How Volunteering helped with my Mental Health
Hey all,
I was just curious if anyone else has had experiences with volunteering within their local communities? I generally enjoy volunteering at various organizations when I can, ranging from like hospitality to like social assistance etc. I find that the act of volunteering itself has really helped with my mental health while also making a positive impact on my community. I'm glad to have started volunteering in the past few years and have found that it has really helped me to pick myself back up when I was at a low point (Essentially, it got the ball running again). As such, I'm curious if anyone else shares any similar sentiment or if you have any experiences that you'd like to share!
Thanks 😁
Comments
Hi there @Crownn
I volunteer mostly online, as an online community builder for ReachOut, and I'm about to start placement shifts for another organisation doing crisis support. Here on ReachOut I feel like I've gained so much. It's really rewarding to be able to help somebody by lending a listening ear, and it's so rewarding when they respond back (although it's ok if they don't too). Reading all these different posts twice a week from all different people with different contexts and experiences has taught me so much about the world. I also feel like I have a sense of purpose, and something to offer - that I am important and my experiences have meaning. 🙂
Hey @Green_Ghost
It's always nice to hear your thoughts. As for your placement shifts in relation to crisis support, you have my full support! (Good luckkkk). I know how important crisis support is especially in this day and age, and seeing your responses often on this forum, I know you'll do great. As for what you've gained from being on ReachOut, I definitely agree with you. It's rewarding and eye-opening to just see how varied each of our experiences are on this platform. While each of our individual experiences may differ, the fact that many of us share overlapping circumstances and are able to provide peer support to one another is what makes this platform so special and important on the internet (it's like a breath of fresh air and a safe space in contrast to the noise of alot of other platforms).
Hey @Crownn
This is a lovely post. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us all!
I'm an online community builder here on Reach Out, and I will say that it has been such an amazing experience for me. It has taught me a lot while boosting my general mental health. It is so rewarding to connect with young Australians across the country and provide them with lots of support, comfort, and advice and share my lived experience to inspire hope.
- Matcha_Toad 🐸🍵💚
Heyy @Matcha_Toad
That's good to hear! I definitely agree with your sentiments. Being on this platform has really helped with my mental health and being able to really share my lived experiences to help another young Australian (even if just a little) is something that I find to be really rewarding. It makes me wish that I knew about this platform earlier, especially back when I was younger in my highschool days (as I believe that definitely would have used this platform whenever I needed help). But overall, i'm glad to be able to help out now!
I really agree @Crownn
For me, volunteering has helped me feel more fulfilled in life and given me the opportunity to do things I wouldn't normally do. It makes me feel really grateful that I have the ability to go spend my time doing something that I know will help others. I'm currently volunteering at an animal shelter and I love feeling part of a community that all just wants the best for these animals and are all willing to give their time to do so.
Heyy @Appel_banappel
You definitely brought up some good points that I forgot to consider haha. I agree with you that volunteering has given me the opportunity to do things that I normally wouldn't do. It's allowed me to get out of my comfort zone, make new connections within my community and has allowed me to contribute to a something that is able to help others. All in all, its for sure given me a new perspective on life.
Hello @Crownn
As with @youarenotbehind, volunteering really let me have a glimpse of what people are going through. In regards to ReachOut, I see all the issues that people are going through and it makes me feel grateful of some issues that I didn’t have to go through and proud of the fact that I have overcome some of these issues and are able to give back.
As with @Vizion101, I use to help out with a Non-Profit Platform for teaching Minority Chinese Languages and would help gather teachers if possible due to my love for culture and language diversity and I hope to be able to contribute to language preservation myself in the near future.
Overall, volunteering has helped me developed in a lot of ways which made me more able to tackle issues that come in my life and have improved my mental health in the process.
