The Benefits Of Volunteering

The benefits of volunteering are many and of a different nature. Volunteering in a social and / or humanitarian cause brings great value to others, but also to yourself. Through volunteering we help ourselves while helping others.

The truth is that it is difficult to find time for others, with all that we have to do every day. However, the benefits of volunteering are so great that it is worth considering if we really cannot spend a little time developing an activity for others.

But what can volunteering offer me to make it worth taking time away from daily chores? For starters, it allows us to meet new people and make friends, develop skills, and even advance our career. In addition, it can help us protect our health, both mental and physical. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of volunteering.

Benefits of volunteering: it connects you with others

Volunteering your time helps you make new friends, expand your social network, and increase your social skills. In fact, one of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to engage in an activity together with others.

Volunteering is a great way to meet new people. Volunteering also strengthens ties with the community and broadens your support network, bringing people with common interests together with whom you can carry out fun and satisfying activities.

On the other hand, volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice and develop your social skills, even if you are a little shy or reserved, since you are going to meet regularly with people with common interests and goals.

Volunteering is good for your body and mind

The benefits of volunteering are reflected in health, both mental and physical. Let’s see it in more detail.

1. Volunteering increases self-confidence, self-esteem and life satisfaction

Doing something nice for others will make you feel fulfilled and proud of yourself. And the better you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to have a more positive outlook on life and the future.

Reducing the risk of depression is another of the great benefits of volunteering. A key risk factor for depression is social isolation. Volunteering keeps you in regular contact with others and helps you develop a strong support network that will protect you against sadness when you are going through difficult times.

As the Dalai Lama states, “just by being able to narrow the scope of our selfish instincts and develop a little more concern for others before we die, we can already say that we have taken advantage of this life . ” In these words, we can see that by volunteering, we will be reducing our selfish instincts. That is, we will be giving ourselves to others selflessly.

Richard Davidson, Ph.D. in neuropsychology, posits that “one of the most important things I have discovered about kindness and tenderness is that they can be trained at any age .” And he adds that “studies tell us that by stimulating tenderness in children and adolescents they improve their academic results, their emotional well-being and their health “ .

2. Volunteering helps you stay physically healthy

Volunteering is good for your health at any age, but it is especially beneficial in older people, because it forces you to move, among many other factors.

Studies have found that people who volunteer have a lower death rate than those who don’t, even when factors such as the health of the participants are considered. In addition, the volunteer helps decrease symptoms of chronic pain or heart disease.

3. Volunteering can help you advance your career

Volunteering gives you experience in an area of ​​interest related to your career and you can meet people in that field. In addition, volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills necessary for many jobs, even if your profession is not directly related to your volunteer work.

These skills can be related to teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management, and organization.

4. Volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life

Volunteering is an easy way to explore and your interests and passions in a fun way. In addition, volunteering will help you find meaning in your life and will offer you an interesting way to get out of your daily routine.

Another benefit of volunteering is that it will help you renew your creativity, your motivation and your vision of life, which you can take advantage of in your personal and professional life.

Many people volunteer in order to enjoy hobbies outside of work. For example, if you have a desk job and spend little time outdoors, you might consider volunteering to help plant a community garden, on local field trips, or help out at children’s camps.