How Volunteering Can Benefit Your Own Wellbeing
We all know volunteering greatly benefits the wellbeing of other people, but have you ever thought about how volunteering can benefit you as a volunteer? There are many unexpected benefits of volunteering that perhaps you’ve never thought about. In this article, we’ll dive into some of the ways being a volunteer can benefit your wellbeing.
Connects You With Like-Minded People
Taking part in a shared activity is one of the best ways to make new friends. If you’re looking to connect with people who share the same values as you, volunteering is the perfect opportunity to do so. Community is an important aspect of human nature and volunteering provides you with the chance to create or join a community. If you have just moved to a new area, consider taking part in volunteering to expose yourself to like-minded people in the neighborhood.
Whether you are shy or outgoing, volunteering is for everybody. Shy people can often have a hard time branching out and meeting new people, so regularly gathering with a group of people to work towards a common goal in volunteering is a great opportunity to build your social skills.
Brings You A Sense of Fulfillment and Purpose
Do you feel that your day job isn't contributing anything positive to the world? Volunteering can allow you to really make a difference in your community. You can escape your day-to-day routine and immerse yourself in an activity you are passionate about. This will keep you mentally stimulated and improve your general motivation.
Contributing positively to your community and individuals can build your self-worth and bring your life a sense of fulfillment and purpose. When you participate in acts of generosity and kindness, endorphins are released in your brain which contribute to happiness and contentment.
Volunteering means that you can choose a cause that you truly care about. Doing work that you enjoy means you’re more likely to excel. Your creativity can thrive, and you can become your best self.
Increases Confidence
Volunteering somewhere new means stepping out of your comfort zone and learning new skills. Every time we step out of our comfort zone, it grows. This will build your resilience and growth mindset, leading to the opportunity to do even more fulfilling things. Learning new skills to help other people is not something that everybody is willing to do. Using these skills to successfully complete tasks will give you confidence in your abilities to handle different responsibilities, whether it be in your personal or professional life. This is something that will build your pride, sense of accomplishment, and self-esteem. Feeling positive about yourself can give you a new perspective on life and your future which will greatly improve your general happiness.
Helps You Build Valuable Skills and Experience
Volunteering provides the opportunity to discover new skills and build skills you already have. These can be both soft and professional skills such as communication, teamwork, time management, problem-solving, and leadership. Not only can volunteering build skills, but it can also allow you to gain valuable experience that you can utilize in a professional environment to advance your career. For example, someone enrolled in an online advanced standing MSW might like to volunteer at a youth shelter if their only prior experience is with older clients. Building these skills and experience can allow you to help more people as well as boost your resume in a valuable way for your career.
Keeps You Active
Many volunteering opportunities require you to stay active. Participating in activities such as environmental clean-ups requires you to be on your feet, carrying bags, walking, bending, and lifting. This means you can grow your fitness level while enjoying the outdoors, and contributing positively to the environment and community. Other volunteering that keeps you active includes youth sports coaching, animal shelters, building or construction projects, and more. Staying active leads to increased physical health which has countless benefits such as improving depression and anxiety and reducing the risk of other health problems.
Finding somewhere you enjoy volunteering can offer you numerous benefits as well as being an important way to give back to your community. Choosing to volunteer can improve your physical and mental health as well as boost your resume and career.
Thank you Elena Stefan for contributing this article.
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