Who is Tom Rafels?
Hello, friends. My name is Tom Rafels, and I’m a 5-year-old house cat. You may be wondering why a cat is writing a blog. Well, let me give you a little background on who I am and explain why I started blogging.
I’m usually a happy-go-lucky guy, always eager to make new friends and explore my surroundings. But lately, I’ve been feeling pretty down. I’ve been loosing weight, and I’ve been feeling nauseous, tired, and rundown. My vet can’t seem to figure out what’s going on with me. I’m worried about what the future holds for my health, and it’s been tough to stay positive.
I’m not used to putting myself out there like this, but my veterinarian, Dr. Stacy, suggested I try writing in a journal to help with my mental health. And after some consideration, I thought, why not turn it into a blog? Maybe my experiences can help other cats and their humans who might be going through similar situations.
So, here I am. A somewhat shy but curious cat, putting myself out there to share my thoughts and feelings with you all. It’s scary, but I’m willing to give it a shot.
The Connection Between Mental Health and Physical Health
As a cat, I never thought much about mental health. I always assumed it was something that only applied to humans. But as I’ve been going through this personal health ordeal, I’ve come to learn just how much it can affect physical health, even among different animal species.
When I first started feeling sick, I was mostly concerned about the physical aspects of my symptoms. But as time went on, I found myself feeling more and more anxious about my future. I have a lot of pet responsibilities towards my human, Kristin and not knowing who will take care of her if I’m not around is very worrying. In addition, not being able to play or jump around on the furniture, due to my ailments, also has me down in the dumps. I miss being healthy and the the stress and sadness I have is only exacerbating my physical problems.
Dr. Stacey told me that mental health and physical health are deeply interconnected. It turns out that stress and anxiety can cause a whole host of physical symptoms, from headaches and fatigue to digestive issues and weakened immune systems. Likewise, depression can make you weaker and make your pain worse. Overtime, depression can even alter the physical structure of your brain chemistry and your body’s health response!
The Importance of Journaling for Mental Health
Since I’ve been feeling down and depressed, I don’t have the energy or motivation to take care of myself properly. My fur is a mess and I don’t even want to eat, or play with my favorite string. Starting this journal entry has been especially difficult. However, now that I’ve begun, I feel like I have a little momentum behind me, and I’m finding it easier to write, now that I’ve gotten started. Strange, but writing down my thoughts is actually giving me a tiny boost of energy!
Journaling always seemed like a leisurely pastime to me and I never took the time to try it out. Not knowing much about the subject, and seeing how Dr. Stacey was recommending it as something that could help me, I decided to look into the subject of journaling a little more closely.
I found out that journaling can take many forms, from free-form writing to gratitude lists and goal-setting. They all have their specific uses, but regardless of which method you choose, the act of putting pen to paper (or paws to keyboard) can be incredibly beneficial for mental health. It’s a powerful exercise that allows you to process your emotions, visualize your hopes and desires, and plan for the future. Journalling has been proven to reduce stress and help potentiate future actions that would otherwise be hindered by depression.
The Decision to Start a Blog
After spending some time thinking about my current situation, I’ve realized that I need an outlet for my thoughts and feelings, and I need the assemblance of having an audience (real or imaginary) to write to when journaling. What better way to create an audience than with a blog?
Starting a blog can be daunting, especially for someone like me who isn’t exactly tech savvy. But, I view it as a positive challenge that can help keep me busy, motivated, focused on things that are within my control.
Plus, I figure that blogging can’t be all that difficult to start doing since there’s like over 600 million blog sites on the internet. That’s 3 blog sites for every 1 cat in the world with internet access! Who knows, maybe someone will actually read this and maybe something I’ve written will resinate with them. It would be totally worth my time creating a blog if I could help another cat or human going through similar struggles as me.
Looking Forward: A Hopeful Future Through Journaling
Overall, I’m glad I’ve started this process and I guess I have my first blog entry written and ready to post as soon as I figure out how that all works. And, I’m already feeling a positive difference in my mood since I’ve started writing.
I know I have a long way to go, but I’m excited for what the future holds. I must admit, though, that I’m still not entirely sure how blogs work or how I’m going to post my journal entry for you all to see. But, I’m actually looking forward to the challenge!
-Tom