Is this the best way to feel good?

Helping others overcome difficulty – is this the best way to feel good? WHL thinks so. And so did the Dalai Lama, who famously said, ‘If you want others to be happy, practise compassion. If you want to be happy, practise compassion.’ Remember that time you aced buying your niece that perfect Christmas present, and the feeling you got from seeing her open it? We’re completely at one with the idea that often giving can be more satisfying than receiving, and factoring this into your daily life can help promote inner peace and mental wellbeing.

A survey at the University of Louisville found that doing good things for others can have a big impact on your personal happiness. Whether it’s little things like offering a comforting shoulder for your friend in need, or supporting a multinational charity, helping out good causes can create a sense of inner calm as you know you have helped overcome difficulty. Volunteering is more than giving your time – it’s an investment. For every ounce of effort you put in, you and countless others reap much more reward.

Overcoming difficulty

Being selfless and offering your time to a cause has shown to boost your self-esteem by 10 per cent. If you’re at a low point in your life, volunteering is a great way to meet new friendly people, and is proven to help overcome depression, post-traumatic stress and anxiety. You’re also 15 per cent less likely to worry, which sounds good to us!

Caroline Lorenzo, a customer support administrator from Dartford, has volunteered for over 300 hours in the past couple of years, and has this to thank for stopping her panic attacks. ‘Knowing others are relying on me gives me the strength to overcome my anxiety,’ she says. Student Honey Kaablpour from Manchester also attributes overcoming her shyness to volunteering with people of different ages and backgrounds.

Some notable people have gone the extra mile to give something back. Matt Weiger got a job in the finance industry to make a lot of money, and then was able to donate thousands of pounds to charity. Of course, we’re not saying you all do this…but it is a pretty amazing thing to do.

Volunteer in sport

Volunteering within the field of sport is a great way to go if you’re like us and love being outdoors doing physical activity. We don’t need to remind you twice of the physical benefits of this, but there are also so many benefits to your mental health. A large proportion of sporting volunteers feel that their actions fill a void, give their life meaning, and are 18 per cent more likely to feel proud of themselves. Recent studies have also found that people who volunteer long-term are less likely to suffer from depression than those who have only done it a few times – a great reason to keep up the good work!

Since the 2012 London Olympic Games, it has never been easier to find a place near you to do your bit. If you’re interested in devoting some of your time to volunteering in sport, the easiest way to go about it is to visit Join In. This is a charity that puts you in touch with sports clubs that are looking for volunteer workers, and essentially does all of the hard work for you! They invite you to send in blog posts from your work too, to make sure you keep others equally inspired.

Help out your way

Of course, if you’re already too tired from the morning’s 10k run, or sport simply isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other ways to help out. Providing refreshments for a team training session or collecting subs can be great ways to help out. Simply advertising for a club can also help them on their way if you have limited time.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, an old-school sponsored run, walk or cycle is always a great way to raise money for charities and help your community. Be adventurous – for inspiration, check out previous fundraisers on virginmoneygiving.com. Our personal favourite has to be extreme ironing, where crazy but charitable people take their ironing boards onto cliff faces and power up for a good cause. Who knows, maybe this could be your thing.