Benefits of Volunteering

Jim and I have done a lot of volunteer work over the years, usually at animal shelters (cleaning the cat rooms and socializing with the kitties mostly).  We've also helped out at area sporting events such as bike races and triathalons.  We enjoy volunteering during the holiday season, too, shopping for toys then wrapping them.  

We took a long break from volunteering when Jim's mother died in late 2013.  Our hearts just weren't in it anymore.  We needed a break.  We also came to the realization that we were spending more time at the animal shelters than we were with our own pets who came from shelters.  That's not right.  There needs to be a balance.  We had to regroup.   Our latest volunteer adventure will be hosting a high school exchange student for the school year.  We are beyond excited about this and can't wait to begin. 

You may think your life is too crazy-busy to possibly allow for volunteer time.  But volunteering provides significant benefits, and is definitely worth looking into.   Many organizations rely on volunteers to provide valuable services that would otherwise be done by paid employees.  Friends and neighbors can benefit  from an offer of a helping hand as well.  But they're not the only ones who reap rewards from volunteering. Volunteers benefit greatly from the experience, in mind, body, and spirit.  I'll mention just a fraction of the ways volunteering your time can put you at an advantage.  Here we go.

1.  New skills:  From bookkeeping and computer operation to carpentry and customer service, volunteering has the potential to provide you with opportunities to learn a variety of new skills.  This can not only potentially help you in your current job, but also in discovering a new hobby or a new career.

2.  More time:  Okay, you're probably thinking, "No way!"  But once you start volunteering, you may get the feeling that you're spending your time in a more valuable, productive way, instead of wasting it in front of the TV or on the Internet.  So, you start looking out for more ways to help within your community. Years ago, I interviewed a lady for an article on pillars of the commuity.  She said that if you want something done, ask a busy person who is active in their community.  They will take on more, while others opt for idleness and claim they have no time.  

3. Better health:  Volunteering can help you live longer, reduce heart disease and chronic pain, boost your mood, give your brain something new to process and figure out, reduce depression, and get you moving.  It's much harder to feel sorry for yourself, for example, when you're helping someone who is down on his luck or suffering from a debilitating disease.  Or even volunteering at a marathon or a community festival can make you feel good.  All that energy helps fuel your self-esteem and make you feel happier.

4.  New friendships:  The longer you volunteer at a specific place, the better chance you have of developing friendships there.  You may form strong bonds that last the rest of your life.  Close friendships are a key element to a happy and healthy life.

5.  New business contacts:  Volunteering is a great way to network.  You may get to meet important business contacts that help further your career.  For example, if you have a dream of starting a web design business you may volunteer to help out at a business fair booth and run into another web designer who offers to partner with you.  You never know.

6.  Better social and relationship skills:  Volunteering is a social activity.  You're almost always working with someone for a common cause.  It can help you become a better speaker, ease shyness, relate better to and work better with a variety of people, and feel more comfortable in crowds.

7.  Fun!:  Volunteering can be a lot of fun.  Pick a cause, sporting event, activity, or organization you feel passionate about and ask if you can help.  Knowing you are helping support something that is near and dear to your heart will make the experience more fun and rewarding.  

8.  Break from routine:  If you find yourself on a treadmill of sorts, going to work, coming home, rushing through dinner, and falling into bed exhausted, volunteering might be what you need to shake things up a bit.  Choose volunteer opportunities that are tied to activities you love to do.  For example, if you enjoy camping, you could sign on to help out at a summer camp, if you love animals, you could walk dogs at a local animal shelter on weekends.

Getting Started

• Figure out why you want to volunteer
• Decide what your skills are
• Decide how many hours per week or month you would like to volunteer
• Figure out what expenses you'd incur as a volunteer
• Decide what you would like to do
• Decide where you would like to volunteer
• Visit local organizations to find out what volunteer opportunities are available
• Check out volunteer sites on the Internet to see if you can volunteer online from home, if you would prefer that
• Visit with staff and volunteers at local businesses to see if you click with them
• Ask neighbors and friends if they, or anyone they know, need a helping hand
• Talk to your family about possibly all joining in on a volunteer project together

Where to Go to Find Volunteer Opportunities

There are many non-profits and other businesses who welcome volunteers.  Here are just a few:

• Community theaters
• Libraries
• Senior centers
• Youth organizations
• Sporting events
• Religious organizations
• Animal shelters
• After school programs
• Nursing homes 
• Hospitals
• National parks
• Schools
• Exchange student organizations (host a student)

Considerations

• Readiness to take on volunteer responsibilities
• Don't overdo it.  Sacrificing health, sleep, family time, "me" time, and the like to help others can lead to burn out and resentment.  A little means a lot.  Stick with what's manageable.
• Make sure you pick a volunteer position that you will enjoy
• Make sure you know what you are expected to do
• Ask questions about he position before you start and anytime new questions come up
• Do you prefer to take on a position where you'll be moving around a lot, standing, or sitting still?
• Accessibility to the venue or office building
• Move on if the opportunity is no longer fulfilling
• Commute distance

Do you volunteer?  What do you love about it?  What are some challenges you've faced?  I'd love to hear from you.  

Come on and Shake Those Blahs

Do you have the blahs?  They don't just happen in winter.  They can happen anytime, set off by a loss of a loved one, health problems, work woes, a spiritual crisis and more.  A string of little, seemingly insignificant things that bugs you could trigger the blahs, too.  So, how do you  shake these pesky feelings?  Here are some tips:

 

1.  Call a trusted friend.  Talking to someone about your blahs, or simply talking to them about anything, may boost your spirits, depending on if you would like to try to remedy the situation by venting and asking for advice, or by attempting to forget about it for awhile.  Either way, a good talk can help.

