Feeling blue? Sometimes the best way to get out of your own head and lift your spirits is by volunteering. Not only will you make a difference for someone else in a real and meaningful way, but mixing up your daily routine by taking time to help others can noticeably improve your mood and health. Harvard Medical School found that those who volunteered more even live longer! So, where to get started? Here are 13 ideas to start giving back:
- Volunteering can be rewarding and also help decrease anxiety, build confidence, help you gain new skills, learn about other peoples lives, and possibly create your own niche within your own community. By doing this you can make new friends too. Sometimes schools will give you credit by volunteering your time. Some of the ways you can make an impact on some else’s life, as well as your own, are;
- Volunteer at a local nursing home. Many times, nursing homes’ take residents for walks, they may ask that you work on craft projects with them, or help with outings
- If you’re a dog lover, you can offer to walk peoples’ dogs. Take the dogs to a local doggie park and watch them play
- Maybe you can plan an outdoor event. Help your neighbors prepare for their garage sale. You can design the flyers, organize the tables, and price the merchandise
- You can organize a car wash and donate the proceeds to your choice of charity
- Become a “Big” to a “Little”. By joining Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, you can become a Big, or a mentor for a Little. By doing this you’ll develop and build a meaningful relationship with youth who will look up to you for guidance. Through this organization you’ll attend organized events, as well as plan your own events together, with the permission of the parent(s) or guardian and the organization; head to the mall, go to a movie, hang out at the library, hike, fly a kite, anything fun.
- Check in with the local elementary, junior, or high school to see if they have a need for tutors
- Ask your local domestic abuse shelter if they need clothing, unused makeup, books, or art supplies. Then find people or businesses within the community who could donate these items, gather them up, and take them to the shelter. You’ll be their hero. So many domestic abuse victims feel unworthy and down, with no self-esteem. By doing this you’ll raise their spirits and show them that they are beautiful
- Create an awareness by speaking out to schools, newspapers, and within your community about anxiety. Talk about the illness, the symptoms, how it’s affected you personally, and what coping skills they might use to reduce their anxiety. Provide them with resources and allow them to speak out about their experience; each of us wants a chance to be heard. Stress and anxiety is found everywhere, in most everyone’s lives each day; workplaces, schools, communities, and in their homes
- Send cards and letters to soldiers overseas telling them that you appreciate their great service
- Help with the setup of a Special Olympics event. Many with disabilities, of all kinds, look for encouragement and support
Many hospitals offer a Candy Striper program. Some have a courtyard where the patients can sit and view the gardens and the volunteers are able to wheel them there. Candy Stripers also read books to the patients. By doing this the volunteer can help take the patient’s focus off of their illness- Love animals? Head to your local humane society, there you can visit with the animals. They’ll enjoy a kind and caring individual who’ll pay attention to them. Believe it or not pets can provide emotional support, unconditional love, and create a distraction when you’re anxious, having a panic attack, or depressed.
The truth is, each one of us struggles with anxiety on some level; maybe some more than others. It’s nothing to be ashamed of and don’t feel alone. I lived in my apartment for almost a year before I found out the woman living above me also has anxiety attacks. Now, whenever we feel anxious we talk or head to Starbucks for a coffee. Each of us needs to find out what coping mechanism or technique works for us. Hopefully, the above list will offer food for thought. Venturing into the great outdoors as well as into your community can be the first step in alleviating your anxiety.
By: Melissa Swaney, Anxiety In Teens Contributor