No matter how well things are going for your pets, there is always room for improvement.
No matter how much you’ve learned about how to care for your pets holistically, you can always learn new, better ways (and refine how you put what you already know into practice). You can support amazing transformation in wellbeing for your pets!
The moment you stop learning new ways to care for your animals, the moment that you stop being proactive, that’s the moment that your pet’s health is going to start slipping away from optimum health + vitality.
You might not notice the slippage until months or years down the track when a chronic illness suddenly kicks in. It might not be obvious at all, but you might miss out on extra months and years with your old friend.
It’s so important to be active and proactive when it comes to caring for your pets. I’m sure you’re always doing everything you can for your pets. (Otherwise, you wouldn’t be part of The Healing Vet community!)
What you might not realise (most people don’t) is that the more you transform YOUR life for the better, the more your animals benefit. If you have any stress, anxiety, chronic illness, unresolved trauma, or unhelpful subconscious behaviour patterns active in your life, this is a serious problem for your pets.
Of course, if you’re alive, you’ll have some or all of these issues active in your body, in your life. I’ve been on a self-healing journey for decades, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: Ongoing self-care is simply essential.
This means both ongoing self-care (like exercise, stretching, meditation, resistance training, holidays, time in nature, healthy food, etc.) and ongoing professional health and wellness support (bodywork, acupuncture, kinesiology, healers, therapists, coaches, mentors, etc.).
The more you do this, the better your life gets. The flow on benefits for your pets when you show up and do all of this are incredible.
Most people treat their pets WAY better than they treat themselves
Ask yourself these questions. (And be honest with yourself as you answer them.)
“Do I care for and love myself as well as I do for my pets?”
“Am I as kind and lovely to myself as I am to my pets?”
Most people have a big, fat NO to these questions. The thing is, how you treat yourself IS how you are treating your pets. Because however you treat yourself is something that your pets feel very strongly. It affects them, and not in a good way.
Any stress, anxiety or unresolved trauma that you have active in your body and in your life impacts directly on your pet’s wellbeing. If you’re suddenly thinking you’re an awful pet parent, please stop, and give yourself a pat. Just like you would your dog or cat. Any time you punish yourself or are unkind to yourself in any way, you’ll only make things even worse for your pets.
You deserve to be as lovely to yourself as you are to your animals – and you can start this today. The first step is awareness. Every time you notice yourself being less than totally lovely to your beautiful self, take a deep breath, forgive yourself, and change your behaviour.
Take a self-care audit in your life. Then make a self-care and wellness plan – work out what you can do in the time and budget at hand (in fact, make time, no matter what). There’s a lot you can do on a tiny budget – free self-relaxation, meditation, yoga, Tai Chi or Chi Gong classes on Youtube.
When you fill your cup, you have so much more to give to your pets. More presence, more resources, more love and connection. The other secret is consistency. If you really want to help your animals by helping yourself, you need to have a practice of self-care and exercise that happens at least 5 days every week, without fail.
When it comes to working with therapists, have a look around. I have had immense benefits from working with Somatic Experiencing therapists. If you can’t afford a therapist, go to your local library, find the best books available, and then actually do what they suggest. Every little thing you do will help!
You can make a real difference for your pets over time by helping yourself!
I have noticed huge changes in my lovely dogs and cats over the past 4-5 years since I got out of a narcissistically abusive marriage, started and maintained a strong daily self care + exercise practice, worked with therapists, life coaches, energy healers, and so on.
The positive changes in my animals have been gradual, but profound. They are so much happier, more relaxed, shinier, more vital, and healthier. The change in me is mirrored in the change in them.
Start small. Do one thing at a time until you get solid, then add more things. You can transform your life, health, strength, and fitness profoundly, one day at a time, taking it slowly. I now do sets of 50 pushups and 8-10 chin-ups. When I started, I had to stand on a stool and use my legs to do even one chin-up, and I struggled to do 10 pushups. I have just done this, every week, and gradually become stronger and stronger!
Use your love for your pets to motivate you to do this! It’s always uncomfortable to actually do the self-care that you truly need. But the benefits are so worth it! I get sore muscles. I never want to get out of bed early in the morning for my self-care and exercise program. But I do it. Every time. Because it helps my pets, and it helps me, and I deserve to be happy, healthy, and strong.
Check out the companion video to this blog at: https://youtu.be/W5vP5ogoSEQ
(Want to have Dr Edward mentor/coach you to transform your life for the better? There is a very special (limited time) opportunity for a handful of motivated pet parents who want to take their life to the next level! Contact us at [email protected]. An hour-long session every 2 weeks for 6 months – 13 sessions, $5000 AUD.)