Regardless of our lifestyle choices, what we do every day has an impact on animals, even if we don’t own one at all. And although it is wonderful to have a cruelty-free way of living, I know it us not feasible for everybody. The great thing is that we can still be kind no matter how small our efforts are and we’ll be rewarded for it. Here’s why.

Helping animals improves our humanness and boosts our happiness. It also helps us heal from trauma and depression. The following are five ways in which being kind to animals makes us feel better.