Do you have a pet? Do you know how influential you are, you pet-owner, you?
As people spent more time with their pets during the pandemic lockdown, and as those without pets realized the value of non-human companionship, all categories of pet purchases – food, veterinary care, training, boarding, you name it – have had booming bottom-line increases. The pet industry, which encompasses all things that pets need, is exploding financially. What is now a nearly $250 billion industry is projected to be pushing $370 billion in just six years.
You, with your care and concern for your pet or maybe multiple pets, are driving that. Meanwhile, your unsuspecting pet is doing what pets have always done – providing companionship to the extent you allow, being as good as you’ve helped them learn how to be (at least they’re good most of the time) and becoming a bigger line-item in your monthly budget as prices of everything goes up. While some people are making the difficult decision to surrender their pet because of financial strain, the astronomical growth in the pet industry, plus the projections for even greater growth in the next 6 years, speaks to one of the most basic needs of human beings: the need to be loved.
The human need for love has been explored in the fields of neurology, psychology, positive psychology, and many other branches of science. One thing is clear – love is a primal force and need, whether it’s platonic love or something more physical. Here’s something you may not know – endocrinology studies have found that we don’t have to receive love to feel good – the same cocktail of neuropeptides and neurotransmitters are triggered in the brain when the person is giving love. Turns out, that wonderful “in love” feeling is available to everyone at any time, just by finding something or someone to shower some love on.
And that’s where having a pet comes in – shower love on your pet and your body will bask in those neuropeptides and neurotransmitters, helping you feel less stressed and more euphoric. Love is a complex topic, and one that has been discussed and strategized over often in the world’s second-shortest podcast, Wellbeing Wisdom Tiny Bites. Each episode is research-based, real-life strategies you can use right away, packaged up in 90-second-long episodes. Here are three that deal with love:
Need some ideas for where to flow some love? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Need a reminder of why loving yourself is important? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Need a fun, pet-related idea for how to love yourself? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Any time you feel the need to be loved, remember that you can satisfy that need by finding something or someone to love and care for. When you can shift the need to receive love into the satisfaction of giving love, you benefit at least as much as the recipient.
Do you have a pet? Take a walk, teach a new trick, do a little light grooming, or just snuggle on the couch. Give a little love to your pet any time you’re feeling down, and feel just how much good your pet does for you!
Wags,
Sandy Weaver, Program Director, Center for Workplace Happiness
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