FEELING GOOD BY DOING GOOD
The holiday season is a time full of love, laughter, and joy. We celebrate values that connect us with loved ones by showing gratitude and togetherness with gift-giving and quality time. Extending this generosity into giving back, volunteering, and doing charity can be beneficial, both to you and the people or causes you serve.
As social beings, we are inclined to want to help others. There are many ways we can reach out to our community or help causes we care about, so explore what options work best for you!
Donations | Acts of Service |
- Monetary: Donating spare change, rounding up bills, or making a custom monetary donations
- Physical Things: Giving away your old property or equipment like technology, clothes, books, jewelry, houseware, and vehicles
- Food: Donating canned goods and nonperishables
- Environment-focused: planting trees, conducting clean-ups, volunteering on a farm, managing invasive species
- Animal-care: volunteering at animal shelters, walking dogs, adopting or fostering
- Social-based: teaching ESL, mentoring youth, helping food shelters, visiting nursing homes, aiding sporting events
These are not comprehensive lists, so check out local and national organizations to see how you can volunteer! In doing so, you can see benefits in your mental, physical, and financial health.
As you help others, your brain secretes "feel good" hormones like serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin, which makes you feel more joyful and connected to others. These positive feelings are good for overall health and happiness. Other mental health benefits from giving back include:
- Reduced feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression
- Boosts in self-esteem
- Mental stimulation
- Increases in creativity, motivation, and vision
As you volunteer your time and energy to help others, you are making a positive impact. Knowing that you're making a difference in the lives of people, animals, and organizations in need brings a sense of belonging, purpose, and connection. Not only that, you get to meet new people, make new friends, and even serve as a role model. As a bonus, you can learn about different cultures and backgrounds!
Some ways to volunteer involve physical activity and manual work. For some, this may be laborious or not medically possible. However, being physically active yields numerous health benefits. Some common ones are:
- lower blood pressure and decreased risk of heart disease
- increased maintenance of functional health like strength and mobility
- improved thinking and cognitive skills
- reduced symptoms of chronic pain
- lower mortality rate
While helping others, you can also help your wallet. Certain monetary or property contributions can get you a tax break or a tax deduction on federal income, capital gains, and estate taxes. Be sure to maintain proper documentation and itemize your deductions! Also note, your contribution is only deductible in the year in which it is paid.
This site does not contain medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your lifestyle. Speak with your healthcare provider about which cancer screenings and vaccinations you may need based on your sex, age, and family history.
