giving back
I think it is safe to assume that all of us have seen or read or been told that having a pet, or any connection to an animal, is a really good thing. From reducing stress to lowering blood pressure and heart rate to providing a kind of social connection (think the number of pets adopted during the pandemic), animals give us a lot. Yet, have you ever asked yourself what you are doing to give back to your animal?
Sure, we provide a place to live, food, exercise, some toys and maybe a spot on the couch. The question I’m asking, however, is if you are giving your animal the necessary support, attention, patience and unconditional love they deserve?
As I have stated in previous articles, emotions are made up of energy. Therefore, the energy you project on a day-to-day basis is literally absorbed by your animal. That means the frustration from work you bring home, the impatience you feel getting dinner ready, or the stress of another bill in the mail is all being ‘sent’, abet unintentionally, into the energy field of your animal’s emotions. So now they must not only deal with everything expected from them like staying quiet when the Amazon truck drives by for the eighth time that day, sitting still and not begging at the table, or holding back the excitement until the time for a walk comes. In other words, they are doing all we ask of them while we offer, too often, minimal positive energy whatsoever to fill up their little tanks. Doesn’t that seem just a bit unfair?
Even if how you feel in the company of your animal is best described as a bit lop-sided in the giving department, how much better would your relationship with this incredible loving creature be if you made it a priority to be a positive influence in their lives? Now I’m not saying you must be a perfect ray of sunshine all the time, things literally do go to a negative place in our complex lives, but what can you do to make things better for the one who basically lives to see you happy?
First, start with learning how to let the little things that negatively affect your day go as soon as they happen. If you work outside the home, take a minute to shake off the stress before you walk in the door. If there was an event you are still carrying that is going to take time to process, greet your animal with all the love you can bring forth and then explain what happened and that it has nothing to do with them and you will deal with it. Now that may sound odd (although you are reading this advice on an animal communication site), but it will help your animal to not integrate how you are feeling into their own emotions. The kindness in your voice alone helps dissipates the negativity. You will feel better too.
Another situation where your emotions play a big part is when your animal is fed. When feeding, tell them how glad you are to provide food for them. Tell them how much you love them. In fact, tell your animal companion as often as possible how much love you have for them. The energy of an ‘I love you’, said from the heart, is some of the purest on the planet.Our animals wait all day sometimes to have us to themselves. Make the time spent together full of unconditional love, patience and calm. And if you would like to get a deeper perspective into your relationship with your animal companion, I’ll be right here.