The Remarkable Benefits of Volunteering

Volunteering increases social connections and learnings that can support you both in your personal and professional life

Most of us lead very busy lives, but for those of us who make time to volunteer, there can be real benefits which support your life and career.  A few of these key benefits are:

Increased social connection

• Especially after the last few years of the pandemic, many people have not only experienced isolation, but are currently trying to figure out how to reconnect with their community, socialize, and be able to build and maintain relationships more easily. These relationships can be in the form of new friends, meeting neighbours, establishing professional contacts - or just practicing social skills that may be a little less polished than they were before the pandemic.

Counterbalancing Stress

• The inner rewards of volunteering can help combat negative or depressive moods through meaningful social interaction.  Being able to focus on tasks and other people beyond our regular social sphere can help provide a sense of purpose and widen our own viewpoint. Sometimes knowing others have gone through some of the same challenges as us can honour these feelings and help us move past them.

Build Work Skills & Career Growth

• Many volunteer roles offer us a chance to learn new skills which could be applicable to our current or future jobs. You can even try aspects of a type of role which you may want to move into in a lower stress environment. This gives you a chance to learn these skills and gain specific career experiences, while seeing if they are right for you, or where you may need to enhance your skills further through study or other experiences.

Fun & Fulfillment

• Explore interests, hobbies or areas of life that you might not otherwise have the opportunity. Some volunteers find great satisfaction in volunteering in roles which mirror their own interests, or which is fundamentally different from their day-to-day job. This adds variety and can even mean choosing volunteer roles that are fun, exciting, or add joy to your life.

These points are just some of the benefits of volunteering which can help support you and enrich your life.

Want to learn more? Read the more detailed source article here from Helpguide.org: "Volunteering and it's Surprising Benefits"