5 Ways an Emotional Support Animal Can Help Ease Your Worries

by Yoga Digest | November 26, 2019 11:09 pm

Are you someone who often feels worried or anxious?

If so, an emotional support animal (ESA) may be exactly what you need. Here are five ways in which an ESA can help to ease your worries:

1. An ESA Can Help You to Feel More Positive  

Constantly worrying can really bring a person’s mood down, but an ESA can quickly lift this back up.
How?

will trigger your brain into releasing certain neurochemicals, including oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine. These chemicals instantly boost your mood, making you feel happier and more positive.
You don’t even have to be physically interacting with your ESA for this effect to take place. Even watching your pet from a distance can have a significant mood-enhancing effect.

2. An ESA Provides a Distraction

For many people, once they start worrying about something, it can be hard to stop. That first worry turns into another, which then leads to a third, and on it goes.

Well, when you have an ESA, it won’t be long before you find yourself distracted from your worries by your pet. Whether this may be because of daily routine tasks, such as feeding or cleaning, or simply because your ESA is doing something cute or funny, it is difficult to dwell on worries when you have a pet to look after.

3. An ESA Reduces Stress Levels

Stress is something that can quickly lead to worrying, which then leads to more stress.
An ESA can break this vicious cycle by bringing your stress levels down.

How?

Studies have found that pets help to regulate keeping these low. Not only will the things that usually stress you out not stress you out quite as much, but you will recover from stressful situations much better when you have an ESA by your side.

4. An ESA Provides a Listening Ear

One way to ease your worries is by talking about your thoughts and feelings. However, for many people, speaking to another person about what they are truly worried about can be difficult.

So, try speaking to your ESA instead!

Your ESA will provide an understanding listening ear, enabling you to release all of your emotions. Your ESA will not judge you or ask you any questions, instead just letting you talk it all out.
You will likely find that the act of verbally discussing your worries will help you to come to a conclusion much faster than if you had kept it all in.

5. An ESA Provides Unconditional Love

When you are feeling worried or anxious, sometimes, all you need is a hug and some love.
This is something that your ESA will most definitely provide…
Even though your pet may not be specifically trained to do so, you will likely find that your ESA becomes attuned to your feelings. When your ESA senses that you are worried, he will act in an appropriate way to help cheer you up.
Worrying and anxiety is not something that you should be dealing with on your own. An ESA could really help to make your life so much easier and more enjoyable, while easing your worries and giving you some much-needed peace-of-mind.

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