 

2.  Change your living space.  Sometimes little changes can help shake us out of a downer mood.  Rearrange the furniture, add some house plants or a pretty bouquet of flowers, or frame some personal photographs to hang on the walls--anything that can perk up your personal space.

 

3.  Try a new hobby.  Shake things up by trying a new hobby.  Pick something you've always wanted to try but never made time for before.  Maybe you've always wanted to take piano lessons, or take a ceramics class, or collect antique radios.  Give it a whirl and you might find your spirits starting to soar.

 

4.  Join a club.  You may find relief by joining a club either locally or online.  What are you interested in?  What would you like to learn about?  The Internet provides many opportunities to get together with others with similar interests.  Seek out related clubs, attend open houses, become a member, or start your own club.  

 

5.  Exercise.  Whether you work out at home, the neighborhood park, or the gym, regular exercise is a great way to boost your mood.  Find the time, place, exercises, and activities that work best for you.  If you enjoy your workout routine, you'll be more apt to stick with it.  If you're new to exercise, remember to take it slowly at first.  Ease into it.  Always exercise smart and safely.

 

6.  Scratch something off your bucket list.  Is there something that you haven't done that you'd like to do during your lifetime?  Well, maybe now is the time to give it a go.  Accomplishing a long-held goal can recharge your batteries, big time.  Maybe you'd like to travel to your ancestral homeland, learn to swim, write a memoir, or hike the Appalachian Trail. Start preparing for this adventure, really dig into it, and have fun.

 

7.  Play games you enjoyed as a kid.  Sometimes bringing out the kid in yourself can help boost your spirits.  Games are a great way to do it.  What games did you enjoy as a child?  Some examples:  Hopscotch, Hide and Seek, Tag, and Simon Says.  What others can you think of?  I've been tempted to break out Twister.  Am I still flexible enough to play it?  I'll just have to try it and find out.  Give your favorites a try, too.  Have fun and let yourself be a little goofy.

 

8.  Volunteer.  To me, there is no better way to help conquer the blahs than to get out into the community and volunteer.  Help a neighbor move, deliver flowers to patients at the hospital, read to nursing home residents, raise money for a favorite charity, take dogs for a walk at the local animal shelter--the list of possibilities is endless.  Go to it!

 

9.  Join a support group.  Joining a support group related to something that is contributing to your blahs can help you find some relief.  Talking to others in similar circumstances can help you deal with yours.  This can really help those of you who may feel you are alone in the world; that no one understands what you're going through.  There are empty nester, new mother, exercise, and griever's groups, to name a few.  Check your local newspaper, or ask your doctor for information specific to your needs.  

 

10.  Distance yourself from friends and family.  Okay, now I don't mean ditch them altogether; not necessarily.  But if you find you don't have a lot in common with a current friend or group of friends, or you feel a bit smothered by your family, it might be time to back off a bit.  And if you end up seeing them less and less over time, that's telling you something.  It might be time to make some new friends who may actually treat you more like family than your blood relatives do.  Do what feels right to you, and avoid feeling guilty about it.  Change is good.  This may be a temporary change or a long-term one, but if it feels good in your gut, it's good for you.  Listen to yourself and what you really need to make your life the best it can be.

 

11.  Move.  This is a more drastic approach, but if you feel it's right for you and you can realistically make it happen, go for it.  Whether it's across town or across the world, a move can do you good.  Moving can recharge your batteries.  That's what happened to Jim and me.  The move across the country to Utah was a great decision for us.  We are more active since the weather is nice year round, I'm not afraid to drive here since I don't have to deal with icy roads,  (Well, we do get snow now and then, but not often.  I just don't go out if the roads are icy.) and we've gotten more involved in community than we ever have anywhere else we've lived.     

 

12.  Change Jobs.  Sometimes jobs can get boring if you're doing the same thing day in and day out.  Or you may no long find your current career rewarding.  If a change in attitude or a promotion isn't in the cards, it may be time to look for another job.  Be patient.  It may take awhile to transition to a new job.  Consider the possibilities, decide what you are good at and what you love to do, seek the help of a career counselor, look into educational requirements for your new career choice(s), scope out job opportunities in your chosen field, and make it happen.  

 

13.  Act the way you want to feel.  This is one of Gretchen Rubin's 12 Personal Commandments.  If you act the way you want to feel, you could go a long way toward kicking the blahs.  Of course, if you have the blahs, it takes determination and resolve to attempt to snap out of them.  But give this trick a try.  Say you're invited to a game party and you just can't muster the energy to go.  You may also be on this tropical vacation with your whole family and you're the only one who is not one bit interested in playing in the ocean or relaxing on the beach.  Family reunions, the theatre, hiking, watching a movie, playing dress up with the kids--whatever it is, you're just not in the mood.  Dig deep and, instead of moping around, find a way to act the way you want to feel.  You want to feel happy at least, but try to work up to energized and fabulous if you can.  It just might work wonders for you.

 

If you aren't seeing any relief from trying these tips, contact your doctor for a physical exam.  If your mood is related to a health condition, talk it over.  Sometimes getting the answers to your questions can bring relief.  Even if your doctor gives you bad news, at least you'll know what's going on.  The sooner you see about it, the better chance you'll have of finding a solution to your problem, whether it's medication, surgery, dietiary changes, psychotherapy, or some combination of these.  

 

If you try these tips, I'd love to hear how it worked out.  You can post a message below or email me at amy@acnlifecoach.com.  Take care.