Chicken Therapy!!
- Vicki Watmough
- Mar 30
- 3 min read
How Chickens Helped Me Heal from Social Anxiety and Depression
There was a time in my life when even the smallest things felt overwhelming. Leaving the house, speaking to people, even simple daily tasks felt heavy. Social anxiety and depression had quietly taken hold, and I didn’t know how to find my way back to myself.
I tried many things—routines, self-help, creating a calm home—but nothing quite reached the deeper part of me that needed healing… until something unexpected came into my life: chickens.
The Unexpected Therapy I Didn’t Know I Needed
It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Chickens.
But they became so much more than that.
They gave me a reason to step outside every day, even when I didn’t feel like it. They didn’t expect anything from me. There was no pressure, no judgment—just their gentle presence, their quiet routines, and their little personalities that slowly brought light back into my days.
Caring for them created structure when my mind felt chaotic. Feeding them, cleaning their space, watching them scratch around the garden—it grounded me.
And for someone struggling with social anxiety, they were the safest kind of companionship.
Finding Peace in the Small Moments
Healing didn’t happen overnight.
It happened in the quiet moments:
Sitting outside listening to them cluck softly
Watching them explore the garden without a care
Laughing at their funny little behaviours
Those moments became my therapy.
They helped me slow down. They helped me breathe. They helped me reconnect with the present instead of being stuck in my thoughts.
Chickens became part of my healing journey—part of my “from burnout to blooming” story.
When I Had to Let Them Go
One of the hardest parts of my journey was when I moved house and couldn’t take my chickens with me.
It might sound small to some people, but it wasn’t to me.
They weren’t just animals—they were part of my recovery. Letting them go felt like leaving behind a piece of the version of me that had started to heal.
For a while, something felt missing. The garden felt quieter. I felt it too.
A New Beginning: Sunshine & Moonlight
But healing isn’t always about going backwards—it’s about allowing new beginnings.
Now, I have two beautiful chickens: Sunshine and Moonlight.
And honestly… they’ve brought that feeling back.
Sunshine is exactly what her name suggests—bright, curious, and full of life.
Moonlight is softer, calmer, and grounding in a completely different way.
Together, they’ve become part of my home, my routine, and my healing again.
The Healing Homestead
This is what The Healing Homestead is all about.
It’s not about perfection.
It’s not about having acres of land or a picture-perfect life.
It’s about creating small moments of peace in an ordinary home.
It’s about finding healing in simple, everyday things:
Growing herbs
Making natural products
Spending time outside
Caring for animals
And for me, chickens are a huge part of that.
Why Chickens Are So Good for Mental Health
If you’re struggling with anxiety or depression, I truly believe animals—especially chickens—can help more than you might expect.
They:
Give you purpose and routine
Encourage you to get outside
Help you stay present
Offer companionship without pressure
Bring small moments of joy every single day
They don’t fix everything—but they help you find your way back, one step at a time.
From Burnout to Blooming
Looking back, I can see how far I’ve come.
Not because everything is perfect—but because I kept going.
Because I found small ways to heal.
Because I created a life that supports my mental health instead of fighting against it.
And now, with Sunshine and Moonlight by my side, I feel like I’m blooming again.
If you’re on your own healing journey, just know this: it doesn’t have to be big. It can start small. Even something as simple as a chicken in your garden can change everything.
And if you’re reading this and recognising a little bit of yourself in my story, I created my course “From Burnout to Blooming” to gently guide you through your own healing journey at home. It’s a self-paced, supportive space where I share the exact tools that helped me—from managing overwhelming thoughts to building calm routines and reconnecting with yourself again. You don’t need to have everything figured out, and you don’t need to do it perfectly. You just need to start. 🌿
Vicki 🌿
Comments