Hey @KaizerBiker
I'm glad to hear that you share experiences with others on this thread/post. But yeah, I'm also glad to be able to help out on ReachOut. Seeing how all the experiences on this platform vary in nature has really broadened my perspective on life. I'm definitely glad to be in a position where I am able to help out others on this platform, even if my circumstances are not entirely the same! I'm also glad to hear about you sharing your experiences in relation to teaching Minority Chinese Languages for a Non-Profit Platform. I've definitely thought about volunteering when it comes to the field of teaching haha, maybe in relation to my current university course.
I'm happy to hear that volunteering has also helped you to develop as a person and in face of improving your mental health!
Hello @Crownn
Good to hear that eveyone's posts have been insightful for you and glad that you found it insightful 🤩.
I would have loved to teach these languages but unfortunately I mostly just gather them around to the platform which has now flopped due to lack of funding.
However, I'm glad that you are also inclined to volunteer in the field of teaching, what your current degree if you don't mind me asking?
In any case, it was a wonderful chat and I wish you the best and a good year ahead 🤩
Hey @KaizerBiker
I appreciate the quick reply haha. But yeah, I definitely found this thread to be very insightful and i'm glad that we all share very similar experiences when it comes to volunteering and how it has helped us and the community.
It's unfortunate that the platform flopped due to lack of funding, but i'm sure that you can make things work! It would be interesting to see if there are other platforms to do the same, or to see if you can setup a platform yourself in the future! Maybe start off small but hopefully it can develop further and further.
About volunteering in the field of teaching, I'm currently pursuing a degree in law (almost done) and i'm inclined to sign up to volunteer some time next semester to help out other students possibly and maybe even mentor.
Overall, I'm glad to hear your responses haha and I wish the same to you too!
Hey@Crownn! For me volunteering has been a reminder that life is bigger than just me.
I started volunteering at my local youth group which isn't always easy since kids can be tiring 😂 But showing up each week and learning to be selfless has helped me to become a better person and focus more on helping others. It feels good being able to impact the next generation for the better.
Hey @youarenotbehind
It's nice to hear from your pov. I definitely agree with you in the sense that volunteering has expanded my perspective on life. Volunteering at a local youth group does sound quite fun but challenging haha. I do remember doing some volunteering for my local school and that was very tiring but also equally rewarding. In terms of being able to make an impact to the next generation for the better, I truly hope to do the same and will continue volunteering even when I get older in order to achieve that same goal.
Heya!!
Helping the local community is so helpful for mental health, especially if it's organisations that motivate you for a future pathway. I know for me specifically, I started volunteering at my local theatre company as I want to become an actor, or something in the live theatre. I've had incredible opportunities to learn how to work the domes in the lighting booth, I've helped build and paint set for a couple of shows including some that I was involved and it has given me so many new friendships and connections to others that's its been a major factor in overcoming my mental health struggles. And even though I have learned quite a lot in the past 6 months of volunteering there, I still want to learn more and continue contributing to this community theatre, especially since I've grown attached since I started their youth theatre program in 2023.
That's kind of my take on this and sharing my perspective, but all in all if you're thinking of volunteering for your local community, DO IT!! You can meet so many people who you can learn from and even distract you from the things you struggle with
Heyyy @Vizion101
I definitely agree with you when it comes to volunteering for an organisation that motivates you for a future pathway. For me, i'm planning to eventually volunteer at a community legal centre (CLC) given that I am currently pursuing a degree in law. I know that you'll succeed in your pursuit of becoming an actor or something in the live theatre, I know it! It's also nice to hear about the skills that you've gained too from your experience and for me, I think that's one of the reasons that I started volunteering in the first place haha.
I also share the same sentiment about making new connections and overcoming my mental health struggles. I guess at first, I didn't really think about whether i'd stick around for so long. However, for some of the organisations that I have contributed to, i've been around for about almost 2 years now. I've definitely grown attached too and I feel like its a safe space for me to escape from everything else that's going on in my life.
As for your final message, I wholeheartedly agree. If anyone else is reading this, I would implore you to consider volunteering for your local community! (for the connections, safe space and experience etc)
