Elderly Woman Sitting on Sofa Hugging Dog

How an ESA Letter for Your Pet Helps in Managing Anxiety

The number of people with anxiety has significantly increased in the United States, and each person copes with and treats their anxiety differently. If you're searching for ways to help you with your anxiety, you might want to consider getting an ESA letter for your pet and registering them for emotional support animal certification. How can an ESA letter help with your anxiety? Keep reading to find out.

Official ESA Status for Your Pet

The primary purpose of an ESA letter is to give your pet official ESA status. This lets people know that your animal companion is more than a pet, and having an ESA gives you certain privileges, such as traveling with your ESA without paying pet fares and living with your ESA in any housing without paying pet fees. This allows you to keep the comforting presence of your pet at your side more often, helping you to manage your anxiety more consistently.

Reduce Worry about Pushback

Unfortunately, there's still a certain stigma about emotional support animals. Many people view them as frivolous and unnecessary and may even think that you're just claiming your pet is an emotional support animal to avoid additional fees or for the sake of convenience. For people with anxiety, the fear of encountering this pushback (especially when traveling with their ESA) can actually worsen their symptoms of anxiety.

Having an official letter with you can reduce these worries because you know that you have official evidence from a certified medical professional of your ESA's importance in helping with your medical condition. When you're able to produce an ESA letter from your doctor and an official certificate of your animal's status, you won't receive pushback, and you can continue on your way without additional anxiety about someone trying to separate you and your ESA.

Avoid Separation Anxiety

If you rely on your pet to help calm your feelings of anxiety, being separated from them can be very stressful. When traveling with a pet, you aren't guaranteed that your pet will be in the cabin with you. They may be placed under the plane, and if they are with you, you likely will have to keep them in a carrier. This separation can cause a lot of stress for those already dealing with anxiety.

When you have an ESA letter, your pet is allowed to stay with you at all times. You no longer have to deal with prolonged feelings of separation anxiety if you and your pet aren't permitted to be together while traveling; your pet will instead be considered an essential medical treatment for you, and you'll be allowed to hold them in your lap when traveling.

Reduce Financial Stresses

Money can be a point of worry for anyone, but for those with serious anxiety, financial stress can significantly increase already existing symptoms. A large and sudden expense can cause someone who is managing their anxiety to experience a panic attack, for example. And this is precisely the kind of thing that happens when trying to travel with or live with an animal that is not an ESA. Airlines, apartments, and other entities frequently charge fees if you want to have an animal with you - if they allow it at all - and these expenses can put a lot of strain on you if your finances are already tight.

Elderly Man Sitting on Chair with Dog on Lap

An ESA letter and certification require one-time fees that you can easily plan for. Then, you no longer have to worry about paying pet fare on airlines or pet fees for housing. This takes some strain off your finances, potentially removing a trigger for your anxiety.

If you want to register your pet as an ESA, contact the National Service Animal Registry. We can provide you with more information, help you with registration, and even help you find an emotional support animal vest for your newly minted ESA companion.