How pets change your life, especially if you work from home
Life’s good when you work from home, but you can make it better by having a pet
Working from home comes with lots of perks, but sometimes, even for the most introverted of us, the solitude we greatly appreciate and can’t let go of can get a little too much.
This is the downside of working from home we’re not ready to admit. Because let’s face it, once you’ve seen how great it is to work from home (or from anywhere in the world, if you’re lucky enough), you don’t want to acknowledge the drawbacks.
Obviously, there are workspaces and cafés, but when you have to focus on a project with a tight deadline or use maximum brain power to carefully word a document, those working spaces aren’t really an option, are they?
So can we please have a solution to our solitude, yet not be bothered by outside world distractions? Fortunately, we can. But we must adopt these solutions, fully commit to them and stick with them for the rest of their lives.
Needless to say, I’m talking about pets. For some time already, I’ve been thinking how grateful I am for the two little “pawls” I adopted, who make my life much more appealing, even when I get round with the most tedious chores one can do. But besides making our daily routine a little more interesting, there are countless benefits when adopting a furry (or not so furry, who am I to decide) little buddy.
I imagine many of you already have a pet, and maybe some of you are thinking of getting one. Regardless of where you stand, let’s see how pets change your life, especially if you work from home.
While they are definitely fun to be around, before adopting a pet, you need to do some research, to understand which will make the best companion for you. Pets should fit our personalities and lifestyle. If you’re always on the run, a dog wouldn’t be the best decision, since they need to be taken outside for a walk a few times a day. And yes…
With great companionship comes great responsibility
If you’re a digital nomad, you will have to take your new friend with you, wherever you go. You shouldn’t leave them alone or with someone else for too long or too often.
But if you haven’t gotten scared by responsibility, and you decide to adopt a pet, you’re in for some amazing treats. Here are some of them:
They’re walking rays of sunshine
When they are cubs, like any child, they are curious, energetic, and eager to discover the world. If you’re thinking of a kitten or a puppy, keep in mind they might “personalize” a few (or more) stuff around your home.
But they also look like this…
So when you get over the chaos which once was your orderly home, you will be rewarded for the rest of their life.
They enhance your empathy
As much as you might think you’re the one training your pet to do some zany tricks, they also tend to train us, although not consciously. They encourage us to gradually prioritize their needs. And maybe at the start, this takes a bit of getting used to, but before long we tune into our furry friends and get to know how we can enhance their lives. This way we practice our awareness in relation to other beings and we become more conscious of our own actions.
Having a pet boosts your creativity
Observing the way they interact with the world encourages you to see objects or aspects from a different angle, and oftentimes when they do silly, questionable stuff helps you see the world through their eyes.
Remember when in Dead Poets Society, John Keating encourages his students to look at ordinary things from unusual angles, just to achieve different perspectives? It’s pretty similar to that.
But we also have some real-life examples of how famous writers explored the world through their pets’ eyes. Have a look here.
They offer boundless affection
They make the best companion, love snuggles, and will not judge you if you spend your whole day in pajamas. They will offer you the genuine affection we all need in life, strengthening your immune system.
Countless studies confirm having a pet reduces stress levels, and anxiety and helps you fight depression, thanks to a high release of serotonin and oxytocin. What’s more interesting is these hormones are released in both humans and their pets. Dogs and Inside the Mind of a Cat offer you more details about this phenomenon.
If you tend to see the glass half empty, I strongly encourage you to adopt an animal. You will see everyday challenges through some more happy lenses.
…and daily support
In the last few years, due to unfortunate global events, the world has reached a ubiquitous state of anxiety.
At Unbabel we try to mitigate the phenomenon and bring more joy to our everyday work, regardless of our working location.
When working from the office, we encourage Unbabelers to bring their furry buddies with them, as it was proven they light us up. As for the days we’re working from home, we have quite a few stars, present in each Zoom meeting.
Here are some of our best friends:
And now that we shared our friends with you, it’s time for you to do the same.
Please share with us in this thread we created in our Facebook group, a picture of your pet from which we can guess their personality and tell us how they change your everyday life.
See you in this thread. I promise it will be fun.
