Posted by Russell Gibbons on 10th Jun 2016

FINDING HAPPINESS WITH PETS - PART 1

Happiness!

I know this has nothing to do with pets……or does it???

Hanging out with your pets are one of the most amazing things one can do and makes everything better!!!

Because we can help when it comes to you being happy with your pet!

It is a well proven fact that people with pets are happier in general……..

But I think sometimes we lose sight of the issue of happiness and I suppose I just wanted to write something light and fluffy to remind us why happiness is important and perhaps stimulate some thought on how to be happy!

Just take 10 minutes to read this article…….it might change your perspective.

This is part 1 of 2 parts. This article is going to discuss what Happiness actually is and then we discuss some simple tools to help with our individual happiness.

I will then follow it up with Part 2 and discuss in more depth how our pets, be they Dogs, Horses, Cats, Ginea Pigs, Rabbits, Birds or what ever your pet choice is.....can be instrumental in our own happiness!

So what is happiness???

“Happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.” As per the definition in Wikipedia

The pleasure principle suggests that from birth we have a very simple driving need…..and that is to avoid suffering and the seeking of pleasure or finding happiness.

So with this in mind, one needs to understand that life is simply not always happy! But that’s ok….. It doesn’t have to be.

To back this up, lets think about it for a second…… when we do find a source of pleasure or happiness, it doesn’t last forever. It wanes and when that happens we go looking for another source of happiness .

Now lets assume we understand this…..then it makes perfect sense that just because we might feel a little unhappy now, there is in-fact, nothing wrong with us…..it’s simply a fact of life. To know happiness, one needs to know unhappiness.

So I thought I would try to help and perhaps open a few avenues to help in your pursuit of happiness !

I have done a bit or research on this and found that quite a few things we need to be happy are at our finger tips……it’s just that we all need a little reminder of this.

We don’t need to go out and always buy another Pet!!!! Maybe just focusing on the pets we have is the real key???

So here are a few tips to get you thinking (they seem simple, but it’s easy to forget):

Love yourself.

This can really affect your happiness.
Often I think this is portrayed as attitude or confidence……but really the people with the best attitude are most likely to also have a lot of respect for themselves.

Gratitude

Lets be thankful for some of the good things in our lives.
Write down everyday 3 things you are grateful for.

Acceptance.

Accept who you are unconditionally………
If you can accept yourself, you will be more grateful towards things and you will appreciate life a lot more.

Don’t be positive all the time!

Remember the paragraph up the top of this article……it’s not natural to be positive or happy the whole time.
As such, don’t put that pressure on you….it’s ok to have bad days. That’s life.
Feeling negative emotions do not equate to having a bad life!

Be YOU – Be Authentic!

Live the way you want……. So what if things are tough…….. it’s who you are…Your pet loves you no matter what!!!
Live life on your terms…. It’s ok not to be like everyone else…..but it’s ok to be friends with them……they don’t have to be like you either!

Be Gentle with yourself.

As the Desiderata says “be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.”
It is ok to make mistakes.
Instill this into yourself so that when mistakes happen you don’t take it too hard on yourself…….and you don’t take it out on your pets either!!!.
Let go of the need for being perfect….it’s ok…..nothing is perfect!

Let go of Envy.

Everyone has their own journey.
The grass is not greener.
Working this out is a large step to finding happiness and can only be achieved once a few of the other things above have been addressed.
Everyone has their problems and everyone experiences pain, fear, sadness etc…..

Be happy to serve Others

Its an intoxicating thing to see someone smile because of something we did.
Compliment people……Especially their pets.

I know this is quite a fluffy article, but I truly think we all need a little boost every now and then…….Even out pets!

It’s too easy to get wrapped up in everything and then not put some time aside to considering something which is fundamentally important……like Happiness.

And how those around us, including our pets, influence this and help us enormously.

Hope this has helped.

Look out for the sequel where we will discuss pets and happiness in more detail.

Remember, if you are struggling, take some time out for yourself………by all means, let me know your thoughts.

If seeing your pets enjoying life brings you happiness ……we can really help there! Get awesome pet treats and pet products from us and see how happy your Pets are and then take a moment to think about how happy that makes you???

Remember, we exist to help “Create awesome Memories” between you and your pets!

Have a great week and all the best from the team @ Huds and Toke.