The Atlanta Lawyer February/March 2021 Vol. 19, No. 5 | Page 31

COMMUNITY provides physical exercise which lowers blood pressure , cholesterol , and triglyceride levels xiii . In addition to exercise , simply spending time outside with your pet , can result in increased Vitamin D levels . UV light facilitates Vitamin D production in the body xiv . This is important because Vitamin D deficiencies are linked to autoimmune diseases , depression , anxiety , and skeletal disorders xv .
If you are interested in adopting a pet , the Atlanta Humane Society and Lifeline Animal Project have many cats and dogs waiting for their forever home . https :// atlantahumane . org /# gsc . tab = 0 https :// lifelineanimal . org /
Dr . Ryan Gaston , a veterinarian at Crabapple Knoll Veterinary Clinic xvi in Alpharetta , Georgia , believes that pets offer humans a variety of benefits . Dr . Gaston states , “ As long as there is room for a pet in a person ' s life , it is very beneficial to have one . The companionship fills the human need for love and social interaction . Pets require you to care and nurture for someone else which improves spiritual health . Taking a pet out for a walk , even when the weather is bad and we do not feel like it , gives us necessary quiet time or what some might call " me " time . This is especially important early in the morning before the day starts . Also , it is wonderful at the end of a long day to be greeted by an animal that has been looking forward to seeing you ! Pets let us know that we are lovable people . At the end of the day , I find that people tend to be a more peaceful version of themselves once they start caring for a pet .”
The demands of our profession require us to make stress management a priority . This is true in the very best of times , but it is even more important during times of uncertainty . We place an immense amount of pressure on ourselves to be the best at everything we do . We always aspire to be fair , clever , objective , patient , and kind . On the days that we inevitably fall short of these ideals , we can seek comfort with our devoted pets who eternally believe we are our best self every , single day .

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Bruce S . McEwan , Central Effects of Stress Hormones in Health and Disease : Understanding the protective and damaging effects of stress and stress mediators , U . S . Library of Medicine : National Institutes of Health ( January 30 , 2008 ) https :// www . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / pmc / articles / PMC2474765 /. ii
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Protect your Brain from Stress , Harvard Health Publishing : Harvard Medical School ( August 2018 ), https :// www . health . harvard . edu / mind-and-mood / protect-yourbrain-from-stress . vii
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Sami Ouanes and Julius Popp , High Cortisol and the Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer ’ s Disease : A Review of the Literature , U . S . Library of Medicine : National Institutes of Health ( March 1 , 2019 ) https :// www . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / pmc / articles / PMC6405479 /#:~: text = Subjects % 20with % 20dementia % 20and % 20Mild , been % 20 also % 20found % 20in % 20delirium . ix
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Why Routines are Good for Your Health , Piedmont Healthcare , https :// www . piedmont . org / living-better / why-routines-are-good-for-your-health . xi
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The Power of Pets , National Institutes of Health : News in Health ( February 2018 ), https :// newsinhealth . nih . gov / 2018 / 02 / power-pets . xiii
About Pets and People , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( April 15 , 2019 ), https :// www . cdc . gov / healthypets / health-benefits / index . html . xiv
Sue Penckofer , PhD , RN , Joanne Kouba , PhD , RD , et al , Vitamin D and Depression : Where is All the Sunshine ?, U . S . Library of Medicine : National Institutes of Health ( June 31 , 2010 ), https :// www . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / pmc / articles / PMC2908269 /. vx
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Crabapple Knoll Veterinary Clinic is located at 12604 Crabapple Road Alpharetta ,

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