Last Updated on: 12th January 2024, 09:07 pm
Despite my appreciation of pets and animals, I’ve never really considered myself a pet lover. I couldn’t understand why my brother and my mom would go to great lengths to care for their pets. At times, I even thought they were impractical.
Well, until I met Lucky…
Lucky is a Persian cat whom I met when he just turned a year old. He was actually my brother’s cat, but because I kept asking him to bring Lucky whenever he came to visit me, he decided to just leave him with me. So now he’s mine!
And I’m so glad that my brother left him with me. He has changed my life in many ways, and yes, he has made my life happier. I now totally understand why my mom and brother are so into pets.
Well, based on my experience with Lucky, I share here how pets can help you become happier and more self-loving.
#1. Pets can make you feel happy
Whenever I feel down, I just need to look at Lucky and I instantly feel better. He’s so cute that I would never get tired of looking at him.
Indeed, pets can make you feel happy just by being cute! Studies show that looking at cute things (like babies, kittens, or puppies) causes a release of dopamine in the body. This is the same chemical that gets released when people fall in love.
One of the best ways that Lucky helps me care for myself is that he helps me de-stress. No matter how problematic my day gets, spending time with him—whether by playing with him or by cuddling with him—instantly makes me feel better.
#2. Pets can make you more focused
A Hiroshima University research showed that people who looked at pictures of baby animals were able to do better in tasks where they needed to concentrate. Their findings suggested that our brains are wired to pay attention when we see something cute.
I used to watch cat videos either on Facebook or YouTube whenever I had trouble focusing on work. I recently realized that I no longer do that as much–probably because I now have the real thing in front of me. At any rate, looking at pets make me feel happy and energized–probably why I’m better able to focus on work afterwards.
#3. Pets provide comfort
Pets help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Although dogs have been found most attuned to our emotions and behaviors, I believe that even cats are.
My cat Lucky gets distressed whenever he senses that I’m upset or stressed out. He also comes near me whenever I feel sad, and his presence just instantly makes me feel better.
According to the American Heart Association, pet ownership has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease and a longer life. Studies have shown that pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those who don’t have pets. The former is also more likely to have lower blood pressure. In addition, playing with pets increases the levels of dopamine and serotonin in the body. These have a relaxing and calming effect.
#4. Pets help you have some down time
With our fast-paced lives, it can be so easy to get caught up in our daily activities so much that we no longer get to pause and take a breath, which can eventually lead to burnout. When you have a pet, you need to take some time for them, which can mean time for you, too.
When you have a dog, you need to take time to walk them—time that you can use to contemplate, relax, and even exercise.
In my case, I used to rush from one task to the next. I would usually go straight to my computer in the morning and have my breakfast while checking my email and stuff. At the end of the day, I would just go to bed when I was too tired to do any more work.
Since Lucky came into my life, I had to make time for him, which essentially meant some time for me, too. A few weeks after Lucky started staying with me, I realized that he would get upset with me if I skipped our “bonding” time—that is, petting him for 15 minutes in the morning and again in the evening. As such, I make sure that we have our bonding time when I lie down to sleep and before I get up to start my day. This also allows me to just wind down and relax after a long day, and it helps me “wake up” in the morning. It also allows me to momentarily forget the day’s worries and be more “present.”
As Danielle Hark of the Huffington Post writes, rhythmically petting or grooming your pet can be as comforting to you as it is to them. Concentrating on the softness of their fur, the warmth they radiate, and their deep breaths, as well as being able to connect with them, release oxytocin, a hormone that is associated to lower cortisol levels, lower blood pressure, and to anxiety and stress relief.
#5.Pets make you laugh
Pets are like babies or little children. You never know what they’ll do next, which means you’re in for surprises—most of them funny—when you least expect them.
#6. Pets give you a sense of purpose
Pets are dependent on you, and this gives you a sense of being needed. As Steve Rose argues and which I agree with, fulfilling our higher level needs (love, esteem, and self-actualization, according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory) make us feel more satisfied and fulfilled than merely fulfilling our basic needs (physiological and security).
In a study by Tay and Diener where they studied participants from 123 countries, it was found that people were able to achieve their highest-level needs even without satisfying their lowest level needs. These imply that even people with poor living conditions can achieve their highest level needs.
There came a time in my life when I’ve accomplished most of my career goals, but I realized that I still wasn’t happy. There seemed to be a feeling of emptiness and a lack of purpose. I felt that I had no one to share my blessings with, considering that I’m single and my entire family’s in the U.S. I was also quite anti-social, which meant that I didn’t take time to meet with friends much
When Lucky came into my life, he was able to fill that void. He makes me feel needed. I am more than happy to give him his daily “massage” (lol), without which he gets restless. I am also more than happy to buy him the best food and give him the best medical care possible. Moreover, by focusing on his needs, I’m able to focus less on my personal worries. Having a pet motivates me to take care of myself and to do better in life.
#7. Pets love you unconditionally
Pets are very accepting, and they don’t judge you even when you’re not at your best. In this way, they’re very good at providing emotional support. They’re always appreciative of the love and care you give them and are never demeaning.
As Dr. Lynette Hart of the University of California indicates, pets serve as self-objects, which means that they mirror the self in a very reflective and positive way, much the same way that a mother’s acceptance of and warmth towards her children reflect to them that they are wonderful individuals.
In this same regard, pets are able to reflect back to you the same accepting and positive response, making you feel that you’re special.
#8. Pets make you more compassionate
Research shows that people become more sociable and accepting of others when they’re around animals. They also increase interaction and improve bonds within families or between spouses. In my home, my cat definitely loves the attention he gets from me, my nephews, and the other people in it. He becomes a great source of joy and laughter for us.
At the same time, caring for my cat has allowed me to care more for other animals. It has also increased my empathy towards other people. Seeing how much he needs me helps me better understand and relate to people and animals that have no one to help them.
#9. Pets make you more appreciative of God’s creation
Whenever I look at my cat, it never ceases to amaze me how wonderfully and perfectly he’s made – from his eyes, nose, mouth, fur, and ears (yeah, did I say he was perfect?) to the way he behaves and does things even with nobody teaching him what to do.
It makes me marvel at how beautiful God’s creation is and how perfectly and beautifully designed each part of it is. Needless to say, my cat Lucky allows me to become more mindful and appreciative of life and the world around me.
Conclusion
I used to have the notion that caring for pets is an unnecessary and bothersome responsibility. With Lucky in my life, I’ve realized that caring for pets does come with great responsibility but that its benefits far outweigh the obligations. Indeed, having my pet cat with me has helped me learn to love myself more and has helped me become a better person.
In what ways have your pet helped you become more self-loving?
