Suffering from a mental health condition can be hard for you or your loved one. It provides many challenges to our mental health, physical health, relationships and work.
There are many different steps you can take to get a better quality of mental health.
There is one alternative that many people might not think about – did you know that pets are proven to improve our mental health? In this blog, we are looking at the different ways having a pet can positively influence a person’s mental health.
The benefits of having a pet
Having a pet can provide many benefits for improving mental health wellbeing, such as keeping an active mind, reducing stress and anxiety and much more. Look at the benefits of pet ownership below:
They’re a reason to get up in the morning. When you have a pet to look after it provides someone with motivation and gives them something to focus on each day.
Some pets can promote exercise, such as walking in a park with a dog or playing indoors with your pet around the house or in the garden. These are great habits to have for us which keeps the mind and body active.
Having a pet brings structure to a day. Keeping to a schedule every day such as feeding, exercising and caring can help give you a daily routine which in-turn can help the owner feel more grounded and focused. It also helps with having a purpose and a sense of achievement after completing each structured task.
They get you to meet other people, whether that be on a walk, in a pet shop or training classes, there are plenty of ways to meet other fellow pet lovers.
Pets are proven stress busters; they can reduce the amount of cortisol in someone which causes stress and anxiety. Many owners find their pet helps to calm them, whether it’s by talking to them or just giving them a lot of fuss.
They offer companionship to the owner, giving company when maybe your loved one can’t get out to see other people. Pets are there to comfort us.
Boosting self-confidence as pets can be great listeners, offer unconditional love and won’t criticise you. This can help your confidence, especially if your loved one feels isolated or misunderstood.
How we can help
We have listed just some of the benefits of how a pet can make a difference to anybody’s mental health. At Synergy we work with specialists and community team to build a care and support plan around the symptoms of mental health, the needs and wishes of the individual and the lifestyle of each client we support taking their mental health journey.
Our end goal is to maximise the independence and quality of life. If you have struggled with your mental health or are currently struggling, we are here to help.
Get in contact with the team at Synergy today to see how we can help you or your loved one.