Importance of Pets

“Life could never be the same without my best friend.” – Anonymous.

I had heard these words before, but I did not think them to be true. Until the day my sister brought home a small baby chicken. He grew up to be my best friend. Furry animals can have one of the greatest influence on us. They impact us with their little paws, and we are forever left with the memories we create with them.

No matter how long or how brief it may be, pets are important. So in a previous article, I had spoken about the time I was diagnosed with depression. It was one of the lowest points of my life.

And the one thing which would not see my sadness for what it was, but instead saw me light up whenever I looked at him, was my pet rooster. It is a peculiar pet I know.

But let me share my story, and how my pet changed the very core of my mental illness.

So I said before, my pet, Qui Qui, was brought home when he was a baby chick. He had been one of the cutest animals I had ever seen and since that day, I had developed this natural sense of belonging towards him and I feel that the feeling is mutual. I learnt to take care of him and he learnt to appreciate me for it.

It is a very deep, understanding bond between us which did not take much efforts to establish. So when I was down with depression, Qui Qui naturally sensed something was wrong.

I would often sit in a corner of my room and cry, and he would come like an angel in disguise and would start bothering me. This had become a routine, he would annoy me till the time I did not play with him. So I started getting in the habit of not sulking when he saw me.

I did not understand it then, but those moments, where I had no strength to get up to do anything, and how I used to make up my mind to play with him, would make the biggest impact on my life. It started slowly but I started becoming happier and happier whenever I was around him.

One of the biggest ways to overcome depression is that you try finding something which holds you to this world, a happy place. And I was glad I had found mine. I had already begun the cycle of overcoming my mental illness, and it was because of my rooster.

And whenever I had those days, where I felt overwhelmed with everything and did not have the courage to continue, I would just hug my big fat rooster and everything would be alright.

It is really funny, how attached I am to him. He may be the main reason why I am not in the place where I was before.

It has been almost a year since I have overcome depression and I am very much grateful to God, that my rooster still stands beside me. At first, I would have never thought that my confidante would be an animal, let alone, a rooster.

That part still shocks me but I strongly believe that animals have a big role to play when it comes to our mental health.

Having a pet is just like having a small kid. It may be a task, but it is definitely worth it. There have been so many movies and documentaries on how pets have had a life-changing impact on people and their lives. We also see that in therapy, sometimes an animal is recommended because they are really therapeutic.

How keeping a pet affects our mental health Well animals have been said to have healing powers over us humans.

 

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Let’s take a closer look at

How pets can affect our mental well being

 

Depression: I speak from personal experience when I say, pets can help you overcome depression. It is said that pet owners are less likely to face depression than non-pet owners. So there is that.

Low blood pressure: Owning pets have been confirmed to lower blood pressure. It means you may not suffer from hypertension, and you will feel relaxed and calm around pets.

Stress relievers: Pets are great stress relievers. They can distract you so well from your problem, and make you lose all that feeling of stress that had been weighing you down. You may not realize it in the process, but it is definitely happening.

Overcoming anxiety: Pets can actually help you overcome anxiety disorders, they can really help you in becoming a calmer, more composite person.

Boost confidence: One of the biggest benefits of having a pet is an immediate confidence booster. You just have more faith in yourself when your pet does too. How pets can influence your physical health, Believe it or not, keeping pets at home can improve your physical health as well. Let’s take a look at a few examples as to how this can happen.

More walks: When you have a pet, like a dog, you take them out for walks, which can be really good for you. Because you are getting fresh air and a little exercise.

Exercise at home: Well having pets can make you exercise at home as well. I speak with personal experience when I say this, that my pet makes me run across the entire house, chasing him. It really is an exercise.

Good eating habits: While you make a specific routine for your pet on when and what to eat, unconsciously, you start implementing it in your life as well. So naturally, it helps boost your immune system.

Fewer heart conditions: Having pets have also said to have decreased the intensity of heart conditions that you might be experiencing.

Lower cholesterol: Having pets have also said to lower cholesterol and also lower blood pressure. It is because of the calming effect that pets have with them that these diseases, cannot take a proper stand against us. How pets actually make you a better person Well it goes without saying, keeping pets make you a better person without you knowing. You will go through these changes and become a very different person from who you used to be. Let’s look at these few changes:

Humility: Being a pet owner, it teaches you one thing, which is very important. That is humility. You become more likely to understand what your pet is trying to tell you.

Kindness: Another aspect of keeping pets is that it teaches you to be kind. Not just with your pet, with other animals as well. You learn how important it is to be kind, especially to animals because of how much they truly need it.

Understanding: After keeping pets, you become more aware of things. You know what the other person is going through and you stop judging them for it.

Happiness: One of the biggest things you will experience when you have a pet is happy. You learn how pure happiness truly feels like and how is it to share it with someone or something.

Humbleness: After keeping a pet, you become humble. You now stop judging people for their tasks and their jobs after you learn to take care of your pet.

Positivity: This is just one of the most important impacts animals can have on you. They bring this atmosphere of positivity around you and they bring you in that atmosphere.

Love: Pets teach you the power of love. How completely pure it is and how it can change everything you stand for.

Trust: Once you own a pet, you naturally become a more trustworthy person because you tend to leave your bad habits behind.

Discipline: You tend to have more discipline in your life. After keeping a pet, you know how important order really is and what kind of havoc can break loose if it is not there. So you naturally become more disciplined.

Gratitude: Last but not the least, you know how grateful you are for your pets. They make your day and make you feel okay. So you are thankful for them and you let them know it. In the end, I would just like to conclude by saying that if you do not have a pet, I hope after reading this article you do. Pets are just radiant beams of sunlight. They bring positivity and happiness and raise the standard of mental well being. I hope that after this, we learn to be nicer to our furry friends who love us all very dearly.