Pets June 29, 2018
For every person that doesn’t like you, there are a hundred dogs that will!
Whether you’re a dog person or a cat person or whatever type of person you are, I think we can agree that owning a pet is awesome. Not only is it awesome but its good for you. Research shows that pets can help us be healthier, happier and help us live longer. Your dog, in particular, can help reduce your anxiety, stress, depression and relieve loneliness.
When I walk in the door my dog comes running in from wherever she is. Her 60-pound body almost knocks me over with excitement every time. She’s hardly able to contain herself wagging her tail and smacking it on everything around her. She does a little happy dance with her feet stomping them up and down. Everyone who owns a dog knows how amazing it feels is to come home and be greeted like this.
We’re our own toughest critics and loving yourself at times can be a hard task. One of the biggest and most destructive things we do is compare ourselves to others. We compare our appearances and our possessions. Have you ever woken up in the morning, looked in the mirror and not liked the reflection staring back at you? Well, your dog loves it. Your dog loves you for you. The most important step in self-love is learning how to stop making comparisons.
Often self-love falls under the category of conditional love. As soon as we mess up we are filled with negative thoughts about ourselves. If you love yourself conditionally it’s limiting and damaging. People become love puddles when they’re around their dogs or other pets. Yet we don’t treat ourselves nearly as well or with as much love as our dogs do.
I’m someone that has always had trouble with self-love. I’ve never fully been able to embrace and love myself. I have negative thoughts regarding my appearance and personality on the regular. Adopting Lexi is the single best thing I have done for myself. Lexi isn’t the most intelligent being but she has taught me more than most people in life. When it comes to self-love she has taught me that I am worth loving.
Not everyone you meet is going to like you. If someone doesn’t like you that’s okay, don’t let someone else’s opinion of you affect your own feelings of self-worth. But for every person that doesn’t like you, there are hundreds of dogs that will!
A pet’s love never fails. No matter what, the animal that you have bonded with will always love you and remember you. Even if you cannot return that unconditional love, just knowing that it is there will make your life better. When work has you buried and stressed out, close your eyes and remember how your dog sees you. Try to see yourself how your dog sees you more often.
If you are struggling with self-love adopt a dog. If you aren’t much of a dog person adopt a cat or another type of pet. Being loved unconditionally will help you start to show yourself some much-needed self-love.
