Pick Me Up Tuesday: Animal Assisted Counseling of Indiana
Some days feel heavier than others. Maybe it’s the quiet weight of anxiety, the ache of loss, or the numbness that comes with going through the motions. On those days, it can be easy to shrink inward—to believe you have to push through on your own.
Today’s Pick Me Up Tuesday is here to remind you:
You don’t have to have all the answers.
You don’t have to be “fine.”
And you absolutely don’t have to walk through it alone.
Permission to Breathe, Feel, and Just Be
When life gets overwhelming, one of the kindest things you can do is pause.
Not to fix everything, but to make space—for rest, reflection, or even just one deep breath.
Mental health support doesn’t always begin in a therapy room. Sometimes, it starts with a gentle nudge: a friend who checks in, a quiet moment on your back porch, or the warm, grounding presence of an animal who doesn’t need you to say a word.
If you’ve ever felt more at ease around a pet—less guarded, more open—that’s not a coincidence. Science supports what many of us already know intuitively: interacting with animals can calm the nervous system and ease emotional stress
Mental Health Support with Therapy Dogs: Why It Feels Different
There’s something powerful about being in the presence of a therapy dog. They don’t rush your story. They don’t try to fix or analyze. They just sit with you—steadily, quietly, lovingly.
That presence can:
Help lower anxiety
Reduce the need to “perform” or hide your emotions
Provide comfort that words sometimes can’t
Make the process of opening up feel safer
Whether it’s a child feeling overwhelmed at school or an adult navigating the slow burn of burnout, the presence of a therapy dog often opens the door to deeper emotional connection.
🐾 Learn more about how therapy dogs support emotional healing
Small Steps Are Still Steps
If you’ve been telling yourself that your struggles aren’t “big enough” for support, this is your reminder:
There’s no threshold you have to cross to deserve care.
You are allowed to rest.
You are allowed to feel unsure.
You are allowed to ask for help, even if your voice shakes when you do.
Healing doesn’t require grand gestures. It often starts with one small, intentional step—like reaching out, or simply allowing yourself to believe that gentleness is still an option.
Let This Be the Reminder You Needed Toda
At Animal Assisted Counseling of Indiana, we’ve seen how powerful those small moments can be—especially when they include a soft paw on your lap or a therapy dog who somehow always knows where to sit.
We’re not here to rush your healing. We’re here to walk beside it.
🌱 Curious what it’s like to work with a therapy dog? You don’t have to decide anything today. But when you’re ready to take a gentle next step, the door is open. Contact us here.
