Karen Goldrick shares practical tips for being mindful with pets to help them feel calmer, more present, and more deeply connected to you.
I was lucky enough to be in Bali recently, a place of contrasts: fierce volcanoes, beautiful reefs and lush, fertile surroundings. But also poverty, garbage and the plight of street dogs.
Like many tourists, I was impressed by the spirit of the Balinese and the daily gifts they make.
Balinese Hindus make sacrifices to express gratitude to the gods (both good and bad) for what they have and to hope for future kindness.
I also appreciated the concepts of “Bali time” and forced intelligence. There is traffic. You will get there eventually. Relax and enjoy the view. Of course, it’s much easier to be mindful and calm during the holidays and away from everyday stress. But I intend to try to maintain that feeling when I go back to work.
There are many definitions of intelligence. A simple one I like is from Beyond Blue: Mindfulness refers to focusing your awareness on the present moment without judgment. They add that mindfulness training can benefit your mental health and well-being.
I am currently caring for three elderly family members, all of whom have serious health issues. It’s hard not to feel constant anxiety and predict what’s going to happen. These feelings affect the quality of my life and the quality of time I spend with them.
According to Dr. Erin Bannink at Metapets, when caring for a pet with cancer (or other chronic illness), mindful stress reduction practices can be helpful in the following ways:
- Mindfulness can reduce anxiety, depression, and emotional stress
- Can help develop resilience
- Helps you appreciate the present moment
- Benefits physical well-being
- Can lead to accepting and supporting yourself and others in healthy ways.
How can you practice mindfulness in your daily life? The internet is full of advice that adds to the feeling of sadness. Start with one or two tools that work for you or that you can modify to fit your lifestyle. I swim, so the concept of focusing on the breath comes naturally.
Some tips for mindfulness in everyday life:
- Focus on Breath: Breath is essential to life. There are simple breathing techniques that you can use. Bringing your attention back to your breath brings you back to the moment
- Gentle exercise: not a marathon. Walk on the beach or riverbank. Pay attention to each sensation one at a time
- Bird watching. Birds are interesting
- Yoga (relaxation type)
- Drinking tea: make it a ritual with whole leaf tea and your favorite tea
So how can you be present with your pets carefully? I’m specifically mentioning dogs, but you can modify these suggestions to suit your furry or feathered companion. Try these four ideas:
Practice and spend time carefully. Leave your smartphone at home. This notification can wait. You can take a photo or take a camera later. Focus on communication and play or learning.
Massage or grooming. Use a strategy or technique that your dog enjoys. Gentle massage and gentle washing can work well. If your dog shows any signs of discomfort or does not enjoy the process, stop.
T-Touch or Tellington Touch. This is a natural horsemanship created by Linda Tellington-Jones. It is based on the understanding that physical, mental and emotional balance are interconnected and each affects the others. It uses the light touch of the hands and fingers to move the skin, fascia and underlying muscles with your hands or fingers in a clockwise motion. It is important to practice T-Touch carefully, with calm breathing. Further information and training is available on the Tellington T-Touch Australia and NZ website: ttouchaustralia.au.
Dog yoga. This is a great way to bond with your dog. That being said, we can use our pets as examples of how to be careful in life. Dogs and cats live carefully every day and don’t have the same worries that we do. This is not entirely true, as anyone with a rescue dog or puppy will attest. We know that past experiences can affect behavior and cause anxiety in some pets. There are many strategies you can adopt to stay alert and be a mindful companion with your pets, which can help reduce their anxiety.
For me, I plan to keep this feeling of Vali time as long as I can.
For many years in our practice we have supported the charity “Bali Street Dogs”. For a tax-deductible donation, visit their website: balistreetdogs.org.au
