Staff Pick: Reducing Anxiety by Bonding with pets

While spring break had come to me as a little breather from the nonstop rush of life, I did not realize that COVID-19 was about to make it much more permanent. Before COVID-19, I was lucky to have the opportunity to breathe as I balanced school and rowing for the fourth year in-a-row, let alone have the time to just be with my dog, Simba.

I was hit with culture shock upon hearing that school and all activities were to be indefinitely cancelled due to COVID-19. The incessant rush of my life, which lasted from before dawn to long after dusk had fallen, had come to a grinding halt, and I was faced with the perplexing realization: “I have so much time…but what do I do with it?” It is during times like these where we need to really ponder what matters to us and act to ensure their preservation.

I understood that what I needed was my Simba. No longer spellbound by the fears of quarantine, I engulfed my little friend in affection. Before I knew it, all my worries and concerns had been washed away, and I finally began to feel at home.

Whether you have a hamster, dog, cat, lizard, chinchilla, or anything, it does not matter, take some time and put the spotlight on them. Once you do, you will realize how much you really miss them. Before you know it, that waning bond between the two of you will once again find renewal.

Here are a few links to how pets can help during times of crisis:

https://thriveglobal.com/stories/benefits-of-pets-for-anxiety-and-depression/

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/mood-boosting-power-of-dogs.htm

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/03/pets-helping-coronavirus-crisis-animals