Today, we live in a world where we are most stressed due to several reasons. Even though we look out for various ways to release this stress, we often fail to be completely stress-free. The common things which might come to your mind are meditation, exercise, yoga, listening to music, etc. There are times when you will feel like these things aren’t helpful enough to release the stress. In such conditions, you will need a friend around you for moral support.
It is not necessary to be a friend, that person can be your partner, your sibling, cousin, colleague, parent, etc. The most important part is to have someone around you who can provide the support you need to release the stress. We often feel lonely and alone when there is no one around to talk or to just sit by your side. That emptiness is pretty stressful in itself.
When you are alone, all by yourself, the best way to relieve stress is by having a friend around. Now, this friend doesn’t have to be a human which also doesn’t mean that you hire a robot. You can pet an animal to have someone around you. Pets are one of the most wonderful beings you can have around. You can pet a dog, a cat, a rabbit or even a bird.
Yes, here we are discussing how your furry friends can help you release stress. Have you ever wondered how beautiful it is when you return home after work and your pet dog or cat jump on you to flourish their love for you? It is such a heartwarming feeling, isn’t it? Well, pets can give great support when you are stressed, depressed or tensed. Probably they are even better than humans in such cases.
The Theoretical Approach
A couple of years back there were some researches done on the effects of owning a pet. Some studies were even reported in the Scientific American and the Journal of Research in Personality published them. The research was done based on three different groups. The first group had a pet, the second group was asked to think about having a pet and the third group had no pets. Further, they were asked to list their goals on how they plan to achieve them. The first and second groups were precise about their goals while the third group listed some vague ideas.
Another study was conducted on a similar format where the groups were asked to perform stressful work. The researchers monitored their blood pressure levels and the people who owned pets had lower blood pressure levels when compared to others. The study revealed that owning pets can not only relieve stress but also keeps you healthy.
The HABRI or HumanAnimal Bond Research Institute is still conducting researches and studies on how pets can benefit human health. The human and animal bonding is divided into three basic categories, which are child health development, adult health and aging, and finally mental health. HABRI in association with ADAA has effectively raised awareness about animal ownership and the health benefits related to it. Here is a list of benefits which pets offer to human health. Stress relief is one of the major help offered by pets.
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Improves Your Mood
If you are a true animal lover then you just cannot have a bad mood. If you may pet a dog or a cat, you just cannot have a bad day. Your day starts with a pair of paw rolling upon you and cuddling with you to wake you up. On the other hand, the day ends with a furball sitting on your lap to usher their love. Pets can help you in various ways like social support, enhancing your mood, making you laugh, allowing you to feel loved, etc.
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Keeps Blood Pressure under Control
Stress is known to enhance the blood pressure which later on leads to other heart conditions and health issues. Your pet can effectively help you control the blood pressure levels. People who own a pet have a lower risk of heart attack and have a controlled blood pressure level.
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Forces You to Exercise
Well, exercise doesn’t only mean that you need to lift heavy weights, going out for a walk or jogging in the morning is a form of cardiovascular exercise. This is very common for dog owners rather than cat or bird owners. As dogs like to go for a walk, the owners too need to accompany them which develop a habit of exercising. Exercising is a great way to manage stress and overall health.
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Provides Social Support
Precisely, there are two types of people in this world, the extroverts, and the introverts. The extroverts are pretty normal when it comes to socializing while the introverts find it tough to socialize. Owning a pet cat or dog or any other pet allows you to socialize with them. You won’t feel abandoned or depressed when you have your pet around you.
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Provide Unconditional Love
We all want to be loved, but human love doesn’t always come without conditions. There are relative wants and desires which force a person to lay down conditions for loving their partner. In the case of animals, it is true and pure unconditional love. You just need to take good care of them and they will usher all the love in the world for you. This, in turn, is a great solution for stress relief.
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Helps Reduce Stress
You might have noticed, when we seek to support, we need someone to listen to us. Communication is only established when you can speak and the other person listens before saying anything. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen all the time and this is why we feel stressed. Not being able to speak our heart out is a huge reason for stress and depression. Spending time with your pet can help you relieve stress. Pets are the best friend anyone can have.
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