How Pets Help us Shift From Stress to Understanding

I have been busy these past two months training our new puppy Nova.

She is a 6 month old black lab golden retriever cross.

And something caught me off guard.

We have had our puppy for two months. Over the past two months she has kept us really busy between the teething, learning to walk on a leash, and endless energy.

I was spending a lot of time learning about dog training. As Nova was getting bigger (she is currently 60 lb and projected to be 80 lb full grown), she is getting stronger and I don’t want her jumping up on anyone, my daughter included.

She has also been doing a lot of puppy things including chewing up my sandals, permanently damaging my work microphone cable, and stealing my peanut butter toast right off of the table.

Now what I didn’t realize was over the past two months is I was feeling more and more stress, frustration, and irritation at all of this.

When friends would ask me how it is going with our puppy, I would always say something negative such as, “Well she’s getting really big and I’m just trying to get her trained”, or “She’s teething and chewing everything like crazy”.

Nova started to feel like an annoyance to have around.

And because the annoyance and irritation slowly increased over a period of two months, it crept up on me and I didn’t realize I had started to live there most of the time.

Then one day last week, it hit me.

I can choose where I see this situation from.

I can choose to see Nova the puppy from a place of stress and irritation, or from a place of love and understanding.

That doesn’t mean I won’t continue with the dog training and dealing with the chewed sandals and stolen peanut butter toast.

And it doesn’t mean that I am going to turn a blind eye or be indifferent to the puppy behaviour that she needs to change.

But it does mean I can be intentional with how I am showing up to these situations.

And when I approach any situation in my life from a place of love and understanding, it always goes more smoothly.

Since making this mindset shift for myself, I have more grace for this teenager puppy period. I have more gratitude for having a sweet dog that is very loving. And I have more appreciation for the adult dog she is becoming.

And when I shifted into that place of love and understanding, I started to notice more of what was going right.

Nova loves going for walks in the mountains and can walk off leash. She never strays too far and is always looking back to check we are still with her. She acts like our guardian and always comes when I call her.

Nova has started jogging with me and now I have a companion on my runs.

My 7-year-old daughter loves Nova and they are becoming best friends. They actually play soccer together in our backyard and it’s sweet to watch.

It’s funny. I could easily see how important it was to see my husband, my daughter, my work, and other areas of my life from a place of love and understanding.

And having a new puppy is showing me a new area of life where I can apply this same approach.

Because I get to choose the place where I come from.

And when I start to see (again and again) that I don’t need to come from a place of stress and irritation, I am always reminded that coming from a place of love and understanding (and subsequently gratitude and grace) are much nicer places to be.

Not only do I feel better and more capable to take on whatever comes my way, everyone around me benefits too as I shift into a better version of myself.

Is there an area of your life where you can shift to love and understanding, too?

-Tracey

P.S. Have you watched my 6 minute video yet explaining the wellbeing and mindset coaching I offer to leaders and executives? You can watch it here: https://bit.ly/3XFVPw5

P.P.S. Are you an empath? Or someone who feels others’ emotions and has difficulty with boundaries? I was always the same way until I learned how to use that sensitivity to connect to my True Self. I’m hosting a free workshop on this topic on Facebook on Oct 27th. You can sign up for the free workshop on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/567889335928878

Tracey Gazel?

Consultant?| Coach | Author | Speaker?

Rising?Higher?Consulting?Inc.

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/tracey-gazel/ ?