If you want to achieve great mental health; start spending time with animals. Seriously, I can’t begin to put into words just how much my anxiety levels dropped in the years I have had my rescue animals. And what good would my blog be if we failed to address ways to boost mental health naturally? Which stats now show 1 in 4 people will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of the year, with anxiety being one of the most prevalent even though it is still under reported.
In a previous post I mentioned how attending mindful mediation classes has helped me to cope with life better and further reduce my anxiety which spiked majorly after giving birth, and today I wanted to keep going in sharing easy, drug free ways you could feel better on a mental level. Even if it’s a short bit of relief, it all matters and can go a long way to making a difference to the type of day you have. And afterall, our mind and body is connected and the two directly affect each other.
It was through my quest to keep instilling in my son a love of nature and to be kind to animals, that made me want to take Kade to visit Redwings Horse Sanctuary in Ada Cole, Essex yesterday. But the beneficial effects were not just for Kade, as I found myself feeling calmer and more relaxed through just simply walking around the beautiful grounds and viewing and stroking the horses, and doing these simple things all helped me forget about my work and life stresses.
As working for myself, and from home, can become very stressful especially because even on my off days I am constantly tempted to lift my laptop lid up and see what new projects I have been assigned from the creative content side of my job!
Redwings Horse Sanctuary is the UK’s largest horse sanctuary, with 5 visitor centres dotted about up and down the country. And at present they currently have 1500 rescued residents within their care up and are phoned every day from concerned members of the public about the welfare of horses, donkeys and mules. But they purely exist and keep their vital work going because of the generosity of the public, year after year. The government doesn’t give them a penny unfortunately, which is the same for many of our brilliant animal charities here in the UK.
So, not only did it feel great to see the horses, donkeys and mules that had been rescued from some appalling conditions go on to live happy lives free from pain or mental suffering, but also to know that the donation I made when I arrived at the visitors reception will help to keep them going.
Entry is free into Redwings Horse Sanctuary, at all the locations too, but they give you an envelope when they present you with your free map of the venue and tell you that if you wish to donate you can, but you do not at all have to and the lady on reception was totally not pressurising. But I still felt I had to as there work depends on every bit of money they get given.
We had a great time yesterday, and I definitely recommend going with your little ones or even by yourself if you have a spare hour or two and feel like escaping the rat race. The staff that work there are very passionate and knowledgeable about the centre which is great to see, and the horses were simply stunning. We even witnessed several young male horses being groomed (who all couldn’t wait for there turn so were getting very playful with the groomers in their excitement!), and Kade found it hilarious when one of the horses here kept rummaging around the box full of brushes on the floor looking for any sneaky treats!
So, not only will you be helping the horses by visiting and donating however you can (be it in the coffee shop, through a donation, through buying a souvenir in the gift shop or adopting a horse or donkey), but you will be giving yourself a mental massage by switching off from life’s worries for the duration of your time you spend at Redwing’s Horse Sanctuary. That’s a win win I would say!
