The next time they try to kiss your face while you’re in corpse pose, let them.
There’s so much we can learn from our pets and how they approach life. While we may spend hours doom-scrolling through Instagram, wondering how our old college buddy can afford to seemingly be on perpetual vacation hint: no student loans, they know how to live in the moment. It’s not a stretch to say our animal companions might be experts in practicing mindfulness.
For the uninitiated, mindfulness is a form of meditation with roots in Buddhist philosophy. There’s growing evidence that supports the potential for mindfulness to improve stress, anxiety opens in new tab , depression, mental health treatments opens in new tab , and even our attention spans opens in new tab , so there are plenty of reasons to give it a try.
Get 20% off PrettyLitter, just for our kin Save on the litter with color-changing tech that helps you better care for your cat. Get Your Coupon
If you struggle with sitting still, don’t worry. Mindfulness doesn’t have to mean sitting on the floor in silence, though you can absolutely do that if it’s your jam. Just don’t label yourself a failure if that method doesn’t work for you, and try not to cram yourself into a box. Boxes are great if you’re a cat, but every person is different. When you wake up, you could focus on the warmth of your cat resting on your body and the sound of their purrs. While you’re on a walk with your dog, you could take in the sight and sound of the trees swaying in the wind while you inhale and exhale.
Related article Uvalde Students Have Some New Pals Going Back to School With Them: Dogs How Golden Retrievers are helping Uvalde, TX, students return to class after the May 2022 tragedy.
Your regular practice could also be a one-minute “do nothing” practice opens in new tab , which is actually recommended for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD, or it could last for as long as 45 minutes. It’s also easy to include your pets in these moments.
Pet parents who have, or have attempted to have, an at-home exercise or mindfulness routine know that the animals of the house love to be part of what their human is doing. Scratch their favorite spot and pay attention to how petting your dog makes you feel. Watch the rise and fall of your cat’s body while they breathe. Take stock of your emotional response to your animal companion’s choice to spend their time with you, and you with them.
“Living with a sentient being that has thoughts, feelings, and emotions creates space for us to have these mindful interactions, and really understand how our body language and communication are influencing something else,” Nieforth-Bomkamp says.
The Human-Animal Connection
Anyone who has ever had an animal companion has an anecdote about how that animal has left a positive impact on their life. But, Nieforth-Bomkamp says, there’s also evidence, empirical data, and research to back up these claims on both psychological and physiological levels.
“Psychologically, people perceive pets as nonjudgmental, in terms of their ability to provide comfort and support,” Nieforth-Bomkamp says. We saw a lot of this during the COVID-19 pandemic, when more than 23 million American households adopted a pet, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opens in new tab .
“The traditional human interactions that people were used to having disappeared with social distancing, and often turned into a virtual setting,” Nieforth-Bomkamp adds. “So, people were turning to their pets for contact comfort, and the social support that they got from their pets was able to kind of stand-in for that human social support.”
Related article So You Want to Try Doga? Nope, that’s not a typo — dog yoga can improve the mental well-being of people and their pets. They don’t call it downward dog for nothing!
Dogs can help lower our blood pressure, reduce our risk of heart disease, reduce loneliness, and provide structure to our daily schedules, to name just a few of the benefits of pup parenthood. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship: When we pet our dogs or gaze lovingly into their eyes, both of us get a boost of oxytocin, called “the love hormone.” Let’s not leave out cats, either — multiple opens in new tab studies opens in new tab have found opens in new tab that cat parents tend to be happier and less stressed.
Mindfulness meditation is mutually beneficial, too. “That sense of nonjudgmental social support and being there for you, regardless of whats going on, really helps us out,” she says.
Getting Into the Routine
That being said, sticking to any routine takes self-discipline. We cycle through productivity hacks, from the Pomodoro method to body-doubling to time blocking our calendars, or just working with a good old-fashioned to-do list.
Related article FYI, Pets Are Incredibly Good For Your Mental Health Experts share the science-backed ways our pets offer us emotional support.
We’re definitely not alone in this struggle. Pets can help us stay on track.
“Pets have a way of instilling routine in our lives and creating a sense of purpose and caring for another being,” Nieforth-Bomkamp says. Think back to how your dog wakes you up for walks, or how your cat stares you down in anticipation of dinner at five p.m. on the dot.
We’re all so busy these days, from work in the traditional sense to cooking, cleaning, and everything else that comes with running a household. Even if you’re not struggling with your executive function, those are a lot of responsibilities for any individual. That’s why trying mindfulness, and sharing it with your pets, can be worth it — remember, as much as 12 minutes a day can make a difference.
