Self-care doesn’t always have to concern you and you alone. Many people benefit from helping others. Whether it’s something you enjoy doing for the sake of it or because it makes you feel good about yourself, doing volunteer work and other means of helping others can boost your mood and help you in your path to self-care, both mentally and physically.
There are so many ways that you can help and support others, and one of the most common ways is via volunteer work. Volunteering is free and can often help you get more connected with your local community and help you make connections with other people.
Self Care Aspects of Volunteering
Just the sheer social aspect of it can make it a mood improving activity for a lot of people, but there are all sorts of other aspects as well. For example, some forms of volunteer work can help you work on your physical self-care by doing somewhat laborious work.
You might be volunteering to help clear out a local hiking trail, which will involve a lot of walking and moving somewhat heavy objects, like tree branches. Simple things like this can help get you active and improve your physical fitness.
The other aspect of volunteer work are the mental self-care improvements. It can often feel nice just to know that you’re helping someone else out there. For example, food banks and food pantries almost always need some volunteer workers, and by helping out, you’re ensuring that someone out there is getting a meal that they might not have gotten otherwise.
This can be uplifting and inspiring, making you feel as though you can and will make an impact on the world around you. By combining all of the factors that play into volunteer work, such as feeling included and social, feeling like you’re helping, and feeling better physically, this can be a fantastic way to help take care of yourself.
Everyone Benefits
It might seem a little selfish to do volunteer work for the sake of feeling good about yourself, but at the end of the day, everyone benefits from the situation. There are plenty of websites and apps that you can use to find various volunteer opportunities around you, so don’t be afraid to start searching.
You might find that there are a lot of unique opportunities out there that you might be very interested in helping out with. You’ll be feeding your soul and spirit and lessening your own stress while helping others lower theirs as well.
