What dogs can teach us about managing stress

I’m a dog lover and all round general animal lover. For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by all animals. I’m fascinated by their instinctual natures. We envy the life of a well cared for dog - they are living the dream!

So what makes their life such a dream? (besides the fact their loving owners provide them with the basic survival pet essentials) - they operate on instinct. They do and react to what feels good for their mind and body. They are in a state of happiness and I’ve figured out a few things we could take from their low stress days and apply them to our high stress lives….

They let it go.

Once a dog has overcome a stress or realised what they thought was a stress, isn’t, they let it go. Simple huh! Even if they have a fight with another dog, it’s only minutes until they’re over it and ready to move on with the rest of their day. Over. Done. Not us humans though - we worry, analyse, “what if”, “why”, “what could have happened”, “what if it happens again”…..

I know its easier said than done and it certainly takes some practice, but it’s not impossible to adopt a new way of thinking. If we give full control to our over-active minds, it goes for gold and it runs us. We are analytical creatures, so sometimes it’s necessary to retrain the brain. This is especially the case if you’ve had an over-active, over-thinking brain for a long time.

Now there is a time and a place for analysis - it’s how we learn from our mistakes. What I’m talking about here is the unnecessary chatter and OVER-thinking. It’s impossible to turn the chatter off to start with (although I often wish there was an off switch or mute button!!), so the first step is to observe it. Pay attention to your thoughts and start to decide how helpful those thoughts are and if they benefit you. Once you start to get an idea of how ‘helpful’ your mind is being, you can then decide what’s useful and what to let go of.

They shake it off

I’ve mentioned this one in my previous journal article about dogs. Dogs have a natural instinct to physically rid stress from their body. They literally shake it out of them, similar to how they shake off water when they are wet. It is the most genius and quick de-stressing technique I’ve ever seen.

I’ve done it many times as part of meditation classes, yoga classes and I’ve carried it across into my own life. Now, this isn’t something super socially acceptable, so I don’t suggest you bust out a shake in the middle of the office or street. Although that’s not to say you can’t! I prefer to shake it off in privacy. If you’re out, head to a quiet place or bathroom. If you’re at home and other people are there, retreat to you bedroom.

When you’re feeling stressed, start shaking your hands, then arms, head, shoulders and whatever other part of you body feels tense. Shut your eyes, don’t worry about what you look like and let it all go for as long as you need to shake for. It works. Trust me!

They ground themselves

I’m not speaking in a spiritual way. They physically ground - eg. they lay on the natural ground surface. If they have access to grass, they lay on it. They connect to the earth which has a magical (and scientific) way of recharging our energy levels. Do you remember the last time you took your shoes off and walked barefoot on the grass or sand and how amazing you felt? I bet you weren’t feeling as stressed afterwards. I wrote about grounding here if you’re interested to learn more.

They focus on one thing at a time

I’m not 100% sure, but I’m fairly confident that when my Duke is playing, he’s not worried about when I’ll feed him dinner that night, what he’ll be eating, wondering when I’m going to stop playing with him, what his next activity will be after this one, worried I might not take him for a walk later…It’s laughable, but that’s how we think. Often thinking in the past or future while doing something in the present.

Now I’m very aware that our brains are very different to that of a dog. But why not take some cues from these happy, relaxed beings? Next time you walk somewhere, appreciate your surroundings. Next time you’re eating, concentrate on the food and the taste. Next time you are spending time with someone, put the phone away and give them your full attention. We are so ‘busy’ completing tasks all day that we do them mindlessly instead of mindfully.

They keep hydrated throughout the day

Generally unless a dog is sick, they drink water regularly. I’m pretty sure they don’t think about many litres they need to get through or when the last time they had a drink was. They just drink to stay hydrated, as a natural instinct.

Now us complicated humans aren’t quite the same. By the time we are thirsty, it means we are very dehydrated. Given our adult bodies are made up of about 60% water, it is a necessary element to keep ourselves functioning. From a stress management point of view, dehydration can cause brain fog and headaches which are the last thing a stressed brain and/or body needs. Not to mention the flushing of toxins our body constantly needs through the regular drinking of water.

They rest

I know dogs don’t have an extensive to-do list each day, but they could run around all day - sniffing, listening, being alert, barking, playing etc. But they generally don’t run non-stop all day. They take breaks and they rest (some more than others). Even lions take time to rest between hunting. A perfect example of a temporary fight/flight scenario as nature intended.

We tend to run ourselves into the ground by over-committing ourselves, over-extending ourselves and running from one thing to the next without any time to ourselves. I know many people even multi-task while they eat. As someone who has lived in fight/flight for extended periods of time, I know it’s detrimental. Down time is SO important - it gives us time to re-set and breathe. Even 10 minutes of sitting and sipping a cup of tea or smoothie can do wonders for your nervous system.

They have a good nights sleep

I don’t know any dogs that go to sleep after their owners. A healthy, happy, well-adjusted dog will be dozing for hours before it’s officially bed time. Then when they do go to bed, they sleep deeply and wake refreshed and raring to go in the morning.

If the ONLY thing you managed to do to manage your stress levels is getting regular long restful sleeps, then that makes a huge difference to coping with a stressful day. There is a reason sleep deprivation was used in torture camps in history - it sends you INSANE. Some symptoms of sleep deprivation include moodiness, fatigue, irritability, depressed mood, difficulty learning new things, inability to concentrate and forgetfulness. It also weakens your immune system.

Now sleep quality is a totally different topic and is a journal article all on its own (it’s on my to-do list). To start with though, getting a consistent, good number of hours of sleep is important. Aim for 7-9 hours. Do this for a week and see how you feel!

Kate xo