Hello :-)

[GennR]

Hi, I'm Genn and I'm new here. I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, made worse most recently by some traumatic events. I'm trying to move forward and cope. It's pretty hard- I work part time, go to school full-time ( mostly from home), and am single mother to a 4 year-old who has high-functioning autism. My biggest comfort was my two cats and we recently had to rehome them temporarily due to some bogus stuff that led to some issues. They may be gone until May and I am really struggling without them. It sounds silly but they were my companions and really eased my anxiety. But like I said, I'm trying to move forward and push through.

[alankay]

Hang in there Genn. Yep, our pets are like family and can easy anxiety with their unconditional love. Alankay

[GennR]

My therapist agreed to prescribe my cat to me. I don't know if that will bring the pair home very quickly, because it's not a simple situation, but I think it will help a lot. It's amazing the impact my older cat, Mya has on my quality of life. My other cat, Avery is newer and not as social as Mya. I love them both but Mya is the one I'm more deeply connected to and it's depressing without her. Every day gets better though. I miss her knocking crap off of my microwave, lol. I still catch myself going to rearrange the area and realize I don't have to. It makes me sad :-(

[jessed03]

A few years ago, when Mickey Rourke was up for the Oscar in the role of The Wrestler, I was just reading an article about him in some fashion magazine. He talked about trying to kill himself, but just as he was about to, his beloved dog came along, and he couldn't go through with it. In his Golden Globe speech, he thanked his dogs saying "Sometimes when you're alone, all you have is your dog"

I really related to that. For me, I had cats too. They were more comfort to me going through anxiety than anything else. Getting lost in their world was so relaxing. I can watch cats for hours. Having a non judgemental pal around, making you laugh when nobody else can... It's priceless. Pets can be amazing source of relief. I read about some study the Uni of Tennessee conducted, that said pets can have as strong an effect as anti-depressants on people. I really believe it. I get what you mean about it influencing your life quality. Coming from a guy it seems a little feminine - but whatever - lol

I hope everything works out soon!