Follow Us
LinkedIn Post
April 11, 2024
Today is National Pet Day! Did you know studies show that pets reduce stress, anxiety and depression, ease loneliness, encourage exercise and improve your all-around health? For example, people with dogs have lower blood pressure and are less likely to develop heart disease – just playing with dogs has been shown to elevate oxytocin and dopamine, creating positive feelings and bonding for both the person and their pet. [1] Caring for a pet can help you make healthy lifestyle changes by:
- Increasing Exercise: Dog ownership encourages regular physical activity and routine exercise, which boosts endorphins and reduces stress – leading to better sleep and overall health.
- Providing Companionship: Pets, especially therapy dogs, offer companionship that can prevent depression from worsening, giving a sense of purpose, particularly for seniors 65 and older. [2]
- Boosting Self-Esteem: Taking care of pets builds self-esteem and fosters social interactions, enhancing a patient’s overall mental well-being. Research shows that responsibility helps your mental health. Some psychologists say that you build self-esteem by taking ownership and applying skills to a specific task. [3] Taking care of a dog offers reassurance that you can care for another creature and for yourself.
- Improving Socialization: Pets can be a great social lubricant for their owners, helping you start and maintain new friendships. Dog owners frequently stop and talk to each other on walks, hikes, or in a dog park. One of the reasons for these therapeutic effects is that pets fulfill the basic human need for touch. Hugging, petting, or otherwise touching a loving animal can rapidly calm and soothe you when you’re stressed or anxious. Even watching fish in an aquarium can help reduce muscle tension and lower your pulse rate.
The health benefits of owning a pet are clear! Today, this couldn’t be more important as nearly half of all Americans will have a Behavioral Health (BH) issue in their lifetime. [4] Yet in 2021, fewer than half of people with a mental illness were able to access timely care [5]. Sadly, the average delay between the onset of mental illness symptoms and treatment is 11 years… meanwhile patient’s go undiagnosed and untreated [6] In fact, did you know because of delayed care people with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases? [7]
Pet-ownership is just 1 method to take action and improve one’s mental health. At-home self-care can also be achieved through virtual solutions – like Recuro Behavioral Health: https://recurohealth.com/virtual-behavioral-health/. Our platform offers online psychiatry and counseling appointments, right from your living room, in less than 72hrs! At Recuro, we are making daily progress to solve these real-world needs. 21% of U.S. adults reported living with a mental health condition. [8] Annually, depression and anxiety impact the global economy – costing approximately $1 trillion in lost productivity year-over-year for employers. [9]
Don’t delay care – take charge of your health today! Adopt a pet at a local shelter: https://www.chewy.com/g/search-adoptable-pets. Or at the very least, schedule your next Recuro Behavioral Health visit today: https://member.recurohealth.com/.
We’re Making Advanced Healthcare Accessible™ #BehavioralHealth #RecuroHealth #VirtualPsychiatry
[1] https://bit.ly/20240410-source-01
[2] https://bit.ly/20240410-source-02
[3] https://bit.ly/20240410-source-03
[4] https://bit.ly/20240410-source-04
[5] https://bit.ly/20240410-source-05
[6] https://bit.ly/20240410-source-06
[7] https://bit.ly/20240410-source-07
[8] https://bit.ly/20240410-source-08
[9] https://bit.ly/20240410-source-09