5 Ways Teens Can Combat Stress by Taking Care of Animals

If you are a teen dealing with stress or anxiety, you may be looking for ways to improve how you feel. Spending time with and taking care of animals may help boost your mental health! While this isn’t a standalone solution, it can be a valuable addition to other strategies you may be considering or already using. 

Benefits of Spending Time with Animals

Animals can offer unconditional love. They are happy to listen to you, and they don’t pass judgment. Animals may help reduce stress through physical interaction. Just petting a dog or cat, for example, can increase your body’s mood-boosting neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. These transmitters can help you by offering feelings of pleasure, calm, and happiness. 

Although studies tend to focus on the benefits of animals like dogs and cats, other animals, including pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils, mice, and even goldfish, can improve your mood. 

Five Ways To Spend Time with Animals

1. Have your own. When you are responsible for an animal on a regular basis at home, you’ll feel how they enjoy spending time with you as much as you love spending time with them. Having a pet may improve both your physical and emotional health! Of course, taking care of animals is a big responsibility. There may be reasons why having a family pet isn’t possible, like housing restrictions, financial limitations, or household allergies. But even if you can’t have your own pet at home, there are still ways to spend time with animals and take advantage of all they offer. Here are four more no-cost or low-cost ways to bring the happiness of animals into your life.
2. Foster an animal. Just as you are helping an animal feel protected and cared for, fostering and caring for an animal can help you feel safer and loved. Pet fostering involves providing temporary care to animals in a home environment until they are adopted or reunited with their owners. Most animal foster programs require little to no experience. Instead, they often look for someone patient, compassionate, and willing to learn. Foster programs typically provide food, medical care, and even toys for the animals. They may do an orientation and a home check before giving you the green light to foster.
3. Volunteer at a shelter, clinic, or sanctuary. There are plenty of local shelters, clinics, and pet sanctuaries looking for volunteers to help care for pets available for adoption. Responsibilities may include feeding, walking, grooming, exercising, playing with, and helping to socialize the pets. Volunteering for these tasks may help increase your self-esteem and further your sense of purpose. Having a routine while taking care of the animals benefits both you and the animals. Enjoy this one-on-one time together while also playing a vital role in helping an animal prepare for its forever home.
4. Attend animal-related events in your area. Many communities offer free programs designed to connect people with animals. Look for a “Library Dog” event in your area where you might read to a therapy dog. Trained therapy animals are often brought to schools, universities, hospitals, and parks for events that aim to encourage young people to interact with them for better health. Animal rescue and sanctuary facilities often host open houses where you can meet and interact with their animals.
5. Offer to dog-walk or pet sit. There’s a good chance you have a neighbor, family member, or friend who could use some extra help with their dog, cat, fish, guinea pig, or other household pet. This is a great way to learn more about the animals while gaining access to them. If you offer to help take care of them for free, everyone benefits!

There is no doubt that there are plenty mental and physical health benefits to be had from caring for an animal. Offering real help in your limited time may also help you determine whether you want to bring an animal into your life as an adult.