Pet's and Mental Health

We think pet's play a pretty important role in improving our mental and physical health.

Pet's and your Mental Health. Let's dive into the benefits of pet ownership and how it can and does improve your mental health and wellbeing!

Below we have listed our Top 5 reasons why Pet's can improve your health and wellbeing:

They Encourage you to get moving! This one is true for Dog Parents especially. Dog's need daily exercise to keep them happy and healthy and guess what so do we! As we get out of the house each day and take our canine companions for a walk, the exercise can improve our mood and mental health as exercise releases chemicals like endorphins and serotonin that improve your mood! Exercise also improves our cardiovascular health and soaking up some vitamin D from the sun also has added health benefits.
Petting your pet reduces stress. Research shows that just simply petting your pet can reduce the stress hormone cortisol and the social interaction between people and their dog's actually increases levels of the feel good hormone Oxytocin (the same hormone that bonds mothers to babies). They can also help you relax and practice mindfulness.
Great conversation Starter! If your the type of person that suffers from social anxieties, having a pet can help ease you into social situations. For example taking your dog for a walk, or to the local dog park can give you an opportunity to engage with like minded people with a common interest being pets, giving way to an easy conversation platform.
Pets need routine. Pet ownership comes with daily responsibilities like feeding, cleaning and exercising. These daily tasks can give you a sense of purpose and motivation and help ease your depression and anxiety.
Pets provide companionship. Having a pet can provide you with constant companionship helping reduce your loneliness and improve your mental wellbeing. Pet's can get up to all sorts of antics and make you laugh, and we all know that laughing is good for our mental wellbeing!

*The responsibility of pet ownership is not for everyone, if you are suffering from a mental illness please consult your medical professional before taking on the responsibility of pet ownership to help determine if it's right for you.

This article is in no way intended as professional medical/mental health advice.

If you feel you need help reach out, there are many places that offer help some are listed here:

https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

Sources: Healthline.gov.au, Heart Foundation, Hopkins medicine, Health Direct.

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