October is Emotional Wellness Month

What exactly is Emotional Wellness ?   The National Center for Emotional Wellness defines emotional wellness as “an awareness, understanding, and acceptance of your emotions, and your ability to manage effectively through challenges and change”

As adults, we quickly come to realize that life is hard. Despite our best laid plans of what career we will pursue, what promotion we are going to get, where we are going to live, what person we are going to marry and how happy, healthy and carefree our life is going to be, inevitably, our plans will be derailed now and then

Either an inability to adapt and deal with change or becoming stagnant in our lives and experiencing no change can result in high levels of stress.  Prolonged stress can result in chronic illnesses related to suppression of the immune system, digestive problems, high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and an accelerated aging process

Developing effective skills in how we deal with challenges and changes and how we bounce back from setbacks is key to living an emotionally healthy life.  Some pointers include:

• Be mindful. Explore your beliefs and purpose in life. Practice gratitude.
• Seek support to cope with grief and loss
• Help Others – serving others helps creates a sense of purpose and builds stronger communities
• Practice good sleep hygiene to get quality rest. No caffeine before bed. Keep your bedroom dark and comfortable. Minimize distractions from electronics
• Learn something new – read a book, take a class, listen to a podcast
• Socialize – get out of the house, make new friends, and get a DOG.

YES,  GET A DOG

Dogs fulfill our need for unconditional love and companionship and improve our emotional wellness. Other benefits of owning a dog include:

• Did you know that 15 minutes after petting a dog…..
  • Blood pressure drops 15%
  • The relaxation chemical serotonin rises
  • The stress hormone cortisol decreases
  • The depression-reducing chemical dopamine rises
• People with dogs tend to walk more and are overall more active
• Dogs give purpose and structure to our lives. They are dependent upon us to meet their basic daily needs
• Dogs can help alleviate our stress and anxiety
• People with dogs become more social as others find them more approachable. Dogs are great conversation starters!  
• Dogs can help you recover psychologically from a crisis or life-changing injury.
• Some studies suggest that owning a dog can help you live longer

And speaking of dogs, how do you set up an environment that enhances your dog’s emotional wellness?    If we consider Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we know that as a responsible pet parent we must provide our dog with the basics on the base of the pyramid: Food, water, shelter and safety. Adequate, healthy food and daily fresh water are a must.   Some working country dogs may live out in the barn near the livestock that they protect but many dogs spend the night in the house on a soft dog bed and sometimes even in their pet parent’s bed. Regardless of where the dog stays, it must be a place that provides shelter against the weather and predators and where the dog feels safe and secure.

The next level of Maslow’s Hierarchy addresses psychological needs.  Just like humans, dogs have psychological needs for love and belonging, confidence and achievement.  We can enhance our dog’s feelings of love and belonging with physical engagement such as walking, playtime with both human and canine siblings, petting and brushing for coat care.  Instruction in basic obedience, trick training and dog sports such as agility, nosework ,lure coursing and sheep herding can build your dog’s confidence and sense of achievement. It’s true that all dogs need some type of “job” to enhance their emotional wellbeing. Easy and inexpensive canine enrichment activities may include eating treats from a snuffle mat to activate their foraging skills, smearing tasty foods on a “lick mat” as a calming activity, performing canine exercises for strength and balance, and introducing your dog to a variety of environments with various smells and experiences in urban and rural settings.

As you explore your own emotional wellness and the emotional wellness of your dog, consider the following quote:

Sometimes the best medicine is a dog who thinks their love can cure you.    (unknown)