Mental Health Blog

We need to keep in mind, when making the decision of bringing a new member (pet) into our family, that a pet needs specific care and love, but also will help us strengthen the bonds of love, creating positive effects in all aspects of the lives of our children and ourselves.

We manage to obtain physical benefits when playing with our pet or cleaning the fish tank or garden. For example, dogs need to play, which means that our children, or ourselves, walk, run, or jump. Bunnies and turtles need us to keep our garden clean, fish need a clean fish tank, and this involves doing certain physical activities that are beneficial to health.

Having a pet at home is taking care of a life, and this develops various values in people. Knowing that we have to care for, protect and meet the needs of a pet develops the values of responsibility, organization, reflection and respect. Responsibility by caring, feeding, and taking to the vet; organization by managing time for care, cleaning, food purchase etc. The reflection and respect on a life in charge, the decisions that we should and should not make when acquiring a pet.

"There are some studies that show that a child with a pet improves self-confidence and self-esteem, as well as strengthening the immune system of young people and lowering stress levels," said psychologist Fanny Franco, royal Canin advisor and specialist in child and adolescent care at the Si-Health Integral organization.

If our children are in charge of a pet as a child, it is easier for them to develop high self-esteem and self-confidence, which helps them become more sociable, happy, and confident. At the same time, they understand the cycle of life, birth-development-reproduction and death.

It is scientifically proven that having a pet will obtain the following benefits:

• Reducing blood pressure
  
• Increased safety and self-esteem
• Reduces stress
• Lower the anxiety level
  
• Encourages you to project feelings
• Stimulates exercises
  
• Increases serotonin and dopamine levels
  
• Controls high blood pressure
  

Having a pet is a beautiful thing. It's a life, it's one more member of the family. Consider all of these benefits but also think about the responsibilities a pet entails. Don't get a pet if you're not willing to take full, responsible care of it.

​​1. A NEW DAY, A NEW OPPORTUNITY:
Every time the sun comes up, it's a new opportunity. Take advantage of it.  Every day we open our eyes is a day where we can change our past and improve our future. Let us rise with joy and excitement that this day we will be able to do what we could not do yesterday. We can change what we don't like. Stop wasting your time and get working on a new opportunity. Start your day by giving thanks for everything you have, everything you've achieved and most importantly, giving thanks for what you're going to achieve today.

2. EXERCISE
Studies have shown that the best thing we can do for our health and to lead a productive life in all its senses is to exercise. Many of us don't give the necessary importance to working out, but if we exercise first thing in the morning the benefits are multiple and countless. You have to take into account that the best time to exercise is in the morning, being the first thing you do in the day. This way you will start your day full of energy, without stress and especially at that time no one will interrupt you and you will have no excuse. Exercising helps us be productive, healthy and sleep like royalty.
 
3. POSITIVE ATTITUDE
Try to maintain a quiet environment in the morning. This will help you lift your spirits. If we are happy and relaxed we will be more productive. If we are happy, with a positive attitude we will be more productive and successful.
 
4. SET A ROUTINE
Following a routine established in at least the first two to three hours in the morning helps us know in advance exactly what we are going to do, and this way we will not have any kind of stress or anxiety. At the same time we avoid being distracted from our objectives.  An example of a routine in the mornings would be to wake up at the same time every day, exercise a little, do a short meditation and get ready for work.
 
5. ZERO SOCIAL MEDIA, EMAIL, OR INTERNET BROWSING IN THE MORNING
Set aside social networks or internet browsing and fulfill your obligations first. Don't check your mail the first thing in the morning; leave it for later.  Focus on your goals and put each other's goals on hold. Checking your mail in the morning is going to stress you out and ruin your good mood. (Tip #1) If you work away from home try not to browse social networks until you return at night and if your job demands it, try to do only work activities. Don't waste your time. Leave social media and browsing for your free time, as an entertainment and not as an addiction.  
 
6. YOUR AGENDA
Make a list of things to do the night before. You can divide them into three sections:
a. What I have to do tomorrow
b. What I have to do this week
c. What I have to do for the next week
Once you are clear about the goals of the day and the next two weeks, start working on that day. If you manage to finish them, start doing some of the other things for the week and so progressively.  I recommend you buy an agenda and write every night the things you have to do and divide them into the three sections. I know it's a very repetitive process but it helps us a lot because if you write the same thing every day, you're very clear about what you need to finish and when you finish you cross it out and this serves as a motivation to undertake the next task.
 
 7. WHEN WORKING, WORK:
When you're in business hours try to keep all distraction away from you. Distractions can be different for each person; for example, stop surfing the internet, conversations with co-workers, gossip, cafeteria trips, etc.
 
8. YOUR HOUSE IS YOUR HOME:
You have to set limits. You have to leave work in your office; don't take work home. Learn how to manage your time so that work can be covered in working hours and at home you dedicate your time to your loved ones. Human beings need to have time to rest and interact with people close to them. This fills us with peace, harmony and refreshes us for the next day.

1. You have the right to have bad days: Don’t feel bad because there are days that you feel sad or numb. This is normal. It's a process and it takes time. But when you have bad days, you must remember that good days will also come and that you must try to enjoy those good days more often.
2. You have the right to have good days: Don't feel bad if you feel like laughing, making jokes, or wanting to be happy. We have the misconception that when we lose a loved one, everything around us must be sadness, crying, and pain. This idea is wrong, however. We have to be very clear that we are still alive and that it is natural that we laugh and seek happiness. Because we are quarreled and happy does not mean that we are disrespecting the memory of our loved one. Their life, and their death, will always be part of us.
3. Talk about your pain: Don't keep quiet. Expressing your feelings will help you vent and you'll feel less weight on your shoulders. We all have to vent once in a while.
4. Do not change your loved one: Remember that person as he or she was with his or her faults and virtues. Just because they are no longer in this earthly world, it doesn't mean that your relationship with that person had to be perfect. You may have feelings of anger or have some unresolved matter with that person. You can express these feelings alone and loudly. Don't be left with repressed feelings; let them out of your body.
5. Always remember your loved one: Don't forget them. They were part of our lives, and they must remain so in our memories. Forgetting does not make it easier to move forward, so you must remember to accept that they are gone and that you should keep on walking.
6. Keep your way of life: Schedules, routines, habits, and customs are good allies. They bring us back to the reality of everyday life. You don't have to force it either. If you feel one day that you don't have the strength to do them, stop. There´s no problem. Tomorrow you'll have the strength. Gradually it all returns to normal.
   

The departure of a loved one is a hard blow, yet unfortunately it is the cycle of life and we must move on. You will gradually learn to live with their physical absence and remember them with happiness.