Most people suffering from mental health issues usually try out many kinds of interventions to improve the quality of their lives. One of the most effective ways to handle this situation is having an emotional support animal (ESA). These animals are effective in providing emotional comfort and social support. They are not only pets but great companions.
People struggling with mental health conditions go through a roller coaster of emotions every day, and having an emotional support animal benefits them greatly. These animals have a way of helping emotionally disabled persons relax and control their emotions. In most cases, people prefer to have dogs and cats as emotional support animals. However, rabbits, fish, horses, monkeys and guinea pigs are great at it. This article discusses how emotional support animals can enhance your emotional well-being.
Let’s delve in
Emotional Support Animals Offer Companionship
Individuals struggling with mental health conditions can isolate themselves, which causes them to feel lonely. Emotional support animals give a consistent presence of a non-judgemental and loving companion. During times of emotional distress and loneliness, emotional support animals provide a sense of comfort and belonging. They are reliable in offering a sense of unconditional love and acceptance as they don’t hold grudges that people would.
Emotional Support Animals Help in Stress Reduction
You feel comfort and security when you are around emotional support animals like cats or dogs. They have warm and soft fur that can soothe you to reduce anxiety and stress. Petting and cuddling with an ESA can relax your mind and trigger the release of oxytocin hormone. This is the bonding or love hormone. It is associated with the feeling of security and trust. Interacting with an ESA also helps lower the production of cortisol (the stress hormone) in your body. According to research, that automatically reduces anxiety and stress.
Esas Help With Social Interaction
Emotional support animals can facilitate your social interactions in different ways. They act as a natural icebreaker in social occurrences. For instance, if you have taken your dog to a dog park or for a walk, you can easily have a spontaneous chat with another dog owner. On the flip side, if you are one of those people who struggle to interact with others during social settings, you can stay with your ESA. They are effective in providing constant companionship. There are support groups formed for people with mental health issues. Such allows people with emotional support animals to join and take part. That way, you get a sense of community and a chance to connect with people going through similar experiences.
Emotional Support Animals Help With Mood Elevation
ESAs are constantly present and ready to interact with their owners, which creates a feeling of comfort, happiness and joy. They offer unconditional love during interactions, which increases the production of oxytocin. With an increase in this hormone, a person experiences reduced anxiety.
ESAs also love petting and playing, which plays an important role in creating a calming effect and elevating your mood. You can also enhance your mood while engaging in physical activities like taking a walk with your ESA. It aids the release of endorphins – the natural mood elevators in the human body.
ESAs Promote Routine and Responsibility
Did you know that routine and responsibility can enhance your emotional well-being? Now you know. With an ESA, you have to create a routine. Living with an emotional support animal requires some work.
You need to have a daily schedule that will incorporate time for feeding the pet, giving them access to fresh water and taking them for exercises and walks, among other responsibilities. With all that, you end up having a structured day and gain a sense of purpose.
With this routine, you have to be consistent, which creates predictability.
Individuals with mental disorders often neglect themselves due to stress and anxiety. With an emotional support animal you are constantly caring for, it will be easy to prioritize self-care. It is so hard for you to take care of the pet regularly while neglecting yourself. Since you know another being is dependent on you, you must be responsible and accountable.
Emotional Support Animals Offer Emotional Support
ESAs are great companions who offer emotional support in different ways. They offer unconditional love as they are affectionate and non-judgmental toward their owners, which offers them security and comfort. Emotional support animals are always in tune with the feelings of their owners. They can identify days when their owners are anxious, down, or upset. During such days, they comfort you by cuddling and nuzzling, just to show you they are by your side.
Having such interactions with the ESAs helps reduce anxiety by facilitating the release of the oxytocin hormone in your body. ESAs also offer emotional support to their owners by creating bonds that influence the release of serotonin and dopamine. These are neurotransmitters that help with mood elevation and pleasure.
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