Discover the Life-Changing Magic of Giving Back and Get

I’ll never forget the first time I volunteered at a soup kitchen. I was 16 and needed community service hours for a school requirement. I’ll be honest - I wasn’t thrilled about getting up early Saturday morning to serve food to strangers. But as soon as I put on that apron and started ladling soup into bowls, something shifted inside me. The smiles on people’s faces as I handed them a hot meal filled me up more than any food could. I realized that while I was there out of obligation, I was making a real difference in someone’s day. It awoke something in me and served up a heaping portion of gratitude.

My experience was typical. Study after study shows that consistently volunteering leads to higher happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, and purpose. It also lowers rates of depression and anxiety. Helping others plain feels good.

I struggled with anxiety and mild depression in high school and college. My mind would get stuck in worried loops about my future, relationships, and whether I was good enough. I often felt lonely and isolated. However, my mood steadily improved when I started volunteering regularly at a children’s hospital during college. Getting out of my head to focus on bringing a smile to a sick child or providing a distraction from illness to worried parents filled me up in ways nothing else could. It gave me perspective and made my worries seem small.

Researchers have found plenty of evidence that volunteering provides a mental health boost. Studies show it helps reduce stress, anger, and anxiety. It helps people feel connected to others and like they are part of a community. Volunteering also helps provide a sense of meaning and purpose. Using your time productively to make a difference fills you with a sense of fulfillment. It’s perfect for your mind and soul.

Several years ago, I was overwhelmed with self-pity about being single. One day, while complaining about how “forever alone” I was, a friend said, “Why don’t you volunteer this weekend? It helps me when I’m feeling down.” I reluctantly took her suggestion and spent Saturday serving meals at a women’s shelter.

As I looked around the room, I noticed women comforting crying babies, people with worn-down clothes savoring every bite, and individuals who looked like they hadn’t slept well in weeks. My pity party of one instantly ended. My problems were insignificant compared to what these women faced. That day gave me the perspective I needed during a tough time.  

When we get stuck thinking about our worries, we lose sight of everything we have. Volunteering shows that even simple things like food, shelter, and safety are immense blessings. Serving those less fortunate fosters gratitude. It also helps us keep our lives in a broader context during hard times.  

Volunteering doesn’t have to mean ladling soup or building houses (although those opportunities provide great fulfillment, too!) The possibilities to volunteer are endless - you have to think about your unique skills and interests.

I have a friend who used to work in corporate finance. When he retired, he wanted to use his specialized skills meaningfully. He now volunteers to do taxes for low-income families. He says using his expertise to help families get the desperately needed refunds is incredibly fulfilling.

You may love working with kids and can volunteer to tutor struggling students. Or you’re great at fixing things and can offer your handy skills. Even just providing companionship to homebound elderly through friendly visits utilizes your talent of relating to others. Think about what you’re good at and how to share it to make a real difference.

While the benefits are immense, volunteering can seem daunting if you’ve never done it before. Here are some tips to get started:

Start small: You don’t have to commit to 20 hours weekly. It impacts once a month or even a couple of hours here and there. Find something manageable.

Pick a cause: Consider populations or issues you care about - maybe animals, disadvantaged youth, homelessness, or something else. Find an organization that serves that cause.

Volunteer as a family: Involving kids teaches the value of service. Look for opportunities to volunteer together on weekends or select weeknights.

Learn new skills: Your local library or community center likely has excellent classes on skills like woodworking, art, or cooking that you can use to help others.

Set reminders: Put volunteering on your calendar so it stays within the wayside of your busy life. Treat it as an essential commitment.

The opportunities to volunteer are all around you. Opening your heart through service provides a profound sense of joy, purpose, and connection. As that wise teacher, Fred Rogers said: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Be one of those helpers - and see your spirits lift.

Beyond mental health benefits, volunteering also helps you connect with others meaningfully. We all have a fundamental need to feel part of a community. Volunteering allows you to meet incredible people you may never encounter otherwise.

