Humans are searching continuously for ways to make life easier and more bearable. You or someone you love may have experienced an accident or circumstances that caused mental or physical illness. Even without an incident, some people are born with a disability or develop it over the years. The reason doesn’t really matter, what matters is trying to find something that aids us in our battles. That’s why an emotional support animal (ESA) is being recommended by many psychologists because of how they impact the individual positively.
An ESA is not recommended alone as therapists cannot put the whole burden of recovery on a pet’s shoulders. They are prescribed in conjunction with therapy and medications. Physical mutilation or disfigurement leads to depression and in severe cases suicide. So, whether a person is physically or mentally ill, they will need emotional support that is best provided unconditionally by animals.
Decreases Loneliness
Sometimes, illness makes one feel alienated and take away any sense of belonging. We always try to find people to relate to, but how can we reach that if everyone thinks we are different? An ESA is not going to ask about your illness, its existence around you will make you feel loved and cared for.
Companionship is so important to help us tolerate our days because we know that there is someone to lean on when it has not been our day. A pet provides you with that feeling and that you are no longer alone because finally, there is a reason to wake up in the morning.
Regulates Anxiety
There are a lot of diseases that lead to anxiety, the severity of the episodes differs from one time to another. It has been proven that the over-affectionate behavior of a pet distracts the anxious mind and diverts its focus to something else other than the flow of fearful and negative thoughts.
Moreover, anxiety and nervousness can hold you back from traveling on a plane. You will mostly want your little furry friend with you but there are strict rules that prohibit any animal from going on a plane. That’s what the Disabilities Act has been fighting for over the years, they have been trying to make airlines allow ESA to fly with their friends if the requirements are met. No further questions should be asked if a legal document was presented.
Production of Dopamine
This is not something that you hear every day but looking at a puppy’s or a kitten’s eye, makes your mind produce large doses of dopamine. It is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in how we feel pleasure. It is almost absent in depressed people and that’s why they tend to feel blue most of the time.
Improves Social Communication
Some introverts stated that after having a pet, they participated more in social events and learned how to talk confidently. Furthermore, doctors recommended giving autistic people a cat or a dog to help them in their journey to recovery or at least to become less afraid of other living organisms. Having the proper social skills to communicate with others is important, and that’s what an ESA is here for.
Increases Physical Activity
If you have a mental ailment that prevents you from working out or even from going for a walk in the neighborhood, your physical health and stamina will deteriorate drastically. Having another being that depends on you will motivate you to get out of the house even if for only half an hour.
If you gained a lot of weight after being bed-ridden for a long time, after walking your ESA you will lose all the excess fats. In turn, your blood pressure will be regulated, cholesterol levels will get lower, and your overall health will improve.
Sense of Accomplishment
There is so little that a person with a disorder can accomplish, so their self-worth lowers. They can barely walk or benefit anyone around them. So, when they suddenly become responsible for a lovely soul that depends on them entirely, they grow more aware of their importance. When their little one grows and blooms, they realize that they affected another being’s life positively.
Life is hard on its own, so imagine having to live with a mental or physical disability. A little walking ball of fur takes away life’s stressors and helps people with illnesses to live a normal life. ESA helps disabled ones to get back to life gradually on their own terms. So, if you know someone that needs emotional support, try to talk them into having a pet by explaining to them the sunny side that will appear in their lives.
