Giving your time and services can change the lives of those in your community. However, it can also help you lead a healthier lifestyle. Here are three ways volunteering can improve your well-being.
Volunteering connects you to your community.
Connecting with people is vital to fighting loneliness, social isolation as well as finding purpose. Volunteering allows you to easily meet people in your neighborhood, especially if you are new to the area. Serving within it can help you plant roots and even help you build your professional network.
Volunteering benefits your physical and mental health.
Being generous with your time can reduce stress and make you feel happier. Studies have also shown those who volunteer on a regular basis over an extended length of time live longer, healthier lives.
Volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life.
Giving back to an organization in your community can help you discover a new hobby, expand your skill sets and provide cherished memories.
Ways to volunteer during the pandemic
- Help out at your local food bank. There are many packing and organizing tasks that can be performed while practicing social distancing.
- Become an online tutor. Reach out to your local school district to see if they need any after-school assistance.
- Give blood. If you’ve recently recovered from COVID-19, consider donating convalescent plasma too.
- Deliver groceries or meals to others. See if you have any friends, family members or neighbors who need help with this.
- Support a frontline worker. Even making them cards is enough to brighten their whole day.
Whatever your reasoning, giving back, even in the simplest of ways, improves your life and benefits those around you.
Interested in giving back in your free time? Learn about the volunteer opportunities we offer at Mercy Health.
