Back to school is approaching, and it's inevitable to think about everything that entails: routine, considerable expenses, rush, exams... stress. This is especially true for students, but in many cases, parents also find themselves "splashed" by this situation when they see their children distressed.
Stress is the process that is triggered when a person perceives a situation or event as threatening or overwhelming their resources. Often, the events that trigger it are those related to changes, require an extra effort from the individual, and therefore endanger their personal well-being. Stress is one of the main problems in modern societies.
Many of us wonder what to do to combat it. And for that, there are many alternatives: exercise, seeking help from a psychologist, getting therapeutic massages, reading self-help books... Each person has their own answer. Although, it must be said, it doesn't always work.
However, sometimes solving a problem is much easier than it seems and within our reach. We just have to look around us. Proof of this is the initiative launched by Dalhousie University in Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada) in 2012: "The puppy room."
The organizers of "The puppy room" realized that one of the things students did was to search Google for puppy images (who hasn't done that at some point?). Puppies, kittens, wild animal babies. When asked why, they replied that they did it to relax. From there, the dream of "The puppy room" emerged.
With the help of the Therapeutic Paws of Canada organization, Dalhousie University set up a room where students could go to "de-stress" in a very simple and endearing way: by petting animals. Labradors, papillons, Dalmatians, Saint Bernards... and many other affectionate and adorable furry friends visited the room. The initiative, of course, was a success, and no student resisted spending time with a pet, between exams, or during a study break.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eV70gfih9M
The therapeutic power of pets and the benefits of their proximity are more than proven by science. In this case, it helped students to relax, perform better, achieve better results, be healthier inside and out, as well as socialize with each other. Last but not least, it also helped to create or strengthen an emotional and affective bond between them and the pets.
While the initiative had a specific duration, it inspired other centers, such as Virginia Tech University, which carried out a similar activity in its library, with the help of VT Helping Paws, as you can see here:
As we said, these pet therapies have been occasional in both centers, but at ARISTOPET, we hope it will inspire Spanish centers and that, very soon, we will receive the happy news that Spanish students will be happier and more relaxed when they go to class, and especially during exam season.