Having just spent a week and a half in the company of fur-nephews and nieces, I can tell you something for certain: We could learn a lot from them about how to have a less-stressful life.

Of course, most of us don’t have someone dedicated to cleaning up after us, feeding us or doctoring us when we’re sick unless they’re our parents (or adult children/caregivers) … or we’re stinkin’ rich and have household staff. Still, cats can teach us much.

😴 Get enough sleep. As a nearly lifelong insomniac (at least back to grade school if not further), this one’s hard for me. I also have moderate sleep apnea, so proper sleep hygiene (limiting naps, not working where I sleep, no screens as bedtime nears, etc.) is what I’m supposed to be following (yeah, but it’s really hard to do that sometimes; still, I do use the nighttime filter on my phone and iPad). Yet I often find myself in awe of the complete relaxation cats get from sleep, and can’t help but notice that I feel better when I take a little nap if I’m suddenly sleepy.

It’s not fueling 3 a.m. zoomies (I’m lucky to get 3 p.m. zoomies anymore), but it does reset my brain and help me think more clearly.

🧐 Be curious. To heck with the idea that curiosity killed the cat. Curiosity is healthy as long as you don’t start latching onto conspiratorial thinking. One way you learn is by making mistakes; another is through curiosity. So much of what I learned as a kid was because of curiosity. I wanted to know more about what was going on around me, how things worked, how I could learn to do a task, etc. Once you get in the habit of feeding your curiosity, it’s hard to stop. Sometimes it won’t work out, and you learn what doesn’t work. But when it does, you’ve learned something new and possibly useful.

👀 Watch what’s going on around you. Find a spot where you can just observe, whether that’s a park bench, a chair on the front porch, or your office window (but not with binoculars unless you’re watching wildlife, because that’s just creepy). Take the time to not think about anything but what you’re seeing, and just breathe. Let the calm wash through you.

You don’t have to eck-eck at the squirrels and birds outside, but no one said you can’t. You might not want to eck-eck while people-watching, though.

😁 Find joy. Politics is messy and combative, especially now when so much deflection and division is going on. Turn off the TV (or at least turn it to something other than news, like maybe Cartoon Network or AMC), and stop doomscrolling on social media, at least for a little while. If a cat can find entertainment in a straw (oh, that Ollie-Pop, who spent 10 minutes at the sink the other day fishing out one of his mom’s straws to play with), surely we can find something to give us a little enjoyment, as long as it’s not at the expense of others. Maybe that’s doing a jigsaw puzzle, taking a photo hike, or gardening.

💩 Don’t steal the joy of others. I know it can be hard sometimes, especially when you’re hurting, to not dampen someone else’s day, but we can all be better than that. If you have a friend who likes to do cosplay at comic or sci-fi conventions, don’t tell them their costume looks stupid or that they need to grow up. If a friend prefers to binge streaming series and hibernate, don’t force them to go out and be around people. That may be the one thing that gives them the most relief from stress, and you’re pooh-poohing it and essentially telling them their friendship is conditional.

🥱 Take a break. Running yourself ragged won’t do you or anyone else any good. Rest and recharge, if only for a few minutes, but try to make a habit of it. For example, I take a break from social media on Saturdays (sometimes the whole weekend) so that I’m not constantly being prodded to be outraged by something that’s not worth the outrage (like the Cracker Barrel logo).

😡 Choose when to be outraged. Introducing a kitten into a house with a senior cat can show you the patience required; after all, if the senior cat gets upset about every little thing the kitten does, it won’t be a healthy situation for either cat, or you. Some want you to be up in arms about drag queen story time (c’mon, it’s a costume, just like the princess costumes some readers wear when reading “Sleeping Beauty”) or other culture-war issues when you should really be focusing on the things that really matter, like creeping authoritarianism, subjugation of certain groups, or double standards in law.

👹 Don’t feed the trolls. You never want to be in the middle of a literal catfight (but if you are, long sleeves, antiseptic, antibiotic ointment, and bandages are a must). Defusing it can be hard, especially if the cats are really invested in whatever beef they have (quite possibly actual beef unless they’re in my house). If possible, it’s best to head off the situation before it starts, perhaps by separating those prone to fight (or steal their sibling’s food). The same principle applies to Internet trolls, who are only interested in disruption and chaos for their own entertainment. If you don’t rise to their bait, they’ll be stuck performing for their fellow trolls, and will get bored. Which is good for everyone but them.

There’s much more we can learn from our pets, but if you take nothing else away from this, make sure you rest and find joy. There’s something to be said for work/life balance, especially when it comes to your health. If you’re in work mode all the time, that stress will get to you sooner or later, and you’ll be lucky if it’s just a fit of crankiness. A stroke or worse is no fun, and may take you out of the equation entirely.

Don’t check work email on your days off; if there’s an actual emergency, your boss can call you. When you’re off work, be off work. Go somewhere relaxing, or just stay in, with friends or without, whatever makes you the most comfortable and makes you happiest. You need to recharge if you’re going to be of use to anyone, including yourself, especially if you’re an introvert like me.

And get comfortable with the fact that you’ll never be as cute when you’re sleeping as a cat with curled paws. It’s just not possible.