Who’s the Adult?

07-10-2024 | General

Amidst everything else going on in the world, the NY Times recently published five pet articles in one week. The titles are interesting and tell us much about the current state of petdom and American culture. What do all these topics have in common? We’re living in uncertain, difficult times and people depend more and more on their pets for love and stability. However, we must remember that our erstwhile pets are looking to us for that same level of stability and reassurance. It’s a mutual push/pull circle: They want/we want. They need/we need. Where’s the balance? People read the paper and listen to the news. They get a little (or a lot) freaked out and then become more needy for their pet’s stability. Our pets read us. What does your energy feel like to them? When we think about our health, and their health, a lot more than nutrition comes to mind. We know that all mammals are perceptual. Our nervous systems take in sight, sound, touch, smell, and so much more. An important awareness is what vibe are you putting out to your pet? For a long time, science has been telling us that people’s and pet’s health are heavily impacted by stress and it does everyone well to support the calm factor wherever and however we can. There is an old saying, “we can’t control change, but we can control the way we react to it.” As the Brits say, “Keep calm and carry on.” Your health will benefit from keeping a flexible and accepting attitude. My experience is that acceptance is not an easy reach; however, it is a skill we all must learn. Your BFF will benefit from you lowering the temperature of stress. I believe that intentional environments can make the emotional challenges – and our receptivity to the adjustments – a lot easier. Therefore, may I humbly recommend that paying attention to the energetic environment of your pet household will benefit all beings within. This includes the auditory environment. We designed our calming music playlists with this in mind, knowing that beautiful, soothing music would be heard by humans, too. Progressively slowing and simplified rearrangements have proven to lower stress in both dogs, cats, and their people. The psychoacoustic adjustments are designed not just as calming pet music, but to calm all who are within earshot. Take advantage of this yourself and you and your pet household will prosper. Most seriously, your pets will be there for you much longer if you can learn stress reduction skillsets. Music is one way and there are many others.