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How Pets Can Improve Your Mental Health

It’s well known that humans and pets can have a wonderful relationship. And this relationship is definitely two-sided: we take care of our animal companions and they take care of us in return, especially when it comes to mental health. So if you’re thinking about adopting a pet, here are a few benefits you can expect for your emotional and mental state:

They make us feel loved

According to science, pets can boost the levels of dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin levels which make us feel happy. Oxytocin, AKA the “love” hormone” helps you create strong bonds with people and it’s very much produced when people and dogs spend time together, cuddle and look at each other. So if you’re ever feeling unloved, just take a look at your pup and you’ll feel on top of the world.

They help with stress and anxiety management

When you’re super stressed, pets can get your mind off of worrying thoughts and allow you to worry less. Every interaction you have with an animal decreases stress hormone levels, no matter your age. Even kids who grew up with pets, especially dogs, exhibited lower levels of stress and anxiety in childhood. And today, many universities and schools all around the planet offer pet therapy with playful dogs and cats to help students reduce anxiety during the exam period. We can’t help but smile at our pets when they do funny things, run around and sleep like cute little babies—it’s guaranteed to make you feel less stressed.

Pets make you feel useful and needed

It’s true that your pets completely rely on you, so if you need a reason to get up in the morning and go outside, your pet will provide it. And in case your pet gets sick, you need to take full care of it and provide it with the best medical help. Don’t let this part worry you, because today you can find great experts in veterinary care all over the world. It’s easier than ever to find an expert vet and animal hospital that can ensure your pet is healthy and safe. Also, you need to feed, water and treat your pets to various snacks. Every time your dog begs for tasty dog treats, you can grab a human snack yourself and improve your diet. The fact that you give your dog only the tastiest and healthiest of treats will motivate you to start eating healthily while also giving you a purpose in life. The way your dog relies on you will show you how other people need you and miss you as well.

Pets reduce loneliness

Pets are our animal family and companions and they can make us feel accepted, loved and needed. Your pet doesn’t care where you are in life or how popular you are—they just want to provide you with unconditional love. And since humans are pack animals, just like dogs and many other pets, we can keep each other’s company and reduce loneliness. When you come back home to your pet and see them so happy to see you, you’ll forget all about your feelings of loneliness, disappointment and other negative emotions. Pets even improve your relationship with your partner!

They push you to go out and exercise

Pets like dogs need a lot of outdoor exercise, so expect to spend much more time outside than before, which is great for your mental health, especially depression. Having a pet can make a difference between closing yourself off and going out in the sun and fresh air. It’s also proven that dog owners get an average of 22 more minutes of physical activity than people without dogs, and exercise also produces happy hormones and improves mental health.

Pets even help with PTSD

Did you know that dogs, especially those properly trained, are often given to veterans suffering from PTSD as a form of therapy? According to a recent study, service dogs can lower depression, improve patients’ resilience, reduce loneliness and fear and provide overall mental health improvement, which can greatly help with PTSD symptoms.

As you can see, adopting a pet can be a win-win situation—you get to save a life and in return, you get a world of health benefits that will do wonders for your mental health.

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