Why having a pet could be the secret ingredient to happiness
There is no doubt that pets bring happiness to us. They can be a great source of comfort and motivation and help us live mentally healthier lives.
In this blog, we look at how caring for a pet can help our mental health in lots of different ways, and how your pet can bring you happiness:
- Exercise – dog owners are likely to take their pet out for a walk or run every day. The benefits of exercise on your mental health are widely known.
- Companionship – pets can give you someone to share the day with. Caring for them can make you feel needed and wanted which can be valuable, especially for older people.
- Reduce anxiety – the companionship of a pet can help to ease anxiety.
- Boost self-confidence – Pets can be great listeners, offer unconditional love and won’t judge you. This can help your self-confidence and your general well-being.
- Help you meet new people – Dog owners often stop and chat to each other on walks, in training classes or online forums.
- Giving structure to your day – Having to feed, exercise and care for a pet can help you keep to a daily routine, which can help you feel more grounded and focused.
- Sense of purpose – animals can give your day purpose and a sense of achievement, even on days where you have little motivation.
Pets are always there for you, no matter who walks in or out of your life. They are non-judgmental and will stay by your side no matter what. They keep you active, reduce stress, are the ultimate source of comfort and a constant source of entertainment.
Unfortunately, not everyone has the time, money or ability to commit to a pet, but there are a few ways you can still enjoy the benefits that a pet can bring.
The most simple option may be spending time with friends’ pets including walking their dogs or cuddling their cats. You could also look into volunteering to walk dogs, offering a foster home to those in need or contact a rescue centre to see if there are any opportunities to spend time with their animals.
However you choose to spend time with animals, the happiness they will bring will make it time well spent.
If you’re looking for ways to improve Mental Health awareness within your workplace. We offer a range of Mental Health First Aid Courses.
Beverley HeathMooD Account ManagerCACI Ltd (Information Intelligence Group)
"Neil supplied us with the technical expertise, business acumen, and encouragement to achieve what we knew to be a challenge: achieving ISO 45001 certification in less than 2 months. At the time we brought Neil, and his company BNSHE, in to advise us, our organisation was very comfortable with the people aspects of Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S). The technical side, the understanding of the ISO standard, and the minute level of detail needed to evidence the wider OH&S landscape, was new territory for us. Neil quickly absorbed information on the essence of our core business and tailored a package of policies, procedures, registers and forms that filled any gaps left by our company's other documents. This ensured we had every clause of the ISO standard covered by a cohesive OH&S Management System that was relevant to us, and therefore would not be simply "shelf ware". As our internal auditor, Neil was rigorous in seeking out non-conformities and opportunities for improvement and put us on a sound footing for the audits that followed rapidly. The service Neil offers in continued support and advice, and provision of tailored OH&S updates, is important to help us maintain a strong OH&S system and we have happily contracted with BNSHE for this. Neil's patience, calmness and good humour were reassuring at all times and we very much enjoyed working with him. We are very grateful to Neil for what he has helped us achieve: in fact we are not at all sure we could have done this without him."
Joe Reynolds Operations DirectorAK Industries
"BN SHE were approached to form part of our HSE support network and aid AKI with our Health & Safety (ISO 45001) and Environmental (ISO 14001) certification. Not only did BN SHE support with the development and implementation of a new integrated HSE management system but they proved invaluable in skilling up internal staff and worked directly with the external accreditation body during the initial audits, making them both pain and non-conformance free. BN SHE currently form part of our health & safety committee and provide invaluable direct day to day support for all our HSE needs. In summary BN SHE have helped remove the fog of confusion around HSE and made it something AKI are now proud of."
Ciprian OstafiePlanning and Compliance ManagerEncompass Environmental Ltd
"Here at Encompass Environmental Ltd, we were looking for a consultancy to assist with our management system to obtain ISO Certifications. BN SHE was recommended to us, and we are so pleased that we got the help and support of Neil and his team – we couldn’t have asked for more. In a very professional, efficient, and cost-effective way, Neil and the team have assisted us to set up our Integrated Management System and obtain the ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 Certifications. And not only that, the Integrated Management System that has been set up by them also meets the requirements of RISQS. We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for all the help and support throughout this process and to any organisation out there that is looking for consultancy within Health and Safety and Management Systems, we believe, without a shadow of a doubt that BN SHE Consultancy Ltd is the company to steer you in the right direction."
