Animals soothe. Regardless of whether it’s a dog, cat or guinea pig, when you have something you need to care for other than yourself, you get out of yourself and into the unconditional love only an animal can give. They don’t back talk, care how you look or complain about the plight of the world and all that is going wrong. They simply want to be around you and spend some time. They simply love.
What to do if you don’t have a pet? Google up some animal videos- my favorites are the bulldog ones on Instagram- and sit and bask in pure goodness, pure authenticity, pure appreciation for all that is going right.
Jill Sylvester is a licensed mental health counselor and author of the self-help book, “Trust Your Intuition: 100 Ways to Transform Anxiety and Depression for Stronger Mental Health.” Her work has been featured in Well+Good, Bustle, SheKnows, WorkingMother, Parenthood, TeenMentor, andOprahMag.com. To receive her free weekly blog containing tips to better your life, subscribe at www.jillsylvester.com.