After years of battling agoraphobia and generalized anxiety, my sister’s dedication to the simple act of walking her dog was her 360 moment; increasing her confidence and giving her the courage to step out into the world.
Though Agoraphobia has become a blanket term of sorts, most often it refers to someone who is unable to leave their safe space due to overwhelming anxiety. It’s believed that the phobia affects around 1.7% of the world population, with most cases presenting before the age of 35.
Things took a turn in her late teens
My sister, Amy, has had a complicated relationship with mental health since around the age of 17, she told me.
“The generalized anxiety really set in when I was at college, mostly because of the transition period between school and next steps. Most of my friends had moved on.
“Simple acts like picking my subjects became horrendous and by the end of my first term I was basically unable to address the rest of the class.”
Issues really began to arise through the combination of anxiety and the early symptoms of an eating disorder. By age 19, she was largely unable to leave the house without days of mental preparation, a clear idea of the day ahead, and several backup plans just in case disaster struck.
“On a daily basis I was battling sickness, vertigo, and blurred vision, and that was just when I tried to walk up my road. After I finally started to leave the house again, being in public presented even more issues,” she said.
Getting a bit choked up, Amy recalled a trip to a bargain store that ended in her stumbling outside with practically zero vision. It knocked her back considerably at the time, essentially forcing her back into isolation.
Welcome to the family, Maggie
In June of 2023, we brought a Cocker Spaniel puppy into the house, naming her Maggie. Unexpectedly, walking the dog became a driving force behind Amy’s continued anxiety recovery.
“I had been going for daily walks for some time before we got Maggie, but with a new dog spending time outside became almost mandatory,” she said. “She had tonnes of energy and needed walking at least twice a day. This gave me something to focus on as I was walking and something to interact with and stay out of my head.”
The benefits of spending time outside are well documented, as evident by the growing trend of forest bathing on social media, where researchers have found that anxiety decreased by nearly 10% when in nature and increased by 13% when in built-up areas.
Amy explained: “Spending a lot of time outside definitely played a part in making me feel better – when it was not raining, of course!
“To be as honest as possible, my anxiety was still there, but it wasn’t as powerful as it had been in the past. It was more like a whisper in the back of my head.”
Amy continued to explain that she believed physical exercise was part of the reason she felt more relief from anxiety when walking Maggie. Though she wasn’t “jogging up and down the road”, Amy found that a “gentle, brisk pace” without music was enough to keep her grounded in the moment.
How her anxiety improved from walking the dog
“Studies suggest spending time with a pet is good for you for a variety of reasons, from encouraging regular exercise to providing companionship. Research by the University of Warwick found that playing and petting with a dog helped to reduce anxiety,” the NHS’ Dr Hana Patel told The Focus.
Also, people with dogs tend to exercise more and studies have shown that regular walks and physical activity release dopamine and serotonin, which boost mood and reduce stress.
Ultimately, Amy understood that her relief came through a “combination” of scientifically proven mood boosters like spending time outside, exercising, and bonding with a dog.
“The work might be far from over, but I honestly feel like getting a new puppy gave me the push I needed to better fight back the issues I have been dealing with since I was a teenager,” she concluded.