Megan McHaleCompliance ManagerFlatley Construction Limited
"We worked closely with BN SHE Consultancy Ltd, to implement an integrated management system; IS0 9001, 14001 & 45001. After getting to know our business, BN SHE produced a system which is reflective of us as a company, easy to understand and therefore easy to implement. We would like to thank Neil and the team at BN SHE for being available evenings and weekends to answer any questions we had leading up to our audits. We would also like to thank them for helping us become an ISO certified business, which will allow us to tender for further work in the future."
Luke WellingsManagerTrueline Expanded Products Ltd
"Trueline got in touch with BN SHE following a visit from the HSE in which an improvement notice was issued. In order for us to comply with health and safety legislation we needed a fully compliant health and safety management system that was not only comprehensive and effective but enforced and communicated to employees. BN SHE immediately identified what we needed at Trueline and designed a bespoke action plan to achieve results in a short period of time. Not only was an action plan created but Bonita created all policies and procedures we needed to become compliant and made sure I was involved at every stage so I could understand and enforce our new system. The service BN SHE provided was extremely professional and we could not have been any happier, not only did our health and safety culture improve but Bonita gave me the confidence and knowledge to continue to improve the health and safety of our employees."
Clive IllingworthSHEA ManagerEssential Fleet Services
"BN SHE Consultancy Ltd were, up until December 2015, assisting our company through various business changes. As the Health & Safety Manager for the company I have found both Bonita and Neil extremely professional in not only dealing with our internal sites and depots, but also our external customers when required. Their meticulous approach when dealing within specific criteria for vehicle repair workshops is second to none. With their proactive approach in dealing with problems, identified as part of the audit process, they were able to assist our staff with on the spot advice on how to rectify the issue/problem; this pragmatic approach and attitude helped make the whole auditing process work extremely well."
Mike Wilding DirectorDT Contracting (SW) Ltd
"After many years working with a multitude of consultants negotiating the myriad of compliance accreditations necessary to operate within the highly regulated construction industry we were fortunate to be introduced to BN SHE Consultancy Ltd. In a relatively short time Bonny and Neil have streamlined and updated all our internal SHEQ systems resulting in our ISO9001:2015 certification being achieved in less than a year. We are currently working towards ISO14001 and ISO45001 with the full guidance of BN SHE Consultancy Ltd, who also provide us with effective ongoing support in maintaining our SSIP and RISQS accreditations. The service extends to regular site audits and clear, objective reviews of our contract documentation in relation to SHEQ. Above all the support our team receives is always proactive and entirely professional, giving us an extra level of confidence in our day to day operations in what can still be very much a high risk industry. We would have no hesitation in recommending BH SHE Consultancy Ltd to other companies within the industry"
Michael Cirstean Managing Director Dynamic Group Limited
"Dynamic Group were looking for a company to help us with an integrated management system; ISO 9001, 14001 AND 45001 that would incorporate our rail management system to give us a solution for the whole business. We were referred to BN SHE and Neil was assigned to us to review our current systems. As soon as we were able to present to Neil our audit results he attended our offices and put together an action plan to adopt all the necessary processes and procedures required for us to reach the acquired standard. The speed in which Neil put our systems together is testament to the great service they provide. We gave them a narrow window within which we wanted to achieve these standards and working management system and they certainly delivered with time to spare. To help us through the process Neil often dealt with enquiries outside of office hours and this still further helped with a smoother process. Very professional at all times and highly recommended. Thank you to the BN SHE Team "
Katie ShooterManagerAesthetiCare & Ferndale Pharmaceuticals Ltd
"Health and Safety is no longer something to be scared of in our company. We have been working with BN SHE Consultancy Ltd for over a year now, and this has just become a part of our daily routine. BN SHE always ensure we are fully compliant with Health and Safety regulations, and that we have the correct Risk Assessments in place which fall in line with business change. I would highly recommend BN SHE Consultancy Ltd."
Dr. Noel JohnCompliance Director LCI Rail
"We enlisted BNSHE to implement an integrated management system during 2018 that would be in compliance with ISO 9001, 14001 & 45001. This project was to be from start to finish and they should also attend the ISO certification audit (UKAS). We worked with both Neil and Bonny at times during this project which was seamless from beginning to end. Neil even managed to cross reference and signpost to existing processes required for our Rail RISQS compliance. We started in April and by September we were a certificated organisation. I have no hesitation in recommending the BNSHE team to any organisation who is looking for someone who delivers on what they promise they are just brilliant!"
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