inclusion needs that have to be met in order to live well. This translates to the need for love, acceptance, and belonging. The need for social inclusion is the biggest priority that follows right after basic psychological, safety, and security needs are met. People often find satisfaction for this need through their family, friendships, romantic partners, community groups, social groups, and religious organizations.
However, if you’re somebody who struggles with feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety, socializing with others can sometimes feel more draining than fulfilling. The perk that comes with having a pet is that you can get your social inclusion needs met by spending time with them without having to navigate through the awkward small talk that you would with people.
