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How Dogs Can Help With Anxiety, Stress and Depression

For many pet parents, their furry companions are their ultimate source of happiness. It isn’t uncommon for dog-owners to go on and on about the joy their pups bring into their lives. While anecdotal evidence suggests that dogs can improve your mood, scientific research backs up these claims further by proving the vast amount of positives they provide to our mental health.

5 Ways Dogs Help Our Mental Health

Here are 5 benefits a dog can provide a patient who is experiencing mental health symptoms.

1. Dogs Can Provide Emotional Support

Most dog-owners perceive the act of bonding with their pets as unconditional and thus wholly reliable. People who experience symptoms of depression, stress, anxiety, and loneliness may have a hard time opening up to others, but dogs provide endless emotional support. Dogs won’t judge or criticize you, regardless of how you’re feeling or reacting.

 

What’s more, stroking your dog’s fur, listening to their breath, and feeling their body temperature provides emotional relief and stimuli, which is hard to receive as you’re battling a mental illness.

 

While any dog can help with anxiety, stress, and depression, emotional support animals (ESA’s) can provide support and companionship to a more extended degree. Whereas your dog may be denied entry on a plane or living accommodations, ESAs receive special privileges and can accompany you throughout your daily life. For more information on ESAs, visit CertaPet.com.

2. Dogs Can Reduce Loneliness and Stress

Petting your dog provides more than just emotional support; it also plays a role in stress management. Oxytocin, the hormone that regulates stress levels, is produced through repetitive motion because it induces a sense of calm.

 

This hormone is also integral in fighting physical pain, which may arise from frequent or prolonged bouts of depression, stress, or anxiety.

 

If you lower your stress level, you’ll eventually promote growth and healing in your body. Calmness can also stimulate positive social interactions, expanding your circle of friends.

3. Dogs Can Help Build a Routine

Everyone needs a stable daily routine for the benefit of their mental health, but it’s incredibly difficult to start building one when you feel so awful. However, your dog can help you rebuild a routine.

 

Since your dog relies on you to be fed, walked, and played with, they will notify you if you aren’t fulfilling their needs. Once you start fulfilling theirs, you can start fulfilling your own.

 

Introducing a dog into your life can quicken your recovery and help you keep track of a daily schedule. Still, you need to make sure you’re prepared for this responsibility beforehand.

4. Dogs Can Encourage Movement and Exercise

People who suffer from anxiety, stress, and depression are told to stay active by exercising. Having a dog increases the likelihood that you’ll take them out for walks, playtime, and dog parks.

 

Depression can quickly sap your energy and make you feel lethargic, but your pup will always want to stay engaged with you by encouraging movement, play, and exercise.

 

With prolonged exercise and exposure to society, depressed, stressed, and anxious individuals will start to recover faster, and in turn, will want to leave their house more frequently.

5. Dogs Will Grow Your Social Circle

As humans, we need social support from our friends, family, and spouse. Unfortunately, mental illness can make us feel cut-off from the world and reclusive, which causes us to interact with new people less and less.

 

When you adopt a dog, you become a social magnet. After your first walk around the block, you’ll quickly see how popular you and your dog are with others.

 

New social interactions can enhance your sense of well-being and belonging. Plus, you can practice speaking to different people, which could help you develop new social connections.

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