On Anxiety, Quarantines, and Dogs
Hi! We almost have to meet again. I thought it had already been a year since my last blog post, but no! It’s just been 11 months. Whew!
These days, while I assume and hope that everyone is home (except for all the essential workers keeping us alive, of course, standing ovation to all of you), anxiety is something the majority of us are sharing.
And even if we now have, in very different ways, lots of new reasons to be worried, I wanted to share my recent experience. Not because I think I have any answers, but because the more we talk about these things, the less alone we feel.
Photo by Mark Zamora in Unsplash.
For the last year and a half, my anxiety quite simply beat me. I’ve been trying to deal with multiple projects at once (including this one), and there’s just not 50 hours in a day. Besides work, going through a miscarriage, then followed by multiple rounds of fertility treatments, well. If you have kids, hug them for me.
What’s gotten me through all of this (besides therapy), has been the unconditional support from Ale, my friends, and my family (seriously, the more you talk, you realize many of us go through the same things). Nacho, of course. Choosing where to focus my energy, in whatever I can and keep making slow progress. Even though writing has eluded me, I’m still learning in group classes, and with Rocky, my adorable private student. As a wise and dearest friend says: “Don’t let up!” (sorry some is lost in translation).
Ale and Nacho above. Below, my students: Rocky and one of the group classes.
So, what do I recommend? I’m not sure. Different things work for everyone. But what I do know can help, and well, science backs this up, are our furry little balls of love. When we share our life with a pet, no matter which one, we have proof that:
We can lower our blood pressure, cortisol and stress levels,
Pets help fight feelings of loneliness and depression,
We have an increased probability of doing some form of exercise with our pets.
Dogs in particular have the unique ability among all animals to increase our oxytocin levels, which is none other than the “love hormone”. We produce oxytocin when we create human bonds. But not just for us! When we interact with each other, dogs also register higher levels of the same hormone. True love.
My point is, treat yourself with kindness. It’s okay to feel paralyzed, it’s okay to save a few minutes to take a deep breath, especially if we can share it with those we love, including of course, our dogs (ok fine, cats too).
Take care of yourself. Don’t let up!