Pets give companionship, cuddles and joy – and likewise unavoidable stresses

Owning a pet is usually a roller coaster. There are the highs, like when your dog greets you with a full-body wiggle if you return home, or when your cat purrs loudly as you cuddle next to at least one one other. Then there are the lows, like stressful trips to urgent care, waking as much as that unpleasant vomiting noise, or making the difficult selection to say goodbye due to medical problems and even intractable behavioral issues.

For those pet-owners who’re struggling, it’s useful to their mental health to acknowledge that pets can create stress and that some animals are more work than others.

Research has shown that each cats and dogs can have equally positive impacts on mental health.

Pets could also be helpful at reducing stress, anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed, including in children. Pet ownership has also been shown to enhance well-being by instilling individuals with a sense of purpose and responsibility.

As a licensed clinical social employeeanimal lover and proud dog momI even have each professionally and personally seen the mental health impacts of getting animal companions.

Media stories commonly cover the positives of pet ownership. But the hardships and drawbacks of owning a pet will not be discussed as often. For instance, while there are various positive facets to pet ownership, some research is showing that pets may result in exacerbated mental health concerns and even sleep issues.

Whether you’re adopting or shopping, pets can bring a full range of emotions into our lives. Research has even shown that pets may profit non-pet owners around them as well.

How pets can enrich our lives

A pet owner may easily give you the chance to tick off an infinite variety of positive effects their fuzzy companion has had on their life. Research backs them up.

Pets can provide constant companionship for people and families. This is especially true for older adults. There was an uptick in adoptions of pets through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people benefited from pets in periods of stay-at-home mandates and quarantines.

Research shows that dogs can reduce loneliness of their owners. In fact, being accompanied by a dog may even make you seem more approachable.

Pets, especially dogs, may help improve one’s ability to socialize and feel connected with othersin addition to increasing the prospects for social interactions. People may bond over the experience of getting pets, socialize on the dog park, and even meet up on the local cat café.

Animals and pets have also been used to help in detecting the onset symptoms of medical episodes, including seizures. Animal-assisted therapy and pet therapy have shown promise in improving symptom management and overall quality of life in various conditions, including trauma and stressor-related disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, autism, traumatic brain injuries, neurological disorders and more.

The inherent stressors

Despite the numerous positive impacts of pet ownership, it can also have negative impacts. For example, one survey found that 47% of Americans felt separation anxiety when leaving their dogs at home.

The survey also found that 41% of pet owners declined social invitations because they didn’t want to depart their dog at home, and that 70% of pet owners would favor to work remotely so that they could stay at home with their pet. Pet owners have also identified feeling anxious about their pet getting sick or running away, or the danger that they could harm the animal unintentionally.

Stress from pet ownership is common. There’s the stress of house-training and ensuring the pet is getting enough enrichment – each physically and mentally. Then there are the challenges related to vet appointments and navigating illness, in addition to financial stressors and finding pet sitters.

Another element of pet ownership that individuals often don’t speak about is the stress, and sometimes shamethat owners with reactive dogs experience from walking their dog, having people over to the home or having their dog around children.

Finally, there’s the truth that our pet companions live shorter lives than we do, resulting in end-of-life planning, expensive treatments for older-age ailments, and, in fact, the grief that will probably be felt from the lack of a pet. For some people, the lack of a pet may feel worse than human loss.

People may judge or criticize pet owners for an “overblown” grief response. The common experience of invalidation and lack of acknowledgment related to grief around pet loss – much like the grief felt from divorce and miscarriage – is categorized as disenfranchised grief. This term refers to grief that is just not acknowledged, validated or accepted socially.

Strings attached

Pet owners, especially post-pandemic, have reported high levels of guilt related to leaving their pets at home while at work or social events. Some of this guilt could also be related to concerns about providing insufficient attention to the pet or in regards to the pet’s health. This guilt has even been shown to be much like the sensation human parents have concerning their human children.

As someone who adores their dog, I can relate to the guilt of leaving him alone. To complicate things, my dog has joint issues, anxiety and discoid lupusa sort of lupus that affects the skin on his nose. He may also be reactive. All of those facets require me to offer extra care. When friends invalidate my worries and guilt, it could possibly feel isolating and shaming.

And I’m not alone in these feelings. Overall, when there’s a scarcity of consideration for the complex feelings pet owners experience, the invalidation and disenfranchised feelings can result in depression, anxiety, feelings of being isolated and worsened quality of life.

Finding support

The human-animal bond is exclusive, with humans receiving unconditional love and full acceptance from their animal companion. When society can honor and respect this bond through validation, patience and compassion, it not only helps pet owners but additionally the clinicians who treat the animals.

Employers will be supportive by continuing to offer distant and hybrid work options, flexibility in scheduling and opportunities for workers to feel validated and receive support. If a loved one is experiencing guilt around leaving their dog at home or a friend is having anxiety about their cat’s health, as an alternative of minimizing their experience, try talking to them and asking how best to support them through their distress.

Another support tool is encouraging pet owners to practice self-compassion and mindfulness, being present and specializing in the time they do have with their pet.

Pets can bring infinite joy and companionship to our lives, whether that’s through pet ownership, fostering, volunteering or engaging in animal-assisted therapy.

It stays vital, nonetheless, to acknowledge the stressors and difficulties pet owners face. After all, the ups and downs of pet ownership, identical to the ups and downs of the human experience, are what make life and relationships that far more meaningful.