Mental Health Matters: Love yourself, the helpers high

Next week marks the annual celebration of the national commercialized day of love, Valentine’s Day. A day to celebrate the ones we love through sharing cards, flowers, candy, gifts, and amazing dinners at our favorite restaurants.

The cards, flowers, candy, gifts, and dinners will come and go within 24 hours. Will the impact of that day last and give us that ULTIMATE feel good to get us through another 365 days until the next Valentine’s Day? Probably not.

Valentine’s Day is a day of giving, sharing, and love. The fact of the matter is there is a small part of Valentine’s Day that CAN give us the ULTIMATE feel-good 365 days of the year.  The gift of giving back.

The Greek philosopher, Aristotle once surmised the essence of life is “To serve others and do good.”

With a background as a nonprofit executive, mental health advocate, and overall community service cheerleader – I can attest there is no greater feel-good or “high” than giving back. Giving back and volunteering makes an immeasurable difference in people’s lives and often creates an impact beyond what we will ever know or understand.

Giving back isn’t always necessarily our donations to our favorite charities, which is always important, but sharing our time, talent, and resources to make a difference. Did you know that giving back can help to IMPROVE your physical and mental health?

According to a study by the Mayo Clinic, giving back and volunteering helps to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Reduced stress further decreases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. Most importantly, it helps to increase your dopamine levels.

What in the world is dopamine? Dopamine is a neurotransmitter and chemical messenger. In simple terms, it is THE hormone responsible for directing mentally and physically how our body processes our feel-good moments in life.

Giving back also helps to find purpose, build confidence, connect and build relationships with others, and support the communities/neighborhoods we live, work, and play in.

Giving back doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Here are some easy ideas to help you get started on sharing the love through giving back:

• Create small routines of helpful acts. Getting into a routine of helping small groups of people routinely from your community, neighbors, family, or even your office can help boost your mood on a consistent basis. Remember that small acts of kindness consistently make a bigger impact collectively long-term.
• Take time to listen and connect. While we all think about giving as a physical act, either financially or through volunteering, listening can also be an awesome way to give. Taking time to listen to those around you is a powerful way to give – but also connect with others.
• Designate giving times with your schedule. While the hustle and bustle of life seems like it may seem like a burden to add one more thing to your schedule – it could be a blessing. Blocking out specific times to give back can help relieve stress and build confidence.
• Gratitude = altitude in giving. Positive text messages, emails, and sending thank you cards with handwritten notes are always simple ways to give back, but also connect with others.
• Locally grown giving. When thinking about amazing ways to give back, there are endless opportunities to give globally and nationally – which is amazing, but also remember there are a handful of different ways to give back locally. Simple ways to give back locally could include buying groceries for a local food pantry, volunteering at a local community event, or even coaching a youth sports team.

Know that recognizing the needs of others and answering by giving back through your time, talents, resources, and encouragement has a far-reaching impact on others — and yourself.

Monica Bitrick, Director of Fundraising and Community Awareness for Serenity Behavioral Health Systems, helps individuals of all ages who suffer from the many aspects of behavioral health and developmental disabilities. Our mission is to provide the highest quality care in a professional, responsive, and caring manner. https://serenitybhs.com/ Email: Info@serenitybhs.com or (706) 432-4800)