Sandra walked into the kitchen to put Axel’s dinner together. The boiled chicken, the diced vegetables, oils and supplements…it’s a lot of work. Every meal, she’s not quite sure whether Axel is getting what he needs. She stirs his food, trying not to feel guilt or anxiety, but her shoulders are still tight at every meal.
It’s been four years since he went in for GI surgery, but it still seems like it just happened yesterday. The shock to the family was awful, not to mention the money it took just to bring him through the recovery. Making food brings back the same feeling of shock and anxiety she felt. She’s gotten pretty good at pushing away the sense of helplessness - after all, she never really knew what cause the problem or whether it will all repeat itself…
Sandra is an amazing pet parent, doing everything she can for Axel, the best integration of western and holistic medicine. She’s feeding him everything that’s been recommended, but what she doesn’t realize is that she’s also feeding him anxiety.
Consider this: why is “grandma’s chicken soup” so nourishing? So different than anyone else’s soup?
What is grandma thinking about when she’s making her soup? What is she feeling? How much nourishment does grandma get by making her soup for her loved ones?
The energy of our thoughts and feelings becomes part of what we feed our animal family, just like the love grandma feels for her family becomes the main ingredient of her soup. We feel the love just as she did when she was making it.
Self-awareness when we prepare food for our animal family can be part of their healing and wellness. It can be a huge part of our own wellness, too!
What if mealtime is our time to “take 5” from worrying about things and simply prepare our pets’ meal with love? When we scoop the kibble, add the supplements, or prepare a raw or home-cooked meal, we have an opportunity to provide pets, and ourselves, with five minutes of ease, love and appreciation. Taking those moments to do nothing but love your critters goes far beyond the time it takes - it nourishes everyone with your presence and the love you share together.
Science is now able to measure the presence and effects of heart-energy. The HeartMath Institute has been working for thirty years, providing study after study that shows a tangible effect of our heart on our own wellness and those around us. Mealtime is an easy opportunity to shift to your heart, and share it with the animals, each and every day.
While you prepare food, give yourself a break from worry and anxiety, promising yourself that you are allowed to worry again after you put the bowl down. Really! Promise yourself you are allowed to worry again…after you’ve prepared and fed the meal. Then, while you prepare the food, simply let yourself feel in your heart, feel in your body, the sensations of warmth and relaxation that come with the connection of love. You will literally be nourishing your animal family’s body by infusing their wonderful food with the love that you share.
The more often you give your animals and yourself this experience, you begin to realize that you are “being” with them more and more, each time you or they eat. Your very “beingness” becomes relaxing, healing. And the animals always appreciate feeling more of YOU! After all, you’ll just be giving them more of you to love.
If you’d like to learn more about this kind of energy and presence, please consider joining us for one of our upcoming classes: Animal Wellness Through Clear Communication. Kerri Lake is a new member of our team and an associate practitioner at Integrative Veterinary Care. She teaches internationally to help people and animals generate harmony at every level: physically, emotionally, spiritually and in every relationship. Please see our FB page for regular updates and class schedules.