Wellness Wednesday: Animal Assisted Counseling of Indiana
Wellness Wednesday: Emotional Self Care Practices That Help You Feel Better
Emotional self care practices are the small, intentional things we do to support our inner world—especially on the days when life feels heavy.
At Animal Assisted Counseling of Indiana (AACI), we often hear clients say, “I didn’t know how much I needed that space to just feel.” Whether you’re managing anxiety, burnout, relationship stress, or emotional overload, caring for your emotional well-being is essential—not optional.
In today’s Wellness Wednesday blog, we’re exploring gentle, research-backed ways to build emotional strength and stability—plus how therapy dogs can help you regulate and reconnect.
🐾 Why Emotional Self-Care Practices Matter
Emotions don’t need to be “fixed”—they need to be heard, honored, and supported.
Emotional self care is about tuning in to your needs and giving yourself the same compassion you’d offer a friend. It might look like setting boundaries, moving your body, or reaching for your journal instead of your phone.
When practiced regularly, emotional self-care helps you:
Navigate stress with more ease
Reduce emotional overwhelm
Reconnect with your needs and values
Feel more in control of your day
And when supported by the presence of a therapy dog, the results can be even more grounding.
🐶 The Calming Role of Therapy Dogs
At AACI, our therapy dogs create a space where clients feel safe enough to soften.
These dogs offer:
Gentle co-regulation (calming your nervous system through presence)
A sense of unconditional acceptance
A calming routine that helps you feel more grounded
Whether you’re a teen working through school stress or an adult navigating big transitions, animal-assisted therapy helps make emotional self care feel more accessible, especially when words are hard to find.
6 Emotional Self Care Practices to Try Today
1. Pause and Name What You’re Feeling
Instead of pushing emotions away, try simply naming them:
“I feel sad.” “I feel anxious.” “I feel numb.”
This small act helps your brain regulate what you’re experiencing and reduces emotional intensity. It’s the first step toward choosing what you need next.
2. Set a “Quiet Boundary”
Taking a break from conversations, overstimulation, or emotional demands can help you reset.
Maybe that means:
Saying no without guilt
Letting a call go to voicemail
Closing your eyes for a minute before walking into the house
Emotional self-care often starts with a pause—and boundaries protect your peace.
🧘 Building Boundaries – Mental Health America
🧡 Boundaries for Caregivers – MHA
3. Write Yourself a Compassionate Note
If a friend were struggling, you’d probably say something kind. Try offering that same tone to yourself.
💌 Write:
“I’m doing the best I can. I don’t have to carry this alone. It’s okay to feel what I feel.”
Journaling with a therapy dog beside you—calm, present, unbothered—can make this even more powerful.
4. Move Gently in Nature
Nature is one of the most powerful (and underrated) emotional regulators.
Take a walk, sit in the sun, or simply stand under a tree. Let your senses guide you: the air, the sounds, the sunlight on your skin. You don’t need a reason—just a few quiet minutes.
🌳 Mental Health Benefits of Nature – Mayo Clinic Press
🌿 Nature & Mental Health – APA
5. Ask for Connection (Even If It’s Hard)
When you’re overwhelmed, isolation often feels easier. But connection is healing.
Try reaching out to someone you trust and say:
“I’m not okay today.”
“Can we talk, or just sit together for a bit?”
Connection doesn’t have to be deep—it just has to be safe.
And yes, cuddling your pet absolutely counts.
6. Engage Your Senses to Regulate Emotion
When you’re flooded or frozen emotionally, grounding through your senses can help:
Wrap yourself in a cozy blanket
Sip warm tea
Light a scented candle
Pet your dog and feel the texture of their fur
These moments help your nervous system feel safe again.
Emotional Self Care Isn’t Selfish—It’s Survival
Many of us weren’t taught to slow down, name emotions, or ask for help. We were taught to be strong, to push through, to be productive. But emotional pain doesn’t disappear when we ignore it—it lingers.
When you practice emotional self care, you’re giving yourself the space to feel, to heal, and to grow.
And when therapy dogs are part of the process, that healing can feel more supported, more grounded, and less overwhelming.
🎯 Wellness Wednesday Challenge
Today, choose one emotional self-care practice to try.
It could be as simple as:
Naming how you feel
Setting a 10-minute break
Journaling with your dog curled up beside you
Then, take a moment to honor that choice. You’re learning to care for yourself—and that’s brave.
🐾 When You’re Ready, We’re Here
If emotional overwhelm feels constant, you don’t have to figure it out alone. At AACI, we support teens, adults, couples, and families with a client-centered approach and the help of therapy dogs.
Whether you’re looking for new tools, a safe place to talk, or a calm reset—we’re here when you’re ready.
🗓️ Contact us today
📍 Proudly serving Munster, Indiana and surrounding areas