Tag: faith

Pets and Mental Health

Pets are awesome.

They bring love, companionship, fun, a sense of responsibility, and lots and lots of cuddling to a home (among other things). But pets may also help in another way: promoting good mental health.

I know for me, my dog Daisy and cat Misty keep me upbeat. I feel good as I take care of them. In turn, my pets are happy – which makes me feel doubly good.

I love taking Daisy for walks when the weather is nice. Not only does it get me outside in the sun and get me exercising a bit, but it provides opportunities for me to take photos of nature and of me and my pup. And Daisy doesn’t mind getting out and about as well as keeping on top of the scents in her neighborhood!

Misty is older and does a lot of sleeping and eating, but I still enjoy petting her and brushing her giving her “kitty kisses.” She likes the sun, her cat condo, her food (and treats), and long naps. Just knowing she’s there gives me a good feeling.

All of these benefits help me with my depression and anxiety.

I don’t feel as alone knowing that my pets are around. It also helps that they can snuggle with me in silence – I don’t have to be a certain way around them, and I don’t need to verbally express what’s going on in my mind or hope that their response is encouraging instead of disheartening.

I would recommend a pet to anyone struggling with mental health issues who won’t be too overwhelmed by trying to take care of it!

How is your relationship with your pets? Do they help to keep you in good spirits? Is there a benefit they provide to you that I haven’t mentioned? ❤

The pup and I on our walk today! Yes, I may be acting just a tad goofy in this pic.

Decisions, Decisions

So I had a little bit of a different outcome at the fertility doctor’s office today.

I came in for an US (ultrasound), bloodwork, and a post coital test. I could only do the post coital test if my follicle (developing egg) was large enough – and it was, thankfully. They performed the test and after looking at my sample through a microscope, they informed me that my results were favorable. What does this mean? The Hubby and I can do things naturally this month, if we would like to.

For the previous four months, Roy and I have had an IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) procedure performed at the appropriate time in my cycle. My cervical mucus had not been a favorable environment, so they needed to bypass all of that by performing the IUI’s. My doctor had advised me to take Mucinex to help with my mucus, but this hadn’t been successful. After taking the Mucinex and then completing the post coital test this cycle, however, they determined that my mucus was a good environment.

Which means we’re faced with a different question than normal: should we go ahead and do things naturally this cycle, or should we have the IUI performed anyway? The pro to having the IUI performed anyway would be that if I failed to conceive this cycle, we would know that it wasn’t because of my cervical mucus, as the IUI would bypass that. The con to performing the IUI is the procedure itself. It’s a little bit involved…and it’s not easy to go through. Doing things naturally would be much easier. But we want to do what will produce the most favorable results.

The doctor’s office will be calling me later today to give me the results of my bloodwork and to provide further instructions. At that point I guess we’ll have to talk it over and make a decision. We are praying, and I know that other people are praying for us, so I trust that God will guide us in the way He knows is best.

Undergoing fertility treatments has definitely been a journey in and of itself for us. But the Lord has been faithful so far…and I believe that He will finish what He has begun, in His time and His way.

Thank you so much for your support as we undertake this journey! And I wanted to apologize for all of the terminology in this post – it’s difficult to provide more detail than a cursory explanation without utilizing the terms. But please let me know if I was too confusing or if anything seemed overly candid. Thanks again. ❤

 

Photo by Jake Melara on Unsplash

Thankful Thursday – Outings, Pets, and Forgiveness

I haven’t written a “Thankful Thursday” post in quite some time; but I felt like writing tonight, and what better subject to write about than things I’m thankful for?

Here’s just a few:

A trip to Batsto with my Hubby  – Roy and I were able to drive down to Batsto on Sunday to share some time together and to take some photos. The weather was a little chilly – but still nice – and it was a blessing to be able to breathe in the *almost* Spring air.

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A booked vacation to Williamsburg  – The Hubby and I haven’t been able to get away much, but we try to take a trip each year for our anniversary in May. We were able to find a location and a hotel that work for us, and we’re looking forward to exploring Williamsburg and Shenandoah in a few short months!

The comfort of our pets – I’m always grateful for our dog, Daisy, and our cat, Misty…but they really have been a comfort recently. They’re there with me during the day when the Hubby is working and they keep me company. They definitely have their weird quirks, but that only causes us to love them more!

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God’s forgiveness – I haven’t been doing well with my sleep schedule. I don’t feel tired until late at night, wake up numerous times after going to bed, and then I sleep-in the next day. It has been a battle for me for some time, and sometimes I feel like I’ll never overcome it. But God has been gracious, forgiving me when I mess up, and encouraging me with His Word and His Spirit to keep fighting.

What is something you’re grateful for? Thanks for reading, and I hope your week is going well! ❤

 

Photos By: Crystal Knauss