Take Care of Yourself by Caring for Something Else
That little creature right there kind of saved me. In the early days of the pandemic when we weren’t sure how Covid-19 was transmitted and everything shut down I was very isolated. I remember one time going for a walk with a friend and craving contact and I made her stand with her back to me on a snowy street corner just to have a connection with someone.
I had been debating getting a bunny for many years, but they are a serious commitment. Two months into the pandemic Sweetie came home with me from Red Door Animal Shelter in Chicago. I asked to meet the bunny who had been there the longest and poor Sweetie had been adopted but due to Covid the adoption fell through. She was nine months old and not the cuddliest but she needed a home. So, I guess we saved each other.
While providing companionship was the main reason I got Sweetie, what I didn’t realize was that having something to care for took a lot of my attention (and anxiety) off of myself. Feeding her, making sure she had things to play with and chew on (that wasn’t my furniture), finding out her favorite places to sleep and making them comfy, keeping an eye on her if she had a stomach ache (bunnies get GI stasis, which can lead to death), and getting her to trust me meant focusing on something that wasn’t my own feeling of isolation and sadness.
I became slightly obsessed with her, I mean how could you not, look at that face! She became more comfortable with me and we found our daily routine, which involved her sitting in the chair next to me while I work and occasionally demanding to be pet, or hopping up on the table and showing up in zoom meetings. Our evenings involved treats and cuddles and she would hang out with me watching tv.
Having Sweetie in my life has been a delight. Having something to care helped my mental health so much. Plants also helped. Caring for them, making sure they were watered, or in my case, not overwatered put the emphasis on growing and taking care of something else. I think there is a reason we saw a proliferation of plants in everyone’s life and on instagram. It was a way to nurture for something when we were in need of nurturing.
Bringing a pet into your home is a huge commitment. Bunnies are super cute, but also super destructive. Plus their insurance costs more, they need grooming, lots of hay and greens, and toys to keep them engaged. Seeing all those pets returned to shelters or released in the wild has been heartbreaking. If a pet is too much of a commitment, then may I recommend a plant.
