Volunteer

Benefits of Volunteering and Giving: Reducing Pain


I recently read the January newsletter from Volunteer Canada  There was a great article on the benefits of volunteering and giving.  The article dealt with the well-known fact that volunteering and giving (including  money), have many benefits for the giver. 

There are many well-documented studies showing putting others first without expectation of anything in return helps givers in many ways, including improving health. Health benefits include: reducing stress, the risk of cognitive impairment, and helping us live longer.  As Abraham Lincoln once said, “When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad  I feel bad. That is my religion.”  

A new benefit – pain reduction – has arrived on the scene. Scientists reported a study done in 2017 and recently published by the National Academy of Sciences, found volunteers living with pain reported decreased pain and a greater sense of purpose when, and after they volunteered.

The studies included acts such as giving blood after an earthquake, and cancer patients who were living with pain helping others. The study also determined cancer patients who help themselves also decrease their pain. The meaning people gave to their good deeds was also a factor in how much the pain decreased.

This blog is about there being more good in the world than bad, and recognizing some of the good being done in the world – much of it through volunteering. 

Knowing the above might even increase your volunteering or encouraging others to volunteer. 

A number of years ago while interviewing a person about joining a Board, we asked her how she felt about asking people for money.  She smiled and said, “My father was a Minister and he loved to raise money. He believed asking people for money was a chance to get others to make a difference.”  The person added, “I feel the same way.”  

Maybe asking someone for money or to volunteer for a good cause is a favour to both the recipient, the donor and you, and will make everyone feel better.

Till next time,

Chris Snyder  

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