摘要：Cats are known for their independence, confidence, and unapologetic self-care.They remind us to treat ourselves with the same resp
6 Mental Health Lessons
We Can Take From Cats
我们可以从猫身上学到的
6个心理健康知识
The importance of staying curious and knowing your worth
保持好奇心和了解自身价值的重要性
Posted September 24, 2025 | Reviewed by Davia Sills
发布于 2025 年 9 月 24 日 | Davia Sills 审阅
Cats are known for their independence, confidence, and unapologetic self-care.They remind us to treat ourselves with the same respect and compassion that we often only reserve for others.
猫以其独立、自信和无所畏惧的自我照顾而闻名。它们提醒我们要以对待他人同样的尊重和同情来对待自己。
After a long day of travel—flight delays, gate changes, and hours spent listening to airport noises—all I could think about was getting home, slipping into my comfy pants, and collapsing into bed. Home felt impossibly far away.
经过一整天的旅行——航班延误、登机口变更，以及几个小时聆听机场的噪音——我满脑子想的就是回家，穿上舒适的裤子，倒在床上。家感觉遥不可及。
By the time I pulled into the driveway, the only things on my mind were a hot shower and no fewer than 16 hours of sleep. But as soon as I opened the door, my three cats immediately surrounded me, taking on the role of a furry TSA team and inspecting all my bags thoroughly. They had been waiting expectantly, and despite my sheer exhaustion, they reminded me that dinner time doesn’t wait, no matter how tired I am.
当我把车开进车道时，我脑子里唯一想的就是洗个热水澡，然后睡个好觉，至少睡16个小时。可我一开门，我的三只猫就立刻围了过来，像毛茸茸的美国运输安全管理局（TSA）的队员一样，仔细检查我所有的行李。它们一直满怀期待地等着我，尽管我累得筋疲力尽，但它们还是提醒我，无论我有多累，晚餐时间都不等人。
Cats are mysterious. They are moody, yet majestic. Playful, but only on their own terms. And while they may not hold degrees in psychology or attend mindfulness retreats, cats actually have a thing or two to teach us about mental wellness and how to ask for, and get, what you deserve.
猫咪神秘莫测。它们喜怒无常，却又威严庄重。它们爱玩，但只按自己的方式。虽然它们可能没有心理学学位，也没有参加过正念静修，但它们确实能教会我们一些关于心理健康的知识，以及如何去争取并得到你应得的东西。
1. Boundaries Are Healthy
1. 界限是健康的
Cats don’t give out their trust easily, and neither should you. They size you up from a distance, observing and taking their time. But when they do choose your lap, forsaking all others? It’s special.
猫咪不会轻易信任你，你也一样。它们会远远地打量你，观察你，慢慢地走。但当它们真的选择你的膝盖，放弃其他所有人时，那感觉就很特别了。
Mental Health Lesson: Boundaries are healthy. Not everyone deserves full access to your energy or emotions. Trust is something to be earned, not handed out freely in an effort to be liked or accepted. Boundaries can help you protect yourself and your mental health.
心理健康课： 界限有益健康。并非每个人都值得完全掌控你的能量或情绪。信任是需要努力争取的，而不是为了博得喜欢或接受而随意给予的。界限可以帮助你保护自己和心理健康。
2. Stay Curious
2.保持好奇心
Ever notice how a cat can spend 15 minutes investigating a cardboard box that humans would just toss in the weekly recycling? If my cat notices a fly in the house, she will track it for hours until one of them passes out from exhaustion. And that’s a good thing; curiosity keeps cats engaged, active, and sharp.
你有没有注意到，一只猫咪会花15分钟去研究一个人类每周都会扔进回收箱的纸箱？如果我家的猫咪发现家里有一只苍蝇，它会追踪它几个小时，直到其中一只苍蝇筋疲力尽地昏过去。这其实是件好事；好奇心能让猫咪保持专注、活跃和敏锐。
Mental Health Lesson: Research shows that curiosity can help to keep us mentally sharp.1 Ask questions about things you don’t understand, or explore new hobbies or things that you have been wanting to try but “never found the time.”
心理健康课程：研究表明，好奇心有助于保持我们的思维敏锐。1 .对你不明白的事情提出问题，或者探索新的爱好或你一直想尝试但“从未找到时间”的事情。
3. Know Your Worth
3.了解你的价值
Cats don’t question their value. Unlike my middle school self, they don’t contort themselves to be liked. They just are unapologetically themselves. When my three cats met me at the door, clearly more interested in their dinner than my return, I was quickly reminded that my bed would have to wait. Their needs came first. They know exactly what they deserve, and they aren’t afraid to ask for it.
