Volunteer For Your Health And Wellbeing

All of us have a need to feel like we are contributing outside of ourselves. Volunteering is one way to fill that need. Volunteering has boomerang type benefits. It will benefit not only those that you are serving, but the benefits will return to you as well. Volunteering can benefit your health, both physical and mental, give you opportunities to make friends and possibly increase your skills or advance your career. Volunteering benefits the community in which you live. It also is a great way to meet like-minded people and increase your support network. It can get you out of the house and interacting with other.

Benefits of volunteering include:

An increase in happiness Whether it is because happy people volunteer or volunteering increases happiness, study have shown that the more people volunteer the happy they report themselves to be.

Feelings of fulfillment Volunteering can bring opportunities to try new things. Many people experience a real sense of fulfillment from contributing to their community or a cause of their choice.

An opportunity to increase skills Many skills such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management, and organization are frequently part of volunteering. As a volunteer you may have the opportunity to practice these skills,

An increase in confidence A sense of accomplishment tends to boost confidence. People often enjoy a sense of identity from their position or role as a volunteer.

Increased social interaction Social isolation can contribute to a decline in mental health. Volunteering often provides an increase in social interaction.

Health benefits Volunteering may help older adults maintain a sense of purpose for their lives. Volunteering has been linked to a lessening of the symptoms of chronic pain and to a lower mortality rate.