Happiness Hack: Volunteering

Tomorrow starts my journey with ENGin, a English language volunteer organization that helps learners in the Ukraine by pairing them with a “buddy” for 1 hour a week, virtually. No prior experience is necessary and the only requirement is that you know English. You fill out a small survey on your interests so they can find you a good match with similar interests and have a quick interview where they I presume are assessing both your command for the English language and your interest level. Very quickly after my interview I was accepted into the program and about a day later I received my match.

I reached out immediately and very quickly got a response and we found a time that worked for our first session — tomorrow. My nervousness has turned into productiveness watching all the available YouTube videos on ENGin’s channel on how to be a good buddy, what to do in your first meeting and even watching some graduates and volunteers tell their stories. My buddy has been assessed as a beginner in English although based on our communication thus far, he is really good. I am sure speaking in person to someone is more difficult that typing though.

But why volunteer? Why add more things into my life when I know work is going to start ramping up and I’ve started the Peloton and this blog and I’m working with a coach who has me going to see a nutritionist. I recently read Arianna Huffington’s book Thrive and she argues there is a third metric in addition to money and power and that is to thrive. Thriving is creating room for well-being, wisdom, wonder and giving. Let’s assume I’m covering the well-being, wisdom and wonder aspects I certainly was not giving. Not because I’m selfish, but I wasn’t driven strongly or passionate about something enough that I wanted to give. Yes here and there I’d donate money to a cause when a friend was doing a fundraiser. One way of volunteering I hadn’t considered was volunteering my skills — from home. I hate to leave Bert alone all day while I’m out volunteering for something to come home to a trashed house. In the appendix of Thrive there are some websites where one can find volunteer opportunities so I perused them and found ENGin. One hour a week and I just had to know English, plus I get to help the Ukraine.

Volunteering has been shown to be good for your mental health as well. Helping other people activates the reward center in your brain which releases serotonin, dopamine and endorphins according to Susan Albers, PsyD, a psychologist for the Cleveland Clinic. “Studies have indicated that volunteering is great for your mental health. It has been shown to decrease stress levels, depression, anxiety and boost your overall health and satisfaction with life,” says Dr. Albers. There is also the chance to meet new people or develop a sense of deeper meaning. Volunteers benefit from improved self-esteem, happiness, self-efficacy, empathy and an increase sense of control of ones life. I think it also has an impact on our spirituality as well.

Spirituality is something that I’ve struggled with in my life as I was brought up in a Congregational church and didn’t really buy into that. If you had asked me in my 20s and 30s if I was spiritual I would have said no. But do I believe there is something bigger than us connecting everything? Yes. And that really is the definition of spirituality. So I am spiritual.