New Delhi, October 9-You must have heard people talking about ways to deal with stress and various anxieties engulfing in the fast moving world today. Relief stress, or in other words, finding those comforting moments of peace and tranquillity is what we all are after today given the situations thrown at us by life’s demanding and rigorous routine.
Now we all know of techniques like meditation, yoga, running and journaling and what life enhancing effects they can promisingly have on us but hey, this time we are not focussing on these methods to cope stress and depression. Apart from these physical exercises, we also have another way of making us claim back our mental health and wellness.
We are talking having a good friend by our side. Now, having good friends of course mean hanging out or taking a stroll with a new friend and they do provide us with great social support and understand us but sometimes, we should also go beyond a human friend and try being with someone who can’t understand human languages and emotions but in exchange proves to be, in many ways, a far more profound company and gives you much more comfort and solace than you can ask for. We are talking here about a Dog or a Cat.
As shown by earlier research pets can provide excellent social support, stress relief, and other health benefits—perhaps more than people! The following are more health benefits of pets.
Let us see how having a Dog and Cat as a pet or just petting or caressing your furry friends you keep meeting in your neighbourhood can work wonders in boosting our mental health.
Pets Uplift Your Mood
It is virtually impossible for you to remain in a bad mood for long once you own a pet. When a furry friend hops on the bed and wakes you up every morning by rubbing itself against your cheeks and cutely wiggles its tail or simply becomes the partners in the crime of and joins you in your late morning sleep, how can your day start off on a wrong note? Isn’t this the only thing you need when you r begins? Love and more love. In addition to that. A recent study found that men with AIDS were less likely to suffer from depression if they owned a pet.
Maintain Your Blood Pressure Cost Free
Yes, it’s true. While ACE inhibiting drugs can generally reduce blood pressure, they aren’t as effective in controlling spikes in blood pressure due to stress and tension. However, in a study of pets and blood pressure, groups of hypertensive New York stockbrokers who got dogs or cats were found to have lower blood pressure and heart rates than those who didn’t get pets. When they heard of the results, most of those in the non-pet group went out and got pets!
Your Pets Make You Step Out
Whether we walk our dogs because they need it, or are more likely to enjoy a walk when we have companionship, dog owners do spend more time walking than non-pet owners, at least if we live in an urban setting. Most people with dogs will likely tell you that they enjoy their walks better because of the companionship of their pets, and perhaps even the feeling of being part of a community of other pet lovers. Because exercise is good for stress and overall health, owning a dog can be credited with increasing these benefits.
Increase Our Social Support
When our pets take us to walk, they eventually make us more approachable and give people a reason to stop and talk, thereby increasing the number people we meet, giving us an opportunity to increase our network of friends and acquaintances, which also has great stress management benefits.
You get a lot of quality time to spend with your pets when they are around and the best thing is that they will never leave you alone. One of the cutest ways to be them is to watch something together on TV with some snacks for both of you to munch on. You can try cartoon shows and movies and see you pet watch them in awe, excitement as they try to relate with the dogs and cats on screen Also dogs, provide comfort to patients at nursing home. In fact, one study found that nursing home residents reported less loneliness when visited by dogs alone than when they spent time with dogs and other people.
Finally, They Relieve You of Stress
This is something which goes without saying. While we all know the power of talking about your problems with a good friend who’s also a good listener, research shows that spending time with a pet may be even better! One study showed that, when conducting a task that’s stressful, people actually experienced less stress when their pets were with them than when a supportive friend or even their spouse was present! (This may be partially due to the fact that pets don’t judge us; they just love us.)
It’s important to realize that owning a pet isn’t for everyone. Pets do come with additional work and responsibility, which can bring its own stress. However, for most people, the benefits of having a pet outweigh the drawbacks. Having a furry best friend can reduce stress in your life and bring you support when times get tough.