Anyone who has felt alone or judged knows how painful those experiences are. At times, you just want someone who will listen and offer unconditional love. That is why emotional support animals have helped heal broken souls, like those of people with PTSD.

Even if your distress isn’t that intense, having a caring companion animal can ease emotional peaks and valleys in your day. A soft head on your lap or a pair of empathetic eyes tells you someone cares about you. Since they rely on you as well, you get some of your power back.

While your pet may relax you and make you feel loved, a certified emotional support animal must be confirmed by a doctor, social worker, psychiatrist, or mental health professional. Once you can demonstrate that your furry friend alleviates at least one symptom of a disability, you will need a letter from a healthcare provider saying that your companion can travel with you to support you through your disability, without naming your condition.

This also means your companion animal can live with you in a ‘no pets’ apartment building and fly with you when traveling by air. You should take your doctor’s letter with you to avoid problems.

Most of these emotional support animals are dogs, due to their attuned relationship with our species already. They can help you navigate the world as you deal with depression, anxiety, PTSD, high stress, or other conditions. If you prefer another type of animal, you can apply to certify your cat, rabbit, lizard, or even a fish.

While service dogs, such as seeing-eye dogs, can go into stores and restaurants, the Americans with Disabilities Act does not provide emotional support animals the same latitude. Service animals deliver additional services, like navigation, which is seen as more essential.

What Is the Secret to This Relationship?

Emotional support animals fill a gap in their owners’ lives, whether it’s the ability to connect in symbiotic relationships or to rebuild trust. Pets offer consistent affection and they love having a routine. They can be playful to make you laugh or cuddle to express devotion. By giving you their friendship, they begin to make it easy to drop your guard and make small gains in venturing out into the world.

Having one creature that believes in you lessens anxiety and desolation. It’s like having one friend in the schoolyard when you once had none. You are no longer alone against the world.

Physically, just having a pet at your feet or rubbing its ears often lowers your blood pressure and creates a steady heartbeat. You become more relaxed and less depressed. You can tell your emotional support cat all your troubles, knowing she won’t gossip about you. Since animals read body language so well and are not distracted by the drama in their lives, they understand when you are feeling tense, sick, or down. They respond with affection, engaging you even if you would turn a human offer of help aside.

In fact, you are good for each other. The animal benefits from a loving home and regular companionship, while you get distracted from your mental health troubles. They guilt you out of bed to feed them and make you take them outside for walks. Soon, you begin to look forward to these breaks, since they make you feel needed. You see how valuable you are to this creature’s life, opening you up to more optimism and possibilities.

Has there ever been a simpler recipe for happiness? We doubt it! 

The COVID Test Case

Throughout the 2020 pandemic, pet adoptions skyrocketed as millions of people finally found time to bring new pets into their lives. The attachments created by those unions show exactly how much animals can enrich human lives. As millions of people struggle with loneliness, depression, and other mental health disorders, agencies cannot keep up with demand.

However, many pets who have new homes have also been through their own struggles. They may have been abused or abandoned, so they understand what it is like to start over. As such, they help you cope as you deal with working from home, not working at all, learning to communicate by video meetings, or teaching your kids from the kitchen table. The uncertainty of the pandemic leaves so many people feeling anxious about the future. 

Having an emotional support animal in these precarious times gives us a constant. They are grateful to have you home, giving you another reason to follow protocols and stay safe. They invite you to play or snuggle, tapping into your fond memories and reassuring you that the world still has safe spaces.

On top of all this, they make sure we have someone to talk to, whether you live alone or with an essential worker who is doing long shifts. While you keep socially distanced from members of your extended family, you can still hug your animal companion. 

Even if you’re avoiding social media channels some days, when you tune in you’ll see the love of animals more than ever. Pets have long been valued allies; now we are learning more about their powers to cure your heart – physically and emotionally. 

Reference

https://apibhs.com/2020/05/18/how-emotional-support-animals-benefit-mental-health-and-wellness