Reflections on Mental Health Awareness Week

Marly always finds the warmest and brightest place in the house to relax! Smart isn’t it? It got me thinking when I noticed her there….

We learn a lot from our pets and how good they are for our mental health. We don’t actually ask much of them and they certainly don’t ask much of us - an unconditional love that goes both ways with little demand and lots of joy from the simpler things in life - a walk, some snuggle time, food and overwhelming adoration when you get home. 

May has been National Pet Month and also included Mental Health Awareness week - and I think that these two go hand-in-hand.  It’s a perfect opportunity to reflect on how they fit together.

The events of the past 15 months, much of it spent in lockdown, have seen an unprecedented increase in pet ownership - and that’s not a coincidence.

Lockdown has brought many stresses for people, worrying about their income, trying to tutor their children alongside working from home, suffering from loneliness and a lack of human contact.  No wonder mental health has taken such a hard a hit.

Much of my work is about helping people get comfortable with who they really are. Part of that process is to integrate their inner selves with the image they project externally to the world, with a pet there’s no need to pretend.  You don’t need make-up, smart clothes or even a smile.  Your pet accepts you exactly as you are - unconditionally.

They are always happy to see you and give that unconditional affection - along with the tactile satisfaction of snuggling up together.  If you have a dog, a cat or any other furry pet, just stroking them is therapeutic for you both; win-win!

Just because there’s no language doesn’t mean that we don’t understand each other.  Animals pick up on your energy without you having to explain anything.  They can give you comfort with simply a head on your knee or by curling up in your lap.

Everyone wants to be understood, we all crave acceptance,  A pet does just that - sees us as who we are.  There’s no façade, no need to persuade anyone that you’re that person you aspire to be, rather than the real you - warts and all.

I’ve learned so much from Marly, besides that comforting unconditional love, watching her lie in that spot, she reminds me always to find the sunny spot and bask in the warmth.  Everyone has a ‘sunny spot’, you just need to find it like Marly always does.