This post was written by Brooke Gallegos, a high school student and Words Alive volunteer.
A picture of Brooke.
Personally speaking, volunteering has helped and changed me so much more than I could have ever imagined. I decided to volunteer in order to gain hours for school and maybe help people along the way, but it soon became much more than that. I have struggled with anxiety my whole life and nothing has truly worked in soothing it.
But when I began helping people, all of a sudden, I felt myself become better for the first time in a long time by watching others’ lives improve at the same time. When you volunteer and truly witness the importance of dedicating your time to others, it becomes so much more than accumulating hours for honors or a way to fill your spare time. As you help change the world in your own backyard, it changes you, too. This is not simply a belief or an opinion — it's even backed up by science! Volunteering is good for the body, mind, and soul.
How Volunteering is Good for Your Body
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” -Elizabeth Andrew, 20th century political activist.
Volunteers from the University of California, San Diego leap for joy on their way to compile Words Alive’s Learning Kits to help students learn from home.
This is absolutely true not only in a metaphorical sense, but in a scientific one as well. Not only do volunteers have kind, caring hearts that yearn to help others; they are also physically healthy because of the work they do. From handing out books to creating craft kits to organizing a fundraiser, activities that keep volunteers up and moving can also provide physical health benefits. In 1992, a Health and Retirement Study tested 7,100 individuals over the age of 50 who volunteered for at least 200 hours a year. The study found that those who volunteered in comparison to those who did not were less likely to develop high blood pressure which leads to stroke, heart failure, and early death. Physical benefits are not true solely for our seniors, but for young people as well. A study conducted on adolescents who volunteered one hour a week concluded that volunteering produced healthy hearts and a lower BMI. In a world where pressure can push in from all sides and stress comes on when you least expect it, volunteering can provide a remedy.
How Volunteering is Good for Your Mind
A Words Alive volunteer reads aloud with a group of kindergarten students as part of our Read Aloud Program.
Volunteering does not only soothe the stress monsters that attack your body, but also the ones that weigh on your mind. Episodes of depression and anxiety can strike at any time during periods of loneliness, but if you experience meaningful social interactions with others, these ailments are soothed. For those who may be experiencing an identity crisis later in their lives, volunteering can provide confidence and a sense of purpose from feeling needed and appreciated. Humans are designed to thrive when helping others. According to recent findings, being helpful by volunteering produces what can be described as “happy hormones.” Volunteering can spark physical reactions that actually improve mental health and wellbeing.
In addition to these mental health benefits, people can begin to shift their focus away from themselves by recognizing the problems others may be facing, too. People begin to rise out of their despair by being a part of something bigger than themselves. As supported by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s research, service is a remedy to loneliness. Our place and purpose in the world are given validity when we positively impact the lives of others — and ultimately, the future. When you're engaged in your community today, you can help create a better tomorrow for everyone, including yourself.
How Volunteering is Good for Your Soul
A Words Alive volunteer ‘reading role model’ and the classroom with whom she reads with children each week - just after giving every child a book to keep as part of the program.
Your physical and emotional well-being are not the only things fostered by volunteering — your soul is, too. The soul is fostered by connecting with the community and living by the mindset that makes the most of today; for yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come. When you witness the impact of your actions, from the look on a young child’s face when they find a book they love, to the reaction of a parent when they witness the beginning of a love for reading, your soul is better for it. The skills and knowledge you have gained throughout your life can be utilized to improve the lives of others while also providing you with a sense of motivation.
Volunteering is really all about a choice when frequently, a lot of things in life are not. In a life that is too short, we have the choice and the opportunity to remain in the moment while improving the lives of others. Is that not what life is all about? Seizing the moment and helping change the world.
Volunteers in Words Alive’s teen program, Adolescent Book Group, hold up examples of the powerful, diverse, and engaging novels they read with teens in the book club style program.
Martin Luther King once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” What are you doing for someone else? How are you making the world a better place right now? You can begin volunteering to answer that question. However, once you start doing something for others, you start doing something for yourself, too. You begin improving your mind, body, and soul. Whether you help develop curriculum, read a book, organize a fundraiser, or simply donate, the key to changing the world while also changing yourself is right around the corner.
If you’d like to start your volunteering journey at Words Alive, click here to learn more.
