So many people across America describe symptoms of feeling down, depressed, unfulfilled, and/or stressed and often they describe difficulty in making the necessary adjustments to change their lives for the better. Some teenagers complain of being bored, discontent, and unwilling to go to school each day. People in their 20s, 30s, 40s, describe their lives as very unhappy whether they have careers, are married, have children, or are alone. Even seniors struggle with not having a purpose and feel unfulfilled with their lives as well. With an astounding number of Americans using antidepressants across this nation, estimated at more than 10 percent of men and women, it is important to think about what is missing from the lives of people across all generations.
Is it possible that by simply volunteering time, energy, and love, you can begin to improve your sense of well-being and be happy again? Here is some information to help you believe that by simply making some small changes in your life, you could feel more fulfilled, happier, stronger and healthier.
The Benefits of Giving
- Finding A Purpose and Creating an Identity: Research over the last 10 years has suggested that giving of your time and energy by volunteering can give you a different perspective about life, which will in turn help you feel as though you have a place and purpose in this world. In the book entitled The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others, written by Allan Luks and Peggy Payne, the authors provide medical documentation that volunteering strengthens the sense of identity, improves insomnia, and strengthens the immune system.
- Building A Social Network: Having the opportunity to volunteer allows you to meet people you wouldn’t have met under different circumstances and thus enhances your social network, which can be extremely rewarding and necessary during different stages in your life. Having this network of support provides people to turn to in times of crisis or for just some plain old fun.
- Improving Communication and Job Opportunities: According to a 2000 Canadian National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, those who answered the questionnaire stated that volunteering helped them understand people better and they felt their communication skills improved as well. The data from the survey also suggested that volunteering could be associated with further job opportunities compared to those who did not take the time to volunteer. Also, the data supported that volunteering leads to learning new skills and abilities that can be applied to a new job.
- Reducing Stress and Building Self Esteem: In 2006 researchers at Johns Hopkins University concluded that volunteering has been shown to reduce stress and build self esteem during a clinical trial testing the health benefits of older adults participating in a volunteer program called Experience Corps America. Researchers determined the older adults who volunteered in “troubled” urban schools had improved mental and physical health. The researchers even went as far as saying while the older adults were improving the educational outcomes for teens, they were also slowing their own aging process as well. A study in Ontario of volunteering also suggested that volunteering improves self-esteem, reduces social isolation, and reduces stress. The researchers concluded that by volunteering, the volunteers actually lowered their blood pressure, strengthened their immune system, and increased endorphins production.
It is obvious that volunteering has a great number of benefits for both volunteers and for those who are receiving the gift of the time, energy, and love. If you are interested in finding more joy in your life, think about what you feel passionate about and begin to look at volunteering opportunities in your local area. Consider some of the following volunteer suggestions as opportunities to improve your life:
- Children’s hospitals
- Orphanages
- Animal Shelters
- Food Banks
- Foster Children
- Child Advocate
- Local Schools
- Local Neighborhoods
