Anxiety, stress, panic attacks, heavy breathing, depression… These are things that lots of people deal with and, most of the time, they can’t find a way beyond medication to treat their state.

While they do have treatments to rely upon, most of them failed to see how positive forces can help to assuage the symptoms and effects. Well, your little furry, tail-wagging, four-legged friend is sometimes all the positive force you need to feel relief.

Most canine lovers are fully aware of all the benefits of having a dog as these favorite pets offer so many delights during just one single day. The happiness on their faces due to an upcoming walk, the sleepy cuddles, how they welcome their humans when they come home, and so on.

There’s nothing like the love of a dog and most people consider them to be their best friends. Well, dogs can do much more for us than just love us, they can help us heal mentally as they have a very positive effect on our mental health.

This goes especially for anxiety, stress, and depression.

Mental health

These mental states affect such a large number of people all over the world. Almost every person has experienced anxiety or stress at least once while depression is taking its toll with each passing day. These disorders have negative impacts on our lives and show up in a myriad of forms, from hospitalization and debilitating work performance to toxic patterns in relationships.

Depression is the closest link to anxiety. One follows the other. Those diagnosed with depression are suffering from anxiety. People with such disorders experience violent mood swings and so on.

So, how can a dog help? Well, your little paw-footed friend can help you change your life in many different ways and get rid of anxiety, stress, and depression successfully. Here’s how.

The Basics – Love and Affection

While you may receive help and support from your family, loved ones, and friends, dogs give you something they can’t – unconditional love and ever-present affection. When your anxiety spirals you down the abyss and depression starts kicking in with hopelessness, the primal connection you have with your furry friend is the only thing that stands in their way. If you don’t feel good, your dog will know.

Their expression of discernible needs and affection is so powerful and moving that no matter how hopeless the situation may seem, they manage to make you smile and feel joy for just being around.

The best thing about dogs is that they are always around, they always have time for you, they are excellent listeners and they always want to play and cuddle. It’s their affection and contact that can do miracles to help anxiety and depression and instantly relieve stress. You can easily calm down just by stroking your furry pet.

To most people, dogs aren’t just pets, they’re considered family members, someone who people see as their equal.

That allows a connection to be formed between a human and their dogs, a connection that has deep roots. People trust their dogs, they love them with all their might and heart, and dogs return this love thousand times more.

There’s a lot of comfort in just knowing this. On top of all that, dogs don’t share your insecurities, dramas and so on, all of which are contributing factors to stress, anxiety, and depression. For them, there’s just you and their love for you.

Exercise and Distraction

Dogs incite exercise inspiration, it’s in their nature and they will always insist on it. An explosion of energy at the dog park, a peaceful hike, a calming walk around the block, whichever it is, you’ll need to do it, on a regular basis. This is good in so many ways. Anxious and depressive people have a problem with going out, being around others. Your dog can fix that.

Not only that you’ll be doing stuff with your best friend in the whole wide world, but you’ll enjoy it, immensely. Then, you won’t even notice it, but all these activities are a big step further from the cloud-like feeling of stress, anxiety, and depression.

At some point, going out with your dog will become just a thing that you do on a daily basis and it’s a good thing, so you’ll even start looking forward to it. That’s when owning a dog and doing things with your favorite friend become a distraction from what drags you down.

By making your dog happy, you’re making yourself happy. Shift your focus towards your dog instead of focusing on grim thoughts that bring you down. Since they always need and want your attention, you’ll have little time to think about your impending doom.

Company and Structure

Your dog is always around, always there with you, through thick and thin. This is extremely important for people with anxiety and depression as being alone can be extremely nerve-racking. Your dog makes this a bit easier as you can talk to your furry friend and ease your nerves.

Even if you’re not in the mood, playing with your dog can help clear your mind. We live in a fast-paced world and everything can be stressful, a trigger that sets you off. Well, just by talking to your dog, you can share some of that load, that burden on your shoulders.

Then, there’s the fact that caring for your dog and the feeling of being needed gives you a sense of purpose in life and makes you belong. Caring for your dog helps you bring structure into your life by harnessing positive energy into loving your furry friends. Dogs make people feel important, necessary, needed, and help them find their purpose again in the most genuine way.

Then, there’s a chance of meeting new people just because you have a dog. So, as you can see, dogs are the best therapists in the world but not because they want to, but because that is their initial purpose – to be there for you when you need them the most.

The least you can do is provide for them in every way you can, as this love between a man and his dog has no price that can be measured.