Holiday stress reducers : Rooftop Views

Rooftop Views

Holiday stress reducers

We all experience it - that holiday stress. Got to get the cookies baked and the house decorated. And everything has to be just perfect for the company. Well, there are better ways to cope than throwing down pills. Get a pet! This article from about.com expresses our thoughts about the advantages of owning a pet (in our case an incredibly spoiled cat) perfectly!

Getting a new best friend can have many stress relieving and health benefits. While human friends provide great social support and come with some fabulous benefits, this article focuses on the benefits of furry friends: cats and dogs! Research shows that, unless you’re someone who really dislikes animals or is absolutely too busy to care for one properly, pets can provide excellent social support, stress relief and other health benefits. Here are more health benefits of pets:

Pets can improve your mood: For those who love animals, it’s virtually impossible to stay in a bad mood when a pair of loving puppy eyes meets yours, or when a super-soft cat rubs up against your hand.

Pets control blood pressure better than drugs: Yes, it’s true. While ACE inhibiting drugs can generally reduce blood pressure, they aren’t as effective on controlling spikes in blood pressure due to stress and tension. However, in a , groups of hypertensive New York stockbrokers who got dogs or cats were found to have lower blood pressure and heart rates than those who didn’t get pets. When they heard of the results, most of those in the non-pet group went out and got pets.

Pets encourage you to get out and exercise: Whether we walk our dogs because they need it, or are more likely to enjoy a walk when we have companionship, dog owners do than non-pet owners, at least if we live in an urban setting. Because exercise is good for stress management and overall health, owning a dog can be credited with increasing these benefits.

Pets can help with social support: When we’re out walking, having a dog with us can make us more approachable and give people a reason to stop and talk, thereby increasing the number of people we meet, giving us an opportunity to increase our network of friends and acquaintances, which also has great stress management benefits.