Opportunities to help others are also a chance to help yourself.
We’ve heard time and time again that volunteering is the “right thing to do.” The world is, after all, a mess and many are in dire need of help. But no matter our best intentions to be the change we wish to see, our hectic schedules and the demands of life often make it difficult to find the time. It’s easy to become overwhelmed and throw up our hands, giving ourselves convenient excuses for not making an effort, convinced that the problems of the world are too massive for one (very busy) person to make an impact.
But there’s a growing body of evidence to suggest that engaging in meaningful service is not only crucial to the strength of our communities, it can also help us feel better emotionally and physically.
The research on the physical and mental health benefits of service is clear and compelling: Volunteers live longer, happier, and healthier lives. Studies have shown that in older adults, volunteering can reduce the risk of developing dementia and hypertension. Selfless service to others can decrease stress levels, depression, and anxiety, and increase overall life satisfaction. It’s no secret that we’re in the midst of a mental health crisis and a recently identified epidemic of loneliness, driven by a lack of meaningful interpersonal interactions. Luckily, sharing our gifts and resources with others creates deeper connections and gives our lives purpose. If you’ve ever experienced a warm, satisfied feeling after helping another person — a proven physiological response called a “helper’s high” — you know all of this to be true.
Though it’s important to remember that you won’t simply find the time to give back — you’ll need to make the time. Saying “yes” to service may mean saying “no” to something else. As the time-management specialist Laura Vanderkam wrote in her essay, “Are You As Busy As You Think,” “Instead of saying ‘I don’t have time’, try saying ‘It’s not a priority for me’ and see how that feels.” But with mindfulness, creativity, and an open heart, you can prioritize service in your day-to-day life, for your own benefit as well as the greater good.
Read on for a few tips and suggestions that’ll inspire you to think differently about integrating service into your busy life.
Connect your passion to your purpose
Your time is valuable and limited, so you want to be sure that the volunteer work you do is meaningful. Before you jump into any volunteer effort, reflect on this self-assessment. Make a list of your skills, gifts, talents, and strengths, as well as the things you enjoy doing, and how you might share those in ways that benefit others. Then consider the social justice issues that impact your community, region, or the larger world: What are you concerned or curious about, what makes you angry or frustrated, and who are the people you want to help? Finally, research nonprofits online or network with friends and colleagues to find organizations making an impact on those issues — then reach out to inquire about how you might share your gifts as a volunteer.
Create rituals, habits, and traditions around service
If volunteering on a regular basis is too much, create traditions around seasonal events, holidays, and celebrations. When planning a birthday or other milestone event, select a charity that’s meaningful to you and host a hands-on service project, or ask for donations in lieu of gifts. At the end of the summer, fill backpacks with essential school supplies for a local foster care agency. On the September 11th National Day of Service, find an opportunity to do a “good deed” by exploring the 9/11 Day website. While your turkey roasts on Thanksgiving morning, volunteer at a soup kitchen or food pantry. As the winter “giving” holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah, Three Kings Day, and Kwanzaa) overwhelm your “to-do” list, purchase a few additional gifts for an “adopt-a-family” program in your community. On February 14th, participate in the “Valentines for Veterans” program through Soldiers Angels.
Ultimately, as you move through a year filled with holidays and special days, find projects that resonate, and mark your calendar to remind yourself to engage with them every year.
Incorporate service into things you’re already doing
What some might call the actions of a good neighbor are really small acts of service, done with intentionality. Even if you can’t make time to wield a ladle in a soup kitchen or tutor kids in a local public school classroom, you can help an elderly, ill, or homebound neighbor in meaningful ways. If you’re headed to the supermarket, offer to pick up groceries or prescriptions. Already shoveling or using a snowblower on your front walk? Go a few feet further to clear the walkway for your neighbor. Pull the garbage cans back up the driveway. If you’re already driving your children to school, offer to take your neighbor’s child who’s waiting for the bus in the rain. Your one simple act of kindness will have a ripple effect, and the gratitude you receive will make you feel great, too.
Try “Kitchen Table Kindness”
If your schedule simply won’t allow you to engage in direct, hands-on service in your community, consider the ways you might help others from home. As tennis great Arthur Ashe said, “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.”
Create care packages for soldiers serving around the globe through organizations like Operation Gratitude. If you knit or crochet, create hats for premature infants or lap blankets for people living in nursing facilities. Connect virtually with isolated seniors to provide support and friendship. Write encouraging cards for hospitalized children. Prioritizing service allows you to live your values while spreading compassion and joy in a world that’s in desperate need of both. There is no magic formula: You simply need to keep an open heart, an observant eye, and a positive intention. Every day, and in every busy schedule, there’s always time to do good.
Natalie Silverstein, MPH, is a writer, speaker, podcast host, nonprofit founder, and passionate advocate for family and youth service. She is the author of two books on volunteering, Simple Acts: The Busy Family’s Guide to Giving Back and Simple Acts: The Busy Teen’s Guide to Making a Difference. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook at @simpleactsguide.
