Give the gift of you: volunteering

Everyone knows volunteering is important.

Sharing your time and physical and mental energy allows you to:

• Give back to your community
• Help those who are in need
• Work for a greater good

Give to receive

In exchange for making these contributions, you get many benefits from volunteering. Mentally and emotionally, volunteers have:

• Lower levels of loneliness
• Higher self-esteem
• Higher life satisfaction
• Greater happiness
• Greater sense of meaning in life²

Plus, volunteering allows you to connect with people and build social networks outside of your regular friend groups.³

Things like reading to young children or packing boxes at a food pantry help volunteers benefit physically from helping others. These activities keep you moving and thinking at the same time. This helps reduce your stress levels and increases positive feelings by releasing dopamine.³

Where to start

We’ve all heard the phrase, when you love what you’re doing, it’s not work. The same goes for volunteering. People volunteer for many different reasons. Perhaps you’re exploring a career change, sharpening your skills or interested in meeting new people. Many companies have partnerships that offer opportunities (and time) to volunteer. Check in with:

• local places of worship
• community centers
• schools
• hospitals and nursing homes
• parks and gardens

Make it a family activity

Teaching children and teens about giving back is an important life lesson.

Start a tradition

Work volunteering into your annual calendar. Perhaps you wrap gifts for families in need or children in foster care. Serve holiday meals at a soup kitchen or church.

Tap into your passion

Take something that gives you joy and find a way to incorporate it into your volunteering. If you love to cook, spend time at a soup kitchen or with a meals-on-wheels program. If you love dogs or cats, volunteer at an animal shelter or rescue organization.

Volunteering keeps you active and engaged. The benefits are felt by you and your community.

Helping others is incredible, but don't forget about yourself. Self-care is not selfish. Here are seven ways to take care of you.