What Pets Can Teach Us About Marriage

Okay, I know. This is not about “nutritional” health or “physical” health, but more about the day to day emotional health that can, in turn, cascade into longer term health problems. At the very least, this provides some food for thought (so to speak!).

Dr. Suzanne Phillips suggests we can all learn how to improve our human relationships by focusing on how we interact with our pets. Among her suggestions:

Greetings: Even on bad days, we greet our pets with a happy, animated hello, and usually a pat on the head or a hug. Do you greet your spouse that way?

Holding grudges: Even when our pets annoy us by wrecking the furniture or soiling the floor, we don’t stay mad at them.

Assuming the best: When our pets make mistakes, we don’t take it personally and are quick to forgive. We give them the benefit of the doubt. Yet when our spouse does something wrong, we often react with anger and blame.

“The old expression ‘you get what you give’ may apply here,” writes Dr. Phillips. “Maybe you give something very positive to your pet that invites the unconditional love and connection that makes you feel so good. Maybe it has potential to enhance your relationship.”

To learn more lessons from pets to improve your relationship, read the full column, “Can Pets Improve Your Relationship?”

For more information: Click here to visit Will Clower’s website.