People who love animals will tell you how relaxed they feel when their pets are around. Animals provide joy to the people who adore them. They can also provide emotional support and companionship to the people suffering from some mental health problems. These companions are known as emotional support animal.

An emotional support animal is a companion certified by a mental health professional to treat people suffering from mental health issues. ESA’s are not trained for any specific kind of services, their job is to provide emotional support and comfort, by simply being present for their owner’s well being.

Emotional support animals provide unconditional love and comfort to psychologically or mentally disturbed persons. ESAs help them control their temperament and cope with anxiety attacks. There are various emotional, psychological and social benefits of having an ESA. Following are the health benefits they can provide:

1.   Emotional support: According to mental health professionals, ESA provides emotional support to mentally disturbed people. ESA helps them control their emotions while being present for them. They can talk to them when they don’t have anybody around or if they don’t feel like talking to people. Animals are good listeners!

2.   Help with Post-traumatic stress disorder: People who suffer from PTSD they experience nightmares, negative thoughts that come out of nowhere, flashbacks of terrifying or scary events. PTSD patients start avoiding people, and places that remind them of the trauma they have experienced.

An ESA can help alleviate the symptoms of PTSD. For example, an emotional support dog can sense when his owner is stressed. Dogs are the most loyal species on the face of this earth. They bring good companionship and love for their owner. They help their owner to release stress by playing with them or keeping them busy or occupied.

3.   Help with anxiety: Many people are suffering from depression and anxiety and a lot of treatments are available for them. One such treatment is having an ESA to control anxiety. ESA does exactly as the name suggests – they provide emotional support to their owners. Loneliness is the main reason for anxiety. People can overcome their anxiety by simply having an ESA with them so that they don’t feel alone.

4.   Unconditional love and companionship: Psychologist believes that ESAs are good for people. They bring joy to their owners. They give unconditional love and provide companionship when you feel alone.

5.   Aerophobia (fear of flying): The presence of a familiar animal can alleviate the fear of flying. People feel comfortable with their pets. ESAs can provide good company and can distract from the panic.

But you need to have an ESA letter to get your animal fly with you. All you have to do is to present a letter to the airline written by a licensed health professional.

6.   Boost in social connection: ESAs help those who are shy and don’t feel comfortable in social gatherings and become socially isolated. Emotional Support Animals helps to develop a personal and social connection.

7.   A boost in self-esteem: ESAs can boost self-esteem and improve self-confidence. They keep their owner busy so they focus less on their problems.

8.   An increased sense of purpose: ESAs provide a sense of personal security. Whenever a person feels like they don’t want to live anymore. ESAs are the ones who bring meaning to life by reminding them that “someone does love you”.

An ESA letter for housing can be the best partner you can ever have. They are the best companion and bring joy to their owners.