Is My Bad Dog Good for My Health?
research that hits home
Well, as predicted, last week's mindfulness challenge was a tough one. [Last week I set a goal to have my newborn take an hour nap in his crib every day.] So tough, in fact, that I only even attempted it about half the days of the week. On other days I was just too tired to go through the rounds of trying, crying, consoling and trying again, and the babe and I collapsed into cozy naps together. Over the long weekend, the additional chaos of my husband being off work and our toddler being home (plus our little guy developed a bit of a cold and the nasal congestion has been waking him up) foiled my ambitious plans.
This week, I'm trying again… And it's not a whole lot easier this week. (As I type, baby boy has awoken from round one). But this week I'm also adding another--possibly even tougher--challenge: to be nice to my dog.
According to much published research, owning a dog is good for your health. Dog owners are more likely to exercise regularly (walking the dog) and furry friends have been shown to have a positive impact on blood pressure and heart disease. Children living with dogs seem to get special benefit, including lower rates of allergies and anxiety.
I can’t help but believe that the dogs studied for these projects were a little better behaved than ours--our dog once went on a 2-month streak of digging under the fence and running away every other day just, it seemed, because she was bored--but either way, I want to do better. Too often, I vent my frustration at the dog by speaking unkindly to her instead of teaching her how I want her to behave.
Trying to keep things real, and therefore modest, my MMM goals for treating my dog better are these:
Train her not to jump and push to the “head of the line” when going in or out of the door. (This drives me nuts!)
Ditto for when I’m trying to put her leash on her.
Take a brief moment to respond to her bids for affection, even if it’s a quick pet with my foot while standing on one leg while washing a sippie cup.
Speak kindly. Dogs can read our emotions!
I'm also adding a new resolution to my self-care goals: take a nap every day. After a couple of great days where I felt like I didn't need a nap, followed by rough nights, I've realized: I anger more quickly, become frustrated more easily and seek to blame others for how I feel when I'm tired and, therefore, I ALWAYS need a nap!