Animals

Animals (most specifically cats) have always been super helpful when I've dealt with depression. Pets love you unconditionally and a lot of the them are quite skilled at discerning moods and act a certain way in an effort to make you feel better. Several years ago my mom went outside into the yard when she was having a panic attack. My cat Alice, who was off hunting frogs or something in the garden, came over to my mom and curled up next to her until she calmed down. Mind you, Alice hates loud noises and my mom was hyperventilating. That's definitely loud. Once my mom had calmed down, Alice simply got up and trotted away as if nothing had happened. Over the years, various cats I've owned have sensed my distress and come over and curled up in my lap and purred when I was sobbing my heart out or even when I was just quietly depressed. I'm a cat lady, so my examples are all about cats, but I've heard stories about dogs doing similar things to help their owners. If you can't have pets where you are (like me) I highly recommend volunteering at an animal shelter. I volunteered at a kitten shelter about an hour away almost every week last summer and I loved it. My depression had flared up again and on the days I went to the shelter it wasn't as bad. I was happy interacting with all those precious little furballs. Give it a try!