You will be surprised to know that anxiety disorder is one of the most serious mental health issues affecting 19.1% of the adult U.S. population every year.

Emotional support animals (ESAs) are pets that accompany individuals with mental health issues such as PTSD, anxiety, panic disorder, and more.

Did you know that emotional support animals (ESA) and service animals are not the same? While a lot of people use the two terms interchangeably, they are quite easily differentiable.

ESA is short for Emotional Support Animal. You may have heard about them, and all the ways they help their owners function better. In case you haven’t, let’s quickly go over some of the common reasons why people have ESAs.

Do you often feel out of control? Do you break out in sweat without any reason? Do you often experience overwhelming fear that lasts for quite some time?

You will be surprised to know that 57% of Americans feel paralyzed due to immense stress. Stress, depression, or any other mental issues can wreak havoc on your overall well-being.

Even if we have people around us all the time, it can often get difficult to handle the emotions and difficult situations in life. Anxiety, stress and depression creep in and therapy remains the last resort.

September of 2021 proved to be a crucial month for emotional support animal owners, ESA providers, as well as licensed professionals. This is when the California Governor, Gavin Newsom, signed a new bill pertaining to the ESA laws in California.

The concept of using an emotional support animal for anxiety is not new. Animals, especially social animals like dogs, cats, rabbits and pigs are known to relieve stress, improve heart rate, and provide emotional support to people who need it.

Your emotional support dog is your friend, your guardian and your kid, all in one. And as a dog parent, you’re responsible for controlling your dog in public – how your dog reacts to certain circumstances, how people approach your pet and how your walk turns out.

In October 2019, San Francisco 49ers adopted the NFL’s first-ever emotional support animal—Zoë. It’s a great decision to help players manage anxiety and stress related to the game.

When temperature starts dropping and snow covers the outer layer of the ground outside, you need to take care of your emotional support animals and make sure they’re in a warm, safe and comfortable space until the ray of sunlight showers upon the earth.

Emotional support animals are not just pets but the support that you might need in your life. Emotional support animals provide comfort and relief to people suffering from mental disorders such as anxiety, depression etc.

Emotional support animals have an immense role to play in improving the lives of people suffering from emotional or mental health issues.

What a beautiful time it is for mental health sufferers: individuals who seek emotional support and someone who needs assurance on a daily basis.

No doubt animals play an important role in our lives. From providing love & comfort to helping us perform daily tasks, they help us in many ways.