I’ll never forget Jon, a man I volunteered with at a food pantry. He was homeless and struggled with alcoholism, but he always showed up reliably to organize food donations with a smile. His life experiences were worlds away from mine, but we bonded over a shared purpose of helping feed hungry families.

Jon taught me so much about resilience amid hardship. Our friendship blossomed while sorting canned goods together. Volunteering broke down barriers and allowed me to connect human-to-human with someone I wouldn’t typically have met.

Studies show volunteering helps reduce feelings of isolation by creating bonds with fellow volunteers and those you are helping. It increases empathy, compassion, and connection. We all need a sense of community, and volunteering provides that.

Involving your kids in volunteering brings even more benefits. Children watch our example, so serving others teaches them empathy and fosters caring values. Starting the habit of volunteering as a family sets them up to lead a life of service.

My parents involved me in serving dinner at a soup kitchen starting around age six. We made it a monthly family tradition. Seeing them model compassion made a huge impression on me. My favorite childhood memories are working together to set tables, serve food, and clean up afterward.

Exposing children to those who are different from them through volunteering expands their perspectives. They learn we all deserve kindness and respect. Volunteering as a family bonds you together with a shared purpose. And your kids’ pride in helping others will melt your heart.

The next time you’re feeling down, stressed, or purposeless, try volunteering as a remedy. Helping others delivers immense mental health benefits along with new connections and perspectives. We all have talents to share that can improve the world as you open your hearts through service, a sense of meaning that overflows into joy.

One of the most significant barriers to volunteering is finding the time with our jam-packed schedules. Adding one more thing between work, family obligations, and other commitments can seem daunting.

But there are many ways to volunteer that can fit conveniently into your life. Here are some tips:

Virtual volunteering: Technology offers many opportunities to volunteer remotely from home. You can do things like moderating online support groups, consulting, or transcribing. Sites like VolunteerMatch.org let you search for virtual roles.

Micro-volunteering: This involves small, sporadic volunteering tasks you can do on a flexible schedule. Think proofreading documents online, making get-well cards for hospital patients, or checking in on homebound seniors by phone.

Team up at work: Organize a group of coworkers to volunteer. Use your lunch break to serve meals or participate in workplace giving campaigns. Employers with volunteer programs find it boosts teamwork and morale.

Maximize overlap: Pick volunteer opportunities that serve multiple goals. For example, walk shelter dogs while exercising or listen to podcasts while prepping donations. Multitask volunteering with existing routines.

Set reminders: Put volunteering commitments in your calendar and ask friends and family to help hold you accountable. Treat it like an important meeting or appointment.  

Volunteering can lift you, expand your mind, foster connections, and spread good. When done regularly, it can be life-changing. There’s always a need for willing hearts and helping hands. As Desmond Tutu wisely said, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Let volunteering bring more lightness into your life and overflow into the lives of others.

If you’re feeling unfulfilled, isolated, stressed, or depressed, it’s time to unlock the life-changing power of volunteering. Helping others will lift your spirits, expand your purpose, and open your heart through human connection.  

Volunteering provides a wealth of evidence-based mental health benefits:

- Reduces stress, anxiety, anger, and depression
- Increases happiness, life satisfaction, and self-esteem  
- Fosters meaningful relationships and a sense of community
- Provides a sense of meaning and fulfillment
- Helps gain perspective and gratitude  

And by volunteering as a family, you’ll instill compassion in your children while bonding over shared goals.

With so many opportunities to match your skills and interests, you can easily find the proper volunteer role. Whether you want to mentor disadvantaged youth, lend your professional expertise to a nonprofit, or provide companionship to isolated seniors, your talents are needed.

Don’t wait to build connections, improve your mental health, and spread joy through volunteering. The rewards are immense. Start small today, and let serving others nourish your heart and mind.