Although everything in your life may be going right, there is always room for improvement. It’s not that you are doing anything wrong, but maybe you are someone who can benefit from a reevaluation of some of the most important aspects of being human — like mental well-being and physical health. But, where to start? It can be as simple as looking to your dog for advice!

Dogs are loyal, loving, happy, and content, are great life companions to humans, and in many cases, a dog can bring back a sense of meaning and purpose to a person’s life. You likely trust your dog’s instincts about other people, a dog will stay by your side when you’re sad. With so many good qualities, why not take the time to learn a little from your canine friends? You may just end up adding a positive boost to your life!

1. Naps Are Not a Waste of Time

Depending on factors like age, size, health, diet, and activity level, dogs tend to take a series of short naps throughout the day, if they are not eating or physically doing something. You may see taking a nap in the middle of the day as a waste of time, time you could have spent finishing paperwork or hanging out with friends. In reality, energy recharging naps usually do not exceed 30 to 40 minutes and can be a short as 10 minutes. So don’t tell yourself there’s no time for a nap when you may really need one in order to finish out the day.

2. Forgiveness

More than likely, if you share your home with a dog, you’ve accidentally kicked him when he walked under you as you walked by, forgot to give him a daily treat, or in the case of a multi-dog home, unintentionally shut him in a room by himself for a time. Dogs forgive pretty quick, appearing to accept our numerous apologies, as long as the apologies are coupled with their favorite treats! For our health and mental well-being, we need to be able to forgive each other, but this is not to say that every situation deserves your full forgiveness. Humans have a more difficult time forgiving for even the smallest things whereas dogs usually can’t wait to give hugs and kisses.

3. Learn to Read Body Language

Animals, especially dogs, are excellent at reading each other’s body language. Unfortunately for humans, we are not always so good at reading social cues from other people. Maybe dogs have a bonus scent that allows them to read other dogs well, but what is it about being human that makes this ability difficult? Either we tend to be oblivious to body language cues like emotions, posture and tone of voice, or we don’t care to invest too much in reading other people. Learn to read body language better for better communication and to see your social life grow!

4. Schedules Can be Helpful

Not everyone likes making, following daily schedules; some people prefer to go day to day on the fly. Because dogs are not able to tell Wednesday from Sunday, they are creatures that do enjoy sticking routines and schedules including scheduled times for meals, treats, walks, sleeping, baths, and veterinary check-ups. For people with chaotic, busy or borderline unhealthy lives, try creating a schedule for at least some aspects of life for your sanity, health and social life. Then, when you start following a sleep routine, you will begin sleeping better and feeling more alive during the day. So jump onboard with your pup by getting your internal clock working like it should!

Image source: Takashi Hososhima/Flickr