Animals Are Better Than Therapy, and I Should Know!
I began having occasional bouts of social anxiety when I was about nine years old. Looking back on it now, I can see that I struggled with not being comfortable with my own body and who I felt I was supposed to be. (It didn't help that my mom insisted on making me wear Lilly Pulitzer dresses!)
Luckily, my family has always had dogs. Nothing smaller than a labrador retriever. We currently have Yukon, a 120-pound Bernese Mountain Dog (that's him in the picture), and Zorro, a Berner Doodle Puppy. Ever since I was a baby, I have been cuddling with dogs. I used to climb into my Great Uncle's dog crate and fall asleep with Freddie, his Westie. If I had a bad day or a good day, I would lay down with my head on our dog and relax. Nothing helps me more when I am feeling anxious then my puppies. They are like having a weighted blanket!
When I was at boarding school last year, I was able to experience Equine Therapy for the first time. Equine therapy helps people with anxiety, and other issues like PTSD better manage their emotional regulation . Horses are not impacted by someone's physical appearance or past mistakes, and they are incredibly sensitive to someone's feelings, physical movements, even their behavior. It is a bit like looking into your reflection, except you have big eyes and buck teeth!
In my Genetics class, I was able to experience bonding with a much smaller animal, chickens. We spent the semester breeding different types of chickens and predicting their appearance based on the parent's traits. Once the chicks hatched, we raised them until they were ready to move to the farm. I was amazed at how quickly the chicks bonded with me and how much I enjoyed raising them. After many long discussions with my science teacher, Jamie, I have decided to follow my passion and study science and our relationships with animals. I hope to major in animal science, animal behavior, equine therapy, outdoor therapy, marine biology, or biology. My experience with Equine Therapy has made me want to explore our relationship with animals and how they can improve our mental health. I am hope to find a school with an experiential learning environment where I can apply what I learn and not spend all my days indoors or in large classrooms.
I believe that the lessons and tools I have learned to manage my anxiety, combined with my natural resiliency and empathy, give me the foundation I need to succeed in college. I hope that my studies will help me connect my personal experience with a deeper understanding of how I can help people who suffer from anxiety by studying our relationship with animals.
I began having occasional bouts of social anxiety when I was about nine years old. Looking back on it now, I can see that I struggled with not being comfortable with my own body and who I felt I was supposed to be. (It didn't help that my mom insisted on making me wear Lilly Pulitzer dresses!)
Luckily, my family has always had dogs. Nothing smaller than a labrador retriever. We currently have Yukon, a 120-pound Bernese Mountain Dog (that's him in the picture), and Zorro, a Berner Doodle Puppy. Ever since I was a baby, I have been cuddling with dogs. I used to climb into my Great Uncle's dog crate and fall asleep with Freddie, his Westie. If I had a bad day or a good day, I would lay down with my head on our dog and relax. Nothing helps me more when I am feeling anxious then my puppies. They are like having a weighted blanket!
When I was at boarding school last year, I was able to experience Equine Therapy for the first time. Equine therapy helps people with anxiety, and other issues like PTSD better manage their emotional regulation . Horses are not impacted by someone's physical appearance or past mistakes, and they are incredibly sensitive to someone's feelings, physical movements, even their behavior. It is a bit like looking into your reflection, except you have big eyes and buck teeth!
In my Genetics class, I was able to experience bonding with a much smaller animal, chickens. We spent the semester breeding different types of chickens and predicting their appearance based on the parent's traits. Once the chicks hatched, we raised them until they were ready to move to the farm. I was amazed at how quickly the chicks bonded with me and how much I enjoyed raising them. After many long discussions with my science teacher, Jamie, I have decided to follow my passion and study science and our relationships with animals. I hope to major in animal science, animal behavior, equine therapy, outdoor therapy, marine biology, or biology. My experience with Equine Therapy has made me want to explore our relationship with animals and how they can improve our mental health. I am hope to find a school with an experiential learning environment where I can apply what I learn and not spend all my days indoors or in large classrooms.
I believe that the lessons and tools I have learned to manage my anxiety, combined with my natural resiliency and empathy, give me the foundation I need to succeed in college. I hope that my studies will help me connect my personal experience with a deeper understanding of how I can help people who suffer from anxiety by studying our relationship with animals.
