Everyone knows how much volunteering can benefit others, but have you ever considered how it might help you? It might not be as apparent, but volunteering and helping others can improve your mental health. Bringing positive changes to your community and helping others in need helps you become more confident while providing a sense of pride and accomplishment. There are many different ways in which volunteering can benefit your wellbeing. Here are four reasons why volunteering is good for your health to inspire you to get out and make a difference.
Improves Depression
Even when it feels like you can’t help yourself, sometimes it’s beneficial to help others. By volunteering for the sake of others, you’re doing just that and making a constructive change to the world. Volunteering is a great way to combat depression, as the act of being out in the world, getting fresh air, and doing something worthwhile with your time can lead to a boost in your self-esteem.
Increased Physical Activity
Exercise has been linked to better mental health, so anything that gets you up and about is a valid way to improve your mood. While not all volunteer work will involve physical activity and exercise, there are plenty of things you can do that involve being active.
New Relationships
Connecting with others has many uses in life. It can lead you to new friends to talk to and spend time with. Volunteering is a great way to get in touch with new people and forge new relationships. It can also be a great networking tool that can help you in your professional life. Talking with others is an easy way to make yourself feel better. In some instances, it can even be better for you to talk to complete strangers compared to people you already know.
Reduced Stress
Helping others is often a good way to relieve some of the stress you feel in your own life. Similar to depression, even if the things that cause you stress aren’t readily fixable, it can still give you a sense of relief to improve the lives of others. This is especially true when working with animals, as caring for pets is shown to drastically improve your mood.
There’s a multitude of reasons why you should be volunteering, but one major one involves how much it can help improve your mental health. If you ever needed more reason to get out there and help others, do it for yourself and all the ways in which it can improve your own life as well as the lives of others.