Life can feel overwhelming if you’re managing stress, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or a combination of these conditions. They can create hurdles that make it difficult to show up and function in your daily life, but there’s hope.
One powerful source of support comes from connecting with animals. Pets can offer comfort, support, and healing that can help us improve our mental health in meaningful ways. Nothing compares to the joy of coming home to a loyal companion. The unconditional love of a pet can do more than keep you company.
Pets may also decrease stress, improve heart health, and even help children with their emotional and social skills. An estimated 68% of U.S. households have a pet. Having a pet is a serious commitment and not something to do on a whim. You’ll need to have the time, money and energy for a pet, as well as a calm home environment with routine and consistency. Fostering a pet or helping a friend with theirs can help you see whether having your own is right for you.
When you’re ready to think about getting a pet, consider:
How much outdoor space do you have
How active you are
How much time do you have to spend with your pet
How much money do you have for vet’s bills, insurance, food, toys, etc.?
Some charities offer low-cost vet care, but they are limited to certain areas and have financial criteria. Caring for a pet can help our mental health in many different ways.
Key Mental Health Benefits
Stress and Hormone Regulation: Stroking or spending time with animals lowers stress hormone levels (cortisol) and raises feel-good neurochemicals (oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin).
Companionship and Purpose: Caring for a pet creates daily structure, a sense of being needed, and an antidote to severe isolation.
Social Facilitation: Dogs and other animals act as social catalysts, making it easier for owners to connect at parks, classes, or online communities.
Targeted Support: Service and therapy animals assist individuals dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and cognitive decline.
Animals can be great partners in helping us feel better. They offer more than just companionship. The human-animal bond is an important relationship that can leave us feeling seen, valued, and supported.
Human-animal interaction (HAI) can reduce stress and anxiety. When you feel anxious or stressed, your body goes into “fight or flight” mode. Your heart rate and blood pressure go up. Your muscles tense. Studies have found that interacting with a therapy dog (familiar or unfamiliar to you) can lead to reduced anxiety, blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol (the stress hormone).
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) can improve mood and connection among people living with depressive disorders. In a study of people receiving inpatient treatment, AAT led to patients interacting with each other. Smiling, helping others, and being more sociable were the result of just one month of AAT.
Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) can reduce symptoms of depression and PTSD. A study of AAI for trauma showed that horse riding can help veterans experience positive changes and a reduction in symptoms for up to three months.
The same study also showed that short-term benefits can occur with other animals, too.
For people living with PTSD, AAI helped reduce dissociation, produced feelings of comfort and warmth, and served as a reminder that they were no longer in danger. The emotional support provided by pets or through animal-assisted interventions can be life-changing. From calming your nervous system to creating feelings of safety and grounding, to increasing interactions, animals can help us feel more connected to ourselves and others.
Trauma changes us. It affects the way we think, feel, and experience the world. Trauma can lead to sadness, anxiety, numbness, dissociation, and loss. It can also contribute to feeling unsafe or disconnected. Animals can help restore some of that sense of safety. When you’re experiencing intense anxiety or a flashback, your pet or service animal can help you get grounded in the present.
Animals are attentive and can prompt us when something is going on, which can help us feel safer in our surroundings. Additionally, an animal companion can bring a sense of calm, which combats fear, anxiety, anger, and other intense feelings that may be a part of PTSD. When sharing these emotions with other people, we might feel judged. Animals can feel like safe, nonjudgmental beings that provide comfort. Safety and connection are essential to healing from trauma.
Beyond emotional connection, pets can also provide a sense of order and routine. Needing to feed, walk, groom, and care for your pet may help you remember to take care of yourself. This can help you build a routine that allows you to take care of both yourself and your pet’s needs.
For many people, showing up for their pet gives them a sense of purpose. This can motivate them to keep going, especially on days when they’re facing more challenges with their mental health. Purpose gives our lives meaning, offers hope, and strengthens our resilience.
Even if you don’t have a pet at home, there are other ways you can connect with animals. Visiting loved ones who have pets, volunteering at a local shelter, or participating in animal-assisted therapy programs are just a few examples. Healing takes time, and animals have the wonderful ability to help us find relief and calm along the way.
Through their companionship and support, we can become grounded in knowing we are loved, needed, and deserving of well-being.
As always, if you or someone you love feels suicidal or that they are in a crisis there is the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 for confidential, free, 24/7/365 help. You can also chat at 988lifeline.org. Another resource is the Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741. The Crisis Hotline: 844-755-5325 Until next week, I’m Desert Rose signing off and wishing you all good mental health.
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