I Feel Your Worry and I Don’t Know How to Fix It
If I could put one sentence into words that I hear from animals again and again, it would be this: “I feel your worry, and I don’t know how to fix it.”
Animals communicate telepathically, through thought, feeling, and intention rather than spoken words. That means they pick up on our emotions and thoughts with remarkable ease, often before we’ve said or done anything. They know when your shoulders tighten, your breathing shortens, or your mind is running worst-case scenarios. To them it’s as clear as the weather. And because they love us so completely, they want to help.
That’s why your dog may press against your legs, your cat may suddenly curl up in your lap, or your horse may stand quietly beside you. Often they aren’t asking for anything. They’re trying to help you carry it.
But here is what they tell me, so tenderly: they feel helpless. They can’t solve the bills, the diagnosis, or the hard conversation. So they do the only thing they know how to do. They stay close, and they feel what you feel.
Picture a cat who has always loved her sunny windowsill. Then her person gets difficult news, and for days the house feels heavy.
Suddenly the windowsill is forgotten. The cat follows her person from room to room and settles on her chest at night, purring. When I ask what she’s doing, she tells me, “She’s worried, and I can’t fix it, so I’m staying where she can feel me.” For a cat, closeness is a kind of language.
Some animals take on more than they should. A worried household can mean a restless dog, a cat who hides, or a bird who goes quiet. Nothing is wrong with them. They’re simply holding what you’re holding.
The good news is that you don’t have to hide your worry from them. You couldn’t anyway. What helps is letting them know you’re okay.
Try this tonight:
- Sit with your animal and rest a hand gently on their back.
- Take three slow breaths, and let your shoulders drop.
- Say, silently or aloud: “Thank you for caring about me. I’m okay. You don’t have to carry this.”
- Picture the worry as a heavy coat, and lift it off both of you.
- Watch for a sigh, a stretch, a soft yawn, or a head settling onto your lap. That’s your animal setting it down.
You don’t have to fix anything for them, and they don’t have to fix anything for you. Being together is already the healing.
Listen2Animals.com
Debbie Johnstone
