“The bond that we form with our pets can vary between species of pet, but by making sure that all of their five welfare needs are met, we can make sure that they are happy and enjoying their lives, this in itself shows that we love them," Vet Nina, from the PDSA, told us.

“Companionship (or not, depending on the species) is an incredibly important part of our relationship with our pets. By providing a suitable companion for those who rely upon a friend of their own species, such as rabbits and guinea pigs, demonstrates our understanding of their needs and in turn our love and compassion in making sure they live a fulfilled and comfortable life. In contrast, there are cats, who tend to prefer to keep their human all to themselves. Companionship with their person can be important to them, however, a loving owner will understand that level of companionship and interaction is based on their cats’ terms," she explained how different animals have different needs. 

“Dogs tend to love to spend time with their owner, whether that be playing games, going on walks, or just relaxing quietly. Again, the value you bring to your dog’s life by recognizing their body language and responding accordingly so they are not ignored and can live a stress-free life demonstrates how you love, care, and want them to be happy.”

According to Nina, from the PDSA vet charity, understanding your pet's species and breeding is key to understanding how they pick up the body language, voice, and behavior of us, humans.

"Although the pets we share our homes with have usually been domesticated and may have lived for generations with humans, they will also have survival instincts and heightened sensitivities to sounds and body language to keep themselves safe," the vet pointed out to Bored Panda.

"Pets can often pick up on when we’re angry or scared, equally they can often sense when we’re sad, excited, or even just relaxed—they’re very perceptive. They also respond to the tone of our voice, they can tell the difference between a sharp bark in our voice compared to a softer, calmer tone. The next time you reflect on how your behavior or tone was different from usual, think carefully about how your pet reacted, you’ll probably have inadvertently noticed that their body language altered in reflection of yours."

The ‘Blessed Images’ page has 746.8k followers, and it’s easy to see why. The content is full of cuteness. Pretty much everyone who’s online loves animals. And the pics have an edge of humor to them.

Put all of that together and you have a recipe for success. Or, well, at least internet fame and a platform from which to make people’s day better. One of the best things about the ‘Blessed Images’ project is that the audience is invited to share their own blessed finds with the people running the page. If you’re lucky, your pic will get featured and you’ll accidentally end up making thousands of people happy. Whoops!

Blessed content is one of our fave genres of online memes. They remind us to be grateful for what we have, to be kinder, and to find the fun in our daily grind. However, cutesy memes alone won’t be enough to turn your life around if you’re constantly exhausted, burned out, and feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders. Though blessed images can be the spark that helps you feel good enough to get the ball rolling in whatever area you feel needs some improvement.

Recently, Bored Panda had an interesting talk about happiness and healthy living with writer Ariane Sherine, the author of ‘How to Live to 100’ and ‘Talk Yourself Better.’

“Close, fulfilling relationships with others are one of the most important things when it comes to happiness, whether romantic or platonic. Studies show that the more close friendships and relationships you have, the longer you live. Volunteering and helping others are also likely to make you happy,” the writer shared with Bored Panda the secret to living a happy life.

Meanwhile, having a fulfilling career, being physically fit, and avoiding focusing on materialism too much can also help where happiness is concerned.

“There are other things that contribute to happiness and well-being including taking regular exercise, eating healthily, having enough money to feel comfortable, having job security, and enjoying experiences rather than possessions,” Ariane shared.

“Self-care and taking time for yourself are also very important. But I'd say close relationships are probably the most essential things to happiness,” she told Bored Panda.

“It's worth remembering that being kind to others can also lift you up too. In fact, the easiest way to take your mind off your own problems is to help someone else with theirs. But if you're feeling really lethargic and low, the best thing is probably to sleep, or at least rest,” the writer said.

According to the author, it’s important to distinguish between what we can and cannot control in life. It’s what can help you get through tough times.

“It's a matter of doing what you can to make your own situation better, and then accepting that you can't control everything. You can never control everything, and trying will make you even more anxious. But you can control certain things to reduce your risk.”

Meanwhile, the team behind the Action for Happiness project told Bored Panda earlier that finding real happiness is more closely related to a sense of duty and purpose rather than a temporary state of feeling good.

"The 10 keys to happier living are giving, relating, exercising, awareness, trying out, direction, resilience, emotions, acceptance, and meaning. We are likely to be happier if our lives have direction, meaning, and purpose and if we are part of something bigger than ourselves," Sarah, from Action for Happiness, explained.

"Giving or doing things for others is another example. Relating is about being connected to other people and being part of a community. Duty and purpose don't have to be serious things, being part of a cause that you care about or taking part in charity fundraising, all these things make us happy and fulfilled. We should see these things as acts of service that help us to be happy and help other people at the same time. Awareness is about appreciating each moment no matter what we are doing at the time."

According to Sarah, it’s vital to support your mental health and wellbeing. Getting the basics right counts for a lot. Eat healthy food, get enough sleep, and daily exercise. Take time for yourself, go outside and be in nature, notice the way the seasons are changing at the moment. Plan time in your diary to do something you love like creating art or music.” These are the things that help you feel good in your day-to-day life. Something else that helps is being kind to others.

"Think about how you can reach out and do things for others, help a neighbor or volunteer for a cause, we get happiness high from helping other people. Or start small and simply list three things that you can be grateful for each night before bed. Take it slow and be kind to yourself. Go at the pace that feels good for you.”

And don't forget to be kind to your animal buddies, Pandas. Tell your pets we said 'hi!'