4 Ways a Dog Can Help with Your Mental Health
4 Ways a Dog Can Help with Your Mental Health
If you have a dog, you know how amazing they can be. They are fun, loving, playful, and generally a joy to be around (when they aren’t getting in trouble!).
If you have a mental health condition or substance use disorder, dogs can also be an invaluable support system that helps you to stay grounded, make good decisions, and heal. Below are 4 ways a dog can help with your mental health, along with what you can do if you are struggling with a substance use disorder and would like additional support…
Note: This is not an endorsement of adopting a dog in early sobriety. Before considering adopting any pets, consider the amount of responsibility they require and if you are ready for that commitment.
1. Distress Tolerance
If you are in a moment of distress, it can be very difficult to break out of it. This may be a shame spiral, drug and/or alcohol cravings, a bout of anxiety, or even a depressive episode that comes out of the blue. Whatever the case may be, it’s important to manage the moment and allow it to pass while keeping yourself safe.
One excellent tool for distress tolerance is your pup! Dogs help to engage our senses like our sense of touch. This helps with lowering cortisol levels—in turn lowering stress.
2. A Sense of Purpose
It’s important to feel a sense of purpose in your life. For those that are struggling with sobriety, it can often be difficult to find this feeling of purpose. This is especially so for those that need to take some time off of work or school to focus on sobriety.
Dogs help to provide us with a sense of purpose, as they give us something to care for and nurture. This isn’t to say you should run out and buy a dog in early sobriety but, when you feel you are ready to take on the responsibility of pet ownership, it can help to provide you with responsibility, meaning, and (of course) a friend to spend time with.
3. Unconditional Love
Dogs are furry balls of unconditional love. Sometimes we need this sort of love in our lives, especially for those that aren’t close to their family or friends. Dogs don’t judge and they don’t hold grudges. They just want to love and be loved. That’s a great feeling!
4. Lower Levels of Loneliness
Sobriety—especially early sobriety—can feel lonely. You may be taking time off from your obligations and/or you may have recently stopped hanging out with friends or family members that weren’t supportive of your mental health goals. Whatever the case may be, dogs provide companionship. After all, they are man’s best friend!
Having Trouble Staying Sober?
If you are struggling with getting or staying sober, caring for a dog likely won’t be enough to keep you on your path of sobriety. In order to build strong, long-term sobriety reach out to Front Door Health for your substance use disorder treatment needs.
Front Door Health provides judgment-free in-home treatment for patients when they need it. We take an evidence-based approach to treatment, and we create custom treatment plans for our patients to increase their chances of success. Our treatment process is client-focused and individualized. This means no group sessions with strangers and no “treatment as usual” approach. You are unique and the treatment plan we create for you is designed to meet you where you are along your journey and help you to reach your recovery goals.
We understand that it can be difficult to put your life on hold and take time off work. Our in-home treatment allows you to continue to meet your work, school, family, and other obligations while receiving the treatment you deserve.
If you would like to learn more about in-home treatment, contact Front Door Health today. We’re happy to answer any questions and provide you with the help you need.
info@frontdoorhealthcenter.com
