Taking care of your mental health is a crucial factor to focus on in your life. There are plenty of things you could do when struggling with emotional problems. Some go to therapy and take supplements, but one option you could try is getting an emotional support animal.
They can be any animal that helps ease the symptoms of your emotional problems. Emotional support animals help by giving you a source of affection and comfort. So, keep reading to find out more about the different types of emotional support animals.
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What Is an Emotional Support Animal?
Emotional support dogs are a great way to help those who suffer from emotional disorders. Not only do these animals provide companionship, but they also have been shown in clinical trials to reduce patients’ stress levels and improve their mental health!
Even though all pets have an emotional connection with their owners, a licensed mental health professional must give the pet to a person with a disabling mental illness for it to be called an emotional support animal (ESA). A therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist must decide that the patient’s mental health needs the animal’s presence. For example, having a pet might make someone feel less anxious or give them something to work toward in life.
Dogs, cats, rabbits, snakes, and horses can serve as emotional support animals but must be prescribed by a licensed mental health professional through an emotional support animal registration form.
Emotional Support Dogs
The most common emotional support animals today are dogs. It’s easy to form a strong bond with your dog because of their ability to understand humans better than other animals. Getting an emotional support dog is one of the best options as they have more access to public places.
They can provide companionship and mental stability to their owners. Most breeds have a naturally cheerful and happy attitude. Dogs are even able to learn a variety of tricks to help their owners in their day-to-day lives.
Emotional Support Cats
Alternatively, if you’re more of a cat person, they’re another animal that can help you. Cats have a less lively attitude compared to dogs, but can still make strong connections as strong. They’re great for smaller apartments and don’t require as much attention.
If you love cats, go ahead and get one as your emotional support animal. Cats can do a lot for your emotional well-being if you connect with them on an in-depth basis. They can also ease your symptoms and help you cope.
And If you feel that you are in need of an ESA assistance program, you should consult with the doctor which can supply you with an ESA letter and describe all the pros and cons of animal therapy. It is also possible to receive a legitimate ESA letter online by taking a short survey and answering a few simple questions.
Emotional Support Birds
Birds are great animals to interact with. They are brilliant and are fun to be around when teaching tricks.
Parrots, for example, replicate speech and can provide you with a communication partner. They’re known to respond to different words and talk with what you’ve taught them. Birds are also convenient for people who don’t want to keep cleaning after their pet or walking them.
Emotional Support Hamster
For a calm and relaxing support animal, a hamster is a perfect choice. They are seldom active and will curl up with you and fall asleep. They don’t cost much to take care of and don’t take up much space.
Hamsters are independent as they often clean themselves and don’t need constant looking after. This makes them perfect for those who don’t have much experience taking care of a pet.
Types of Emotional Support Animals
Lots of different animals can provide you with emotional support. There is no animal better at giving you emotional support; it’s mostly subjective and falls down to the kind of company you want to keep around. It all depends on the kind of animal that you connect with and love, so it’s different for everyone.
We hope that this article was able to give you better insight into the types of emotional support animals you can get. Check out more of our guides and posts if you want to learn more about what they can do for you!
