If you have a mental health disorder such as depression, you may be looking for ways to fill the time during the winter break, and one thing you might consider is service work in your community: that’s a great idea, and we think volunteering over the holidays is a perfect way not only to help others, but increase your sense of purpose and find meaning in your life.
One way volunteering helps people with mental health diagnoses is by getting the focus off of them and onto others. We can put that another way:
Volunteering helps you get out of your head.
That simple fact can help people with depression or anxiety. When you’re focused on a task, particularly one that involves helping others, your mind can stay on that task, the person/people you’re helping, and what you need to get done. In many cases, that can help people with depression or anxiety experience several hours – or an entire day – where their focus isn’t on their symptoms, but rather on the job at hand, and the impact of their efforts on the lives of others.
That’s a big deal.
Knowing what you do has meaning, and knowing what you do has a positive impact on people in need can make a big difference in your healing journey.
Finding Volunteering Opportunities for the Holidays: Where to Start
We think the best place to start is close to home.
As in literally.
We recommend unofficial acts of kindness or help in your neighborhood.
Here are three ways to get started:
- Neighborhood Seniors. Think of any seniors that may need help with holiday decorations. Or something unrelated to the holidays, such as raking leaves or helping clean out a closet or garage. If you’re unsure how to offer your time, consider this: knock on the door and ask them if they need anything done around the house they can’t do.
- Neighborhood Groups. Join neighborhood groups on social media such as Facebook or Nextdoor. Post an offer of help and support, and see what your neighbors say. You may start a new trend in your area that lasts all year long: people looking out for members of the community who need help and support.
- Neighborhood Schools. Contact or visit a local elementary school and ask about tutoring, administrative work, coaching, or whatever they need. In many cases, schools need help not only on a daily basis, but also for special events. Setting up for holiday assemblies, band or drama performances, or class parties: every little bit helps. And every little bit counts in the lives of children and schoolteachers.
This is a grass-roots approach that you can initiate today. However, we understand that approach may not be for everyone. If you want a more organized, formal approach to volunteering over the holidays, you can contact these organizations:
- Habitat for Humanity
- The Red Cross
- Feeding America
- The United Way
- The National Coalition for the Homeless
These organizations make volunteering easy. Go to the websites, find a volunteer day, sign up, and show up: that’s all it takes. If you’re new to volunteering over the holidays, they’ll welcome you with open arms. You’ll find a community of people all committed to one thing: helping those in need when they need it most.
If you’re not convinced volunteering over the holidays can help you on your healing journey, read on: we’ll offer our top five reasons we think volunteering is an excellent way to support your mental health.
Why Volunteer?
We volunteer to help others. And in helping others, something amazing happens. We help ourselves. That’s not the goal, but it’s a verifiable outcome. When we volunteer, we learn the value of doing something with no expectation of return. We learn the value of community and we learn that others in our community want to help, too. We learn perspective when we’re reminded there are people in the world who lack basic necessities like a roof over their head, food to eat, and access to essential health care. And finally, we learn that there are simple steps we can take to improve the world around us: those are all excellent reasons to volunteer – in addition to the five benefits we list below.
Volunteering Over the Holidays: Five Benefits
1. It keeps you busy.
This may seem like the least meaningful benefit of volunteering, but hear us out. You know that spending time in isolation almost never helps and can lead to an increase in symptoms. You may be fine when you’re at work, or at the gym, or engaged in a hobby you love. But during the holidays, there’s more down time than usual – and volunteering can help you spend that time in a way that promotes recovery.
2. It keeps you focused.
The simple process of finding a volunteer opportunity, scheduling it, then showing up and following through means you’re actively engaged in your own healing and growth. Being proactive in this way is a sign you’re on the right track.
3. It can improve depression.
Evidence shows that for certain demographic groups, volunteering can reduce depressive symptoms. Read the studies here and here.
4. It boosts self-esteem and increases happiness.
The equation is simple, and backed by evidence: when you help people, it feels good, and improves default levels of wellbeing. In addition, the happiness and elevated mood that accompany volunteering doesn’t end when your work ends. In many cases, you can see the tangible result: a house you built, the smile on a person you helped, or the look of a local park after a neighborhood clean-up. Those feelings – and that sense of accomplishment – is yours forever, because it’s something you did and an experience you had.
5. It keeps you connected.
As we mention above, disorders like anxiety and depression often involve the desire to disconnect from the world and spend time is isolation. The holidays can increase these urges, but volunteering can help. One way to think about volunteering is that it’s the opposite of isolation. It revolves around connection: connection to yourself, connection to your values, connection to your community, and connection to others. When you volunteer, you connect – and connection is an essential component of healing.
Volunteering and Your Social Network
We’ll elaborate on that last point. Because of the nature of volunteering, you might find a group of people who share your worldview, goals, and values. Think about it this way. A group of people who volunteer for a specific cause already have at least three things in common: they believe in the cause they’re volunteering for, they believe in the value of volunteering itself, and they believe in it enough to donate their time and energy.
That’s often how deep and lasting friendships begin: engaging in a shared activity that furthers a common goal. That’s often how we make friendships when we’re kids, but those situations don’t come up as often as adults. Volunteering is a way to place ourselves in situations where we meet new and interesting people. From that perspective, volunteering – especially over the holidays – is an ideal way to enhance your social support network, and increase your chances at long-term, sustained recovery from mental health disorder such as depression or anxiety.
Gianna Melendez
Jodie Dahl, CpHT