Volunteering is a great way to help those in need and give back to your
community, but it can also do wonders for your personal and professional
life! It can help you find a sense of purpose, boost your physical and
mental well-being, and open doors in your career. Here’s how:

Connecting with People

Volunteering offers a chance to develop friendship with people who share
common interests with you. Aside from being enjoyable, having friends is

important for your mental well-being. They provide emotional support, which

protects you from depression; boosts your confidence; and can help alleviate the stresses of everyday
life.

Volunteering also gives you an opportunity to engage with people from many
different backgrounds, allowing you to

learn other perspectives. That can benefit you both socially and professionally.

Finding Purpose

Lending a hand to others can help provide you with a

sense of purpose. That’s good under any circumstances but it can be particularly beneficial
if you’re retired or have just gone through a difficult life event. In fact,
if you’ve recently experienced a personal setback, volunteering is probably
one of the best things you can do. Serving others can keep you from

focusing on your own struggles

and can provide additional perspective during times of adversity.

Boosting happiness

Beyond serving as a distraction from your problems, helping other people can

trigger the release of chemicals in your brain that promote feelings of
positivity. Volunteering also appears to make people

happier in the long term

and produces other mental health benefits, such as

reducing stress, anger, and anxiety.

Improving physical health

A

2015 study

found that middle-aged people who did volunteer work were less likely to
have abdominal fat and high blood glucose than those who didn’t. The
volunteers also had healthier levels of

HDL cholesterol, which can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. Older volunteers
were also less likely to have high blood pressure than their non-volunteer
counterparts.

A

2020 study

examined the relationship between volunteering and health in almost 13,000
U.S. adults. Over a four-year period, the researchers found that people who
committed to more than 100 hours of volunteering per year had a lower risk
of death.

Young people also have a lot to gain from volunteering. In 2013, a

study

found that high school students who volunteered showed more favorable
markers related to heart disease risk compared to their peers who were
instructed to postpone volunteering for a semester.

Gaining professional advantages

From a professional standpoint,

volunteering can benefit your career in numerous ways.

For starters,

volunteer work looks great one your résumé! It showcases positive traits like purpose, self-motivation, and a desire
to

contribute to your community. And if you find yourself between jobs, volunteering can keep your resume
from

having a gap.

Volunteering can also help you make new professional contacts and learn
about opportunities, either in your current field or in other fields that
you may find interesting. The people you volunteer with can also serve as
credible references.

Learning new skills is another valuable benefit you get from helping others.
Some volunteer opportunities may even

provide you with training

that would usually cost a lot of money. And if you’re thinking of making a
career switch, volunteering can be a smart way to experience another field
of work to see if you enjoy it.

Another important benefit of volunteer work is that it often forces you to
step outside of your comfort zone. This helps you learn new ways to deal
with the problems you encounter and keeps your brain sharp as you age.

Getting started

An easy way to find volunteer activities is through your existing network,
such as your employer and any local or religious organizations you belong
to. Friends and family may be able to suggest volunteer activities they
think would suit you. Your neighborhood or municipality may also have
volunteer activities available.

Websites like VolunteerMatch
are great resources for finding volunteer opportunities close to where you
live. Some even have activities you can do from home!

Whatever you choose to do, you’re sure to reap a multitude of personal and
professional benefits whenever you’re dedicating your time to helping
others.

Happy volunteering!