猫咪不会质疑自己的价值。不像我中学时代的自己，它们不会为了讨好别人而扭曲自己。它们就是做自己，毫无愧疚。当我的三只猫在门口迎接我时，它们显然更关心的是它们的晚餐而不是我的归来，我很快就意识到我的床得等一等了。它们的需求是第一位的。它们清楚地知道自己应得什么，而且它们不怕开口要求。
Mental Health Lesson: Your worth isn’t up for debate. It isn’t measured by productivity, being “liked,” or being able to fit into the conveniences of others. You have inherent value just by existing, and you deserve to take up space.
心理健康课：你的价值不容争议。它不是用生产力、被“喜欢”或能否融入他人的便利来衡量的。你存在本身就具有内在价值，你值得占据一席之地。
4. Show Self-Compassion
4. 展现自我同情
When cats mess up (like knocking over your freshly brewed coffee mug!), they rarely show shame. They look you dead in the eye, flick their tail, and walk away like, “I meant to do that.” That’s confidence.
当猫咪把事情搞砸的时候（比如打翻你刚煮好的咖啡杯！），它们很少会表现出羞愧。它们会直视你的眼睛，甩甩尾巴，然后走开，仿佛在说：“我本来就是故意的。” 这就是自信。
Now, I am not saying we should not apologize for our mistakes. If you knock over my coffee, please apologize (and maybe buy me a new one), but there is no need to dwell in self-blame and shame.
我并不是说我们不应该为自己的错误道歉。如果你打翻了我的咖啡，请道歉（或许还可以再给我买一杯），但没必要一直沉浸在自责和羞愧之中。
Mental Health Lesson: We all make mistakes. Making mistakes doesn’t make you unworthy. Take accountability, learn, and move forward. Maintaining self-compassion and self-confidence can actually help with alleviating stress and improving our physical and mental health2.
心理健康课：我们都会犯错。犯错并不意味着你一文不值。承担责任，学习，继续前进。保持自我同情和自信实际上有助于缓解压力，改善我们的身心健康。2。
5. Prioritize Rest
5.优先休息
Cats sleep 12 to 16 hours a day. (My senior cat probably sleeps closer to 20). They prioritize their downtime, no matter what other obligations they have that day.
猫咪每天睡12到16个小时。（我家老猫大概睡了20个小时左右）。它们优先考虑休息时间，不管当天还有什么其他事情要做。
Mental Health Lesson: Prioritizing downtime is essential to our health. Sleep is when your brain resets and your body heals, so getting enough sleep has numerous mental health benefits3. Not a napper? Even resting for a moment or two throughout the day has health benefits.
心理健康课：优先安排休息时间对我们的健康至关重要。睡眠是大脑重置和身体恢复的时间，因此充足的睡眠对心理健康有诸多益处3。不喜欢午睡？即使一天中只休息一两分钟，也对健康有益。
6. You’re Allowed to Change Your Mind
6. 你可以改变主意
One minute, my cats love tuna. The next? Seeing it hit their bowl is utter betrayal. Every cat parent knows this struggle: Their fickle tastes change on a whim, leaving you scrambling to find a new favorite after you’ve just cleared the pet store’s shelves of tuna-flavored canned food. But they feel no guilt for this.
前一分钟，我的猫咪还爱着金枪鱼。下一分钟呢？看到它掉进它们的碗里，简直是背叛。每个猫主人都经历过这种痛苦：它们的口味变化无常，一时兴起就变了，让你在刚把宠物店货架上的金枪鱼罐头都扫光后，还要手忙脚乱地寻找新的最爱。但它们却毫无愧疚感。
Mental Health Lesson: You always have the right to change your mind. About people or relationships. About your job. About having tuna for dinner. Growth means re-evaluating and choosing things that we once may have disagreed with, yet we now know are better for us. You don’t owe anyone anything, especially not at the cost of your well-being.
心理健康课：你永远都有权利改变主意。无论是关于人际关系，关于工作，还是关于晚餐吃金枪鱼。成长意味着重新评估和选择那些我们曾经可能不认同，但现在我们知道这些对我们更有利的事情。你不欠任何人任何东西，尤其不能以牺牲你的幸福为代价。
来源：左右图史
