• A Renewed Sense of Purpose
Most people equate occupations and personal identity and this is precisely why people lack self-worth if they are without jobs. The fact of the matter is that volunteering gives people a renewed sense of purpose. It fills one’s life with the satisfaction of being able to make a difference. It is also a selfless task, quite different from pursuing a career where one works for one self and mainly to earn a living. Volunteering broadens one’s horizons far beyond the ambit of a job profile.
• Higher Functional Ability
Simply getting out to volunteer helps you stay active and achieve a higher functional ability. If you are wondering how much it takes…then studies have shown that just two hours of volunteer work every week or 100 hours in a year is all you need to boost your functional ability.
• Lower Health Risks
Isolation and depression are two big monsters we all need to keep at bay and helping others releases oxytocin which produces "helper's high” something we could all do with. Studies have indicated that volunteering helps reduce depression, repairs the immune system and lowers the risk of depression and heart disease.
• Flourish With Social Connectedness
Helping others is fundamental to building social connectivity and without it people find it difficult to flourish. The best part is that one need not always look for a profound cause to be associated with. Besides, you need not necessarily donate money to help others. You can make a difference by simply giving some time to others. Depending on what works for you, here are some ideas to help you bring out the volunteer in you…
• Some Ideas
Volunteering for political campaigns will give you exposure to the world of politics while putting you in touch with the “bigger” issues like unemployment, poverty, social equality and so on.
Cooking a meal for a poor family at Christmas or Thanksgiving, or better still hot dinners for the homeless or persons affected with terminal diseases like cancer is something you could try at least once every week.
Volunteering at a place of worship like a church, mosque or temple, an orphanage or library is another thing you could try. Reading to the blind, talking to patients in palliative care or teaching a skill like painting or knitting to mothers of children who are terminally ill are small acts which require you to invest just a little time every week.
Be a mentor to kids with special needs, slow learners or drop outs who are struggling to find their place in the world.
If you are great with animals then volunteering at an animal shelter is one way of making a difference.
Spend sometime every week to clean up your neighborhood or nearby park or join a cause for environment protection.
More Expat Resources
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