As much as I try to push through my struggles, things have been tough for me mentally and emotionally lately. Sometimes I do not like to admit when I am struggling, but admitting it is the only way to find the path to healing. So, as I admit that I have been struggling, I also share that the struggle has led to some insights.
After a rough day I needed to take my dog, Panda, for a walk. I really did not want to walk. The depression told me to curl up and do nothing. I just wanted to slip into the furniture and disappear. But Panda needed to be walked. It would not be fair to her if I did not take her out to walk. So, off we went.
She turned in a different direction than we usually walk as soon as I closed the gate. For some reason I decided to just follow her, let her lead. I would not need to think. Well, mu little dog wanted to really walk. Soon, I was not sure exactly where we were. Still, I followed. I figured if I needed to, I could use my phone to find our way home.
As we walked, I found myself just noticing the area around me. While we were in my neighborhood, the area was new to me. This allowed me to notice greenery and houses I had not seen in the past. My mind soon lost its focus on what I had been struggling with and it began focusing on the newness I was walking through. Panda kept walking. I kept following.
Somehow Panda knew what I needed. We walked and walked. Stopping when she felt the urge to sniff. I did not look at my phone. I was not interrupted by the outside world. I was fully present in our walk. It was a very different experience for me. We walked for 91 minutes. I did not know I was capable of walking that long and definitely did not think Panda’s little legs were capable of walking that long.
Our walk did not make the things weighing on me disappear, but it did relax my tension and calm my mind. I had assumed my thoughts would go wild while we were walking in silence, but oddly my thoughts slowed. They did not completely disappear, but they calmed enough for my anxiety to settle and my depression to lift. My thoughts focused on the presence around me. That presence was both new and beautiful.
Did Panda really know I needed to walk? I cannot be sure. My gut tells me that she did. She has been staying very close to me lately. Curling up against me in bed. Giving me hugs. So, it would seem this little dog senses that I need her.
This got me thinking. How can pets affect our mental health? Then I remembered that I wrote about Panda back when I first brought her home. (Can Pets Help Our Mental Health) She was my mom’s dog. She came to live with me when my mom required more care and had to be moved into a care facility. I had never had a pet as an adult. Maybe the timing was right.
I do not want to rehash that post. You can click on the link and read it. Plus, I feel I should write something new. I thought about what Panda does for me, aside from trying to get my attention like she is right now.
How Do Dogs Affect Our Mental Health?
For starters, Panda and other dogs get us moving when depression tells us to stay still. Depression wants me to stop everything. It wants me to sit in my recliner or lie in my bed and ruminate on all the negative thoughts it is feeding my head. When depression is looming over me, it is difficult to engage in even the simplest of tasks. Dogs do not allow us to be still. Dogs want us to play with them. They want us to walk with them. We cannot keep our dogs inside all day. They need to go outside. Our dogs depend on us. Having a dog depend on us can make us feel needed, which can be a mood lifter and a way to get us up and moving.
With depression we often spiral into darkness. We start to feel down, and we keep going. We need a way to break that spiral. It is possible that small actions such as putting on shoes, grabbing our keys, and stepping out the door can cause an interruption in the depression spiral. We do not need to walk far. Surely, I cannot walk 91 minutes every day. Even a walk around the block can be enough to cause a disruption to the spiral depression throws us into. That one walk can lead to a new habit. We can start walking with our furry friend every day. It starts out being about doing something for our pet, but it becomes a habit that can improve our mental health.
Movement is important for many aspects of our lives. Mental health can be improved with daily movement. It is difficult to do this on our own. Having a dog that depends on us to walk, gets us both moving. In doing this act for our mental health we also help our physical health. We are not just walking our dog, we are exercising.
Another way walks with dogs can improve our mental health is by gently guiding us into the present moment. With depression we often lose sight of the present moment, especially the beauty and the good around us. Depression sucks us into the darkness. For dogs that darkness does not exist. Dogs live in the present moment. We can learn to be present from our furry friends. Panda stops and smells anything she notices. It does not matter where we are or how much we have walked, if she wants to sniff, we stop. If she sees something that catches her eyes, she pulls me in that direction. Helping our mental health, requires us to adopt these practices. No, I am not suggesting we sniff everything like dogs. Although, there is nothing wrong with taking a sniff of a beautiful flower or breathing in the salty air at the beach. The lesson here is to be present. Experience all that is around us. If we are focused on being present in the environment, we take the focus away from what depression is telling us. Being present is part of mindfulness. We do not need to get into formal mindfulness practice to benefit from noticing what is around us. We just need to slow down and enjoy our walks, or whatever we are doing, the way dogs do.
Dogs can help those of us with depression by providing a sense of being needed and being a friend when we struggle with loneliness. Our furry little friends depend on us. They cannot provide their own food. They need us to feed them and give them water. They need us to take them outside to take care of their biological needs. Dogs need us for exercise. That walk is something we both need. So, when we take our dogs for a walk, we are doing the same thing for them that they do when they take us for a walk. In other words, walks help us both.
When we are depressed, we often feel a void in our lives. We might feel like we are useless or that we do not contribute anything to the world. Having a dog need us might be just what we need in these moments. Dogs provide companionship. I never thought it would be possible to love a dog. My how that has changed since Panda came into my life. Depression often makes us feel lonely. That loneliness lifts when a dog is curled up next to you or walking beside you. Sometimes when I am feeling really lonely, when the depression is telling me I alone and always will be, Panda moves closer to me, gives me a little snuggle. I do not know how she knows, but she does. She lets me know that even if no one else seems to be around, she is there.
Panda and other dogs do not understand depression. They do not have psychology degrees. They do not provide therapy services, at least not the same ones as a psychiatrist, a psychologist, or a therapist. While they do not understand depression, dogs do understand that their humans need them. They see when we are not happy. Dogs recognize when we are not providing them the care they need. Instead of complaining, dogs get us up and moving. They get us snuggling with them. They let us know they depend on us to meet their needs. All these things are the way dogs understand people. They love unconditionally. That is how dogs understand depression. I did not know I needed a dog until Panda started loving me.
By no means am I saying that a dog can cure our depression. When we live with depression, we are living with an illness. We need mental healthcare professionals to provide treatment and therapy. Dogs do, however, make our lives better. When our lives are better, we can heal.
Photos and Grooming by Sharon Raaen
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