Go Volunteering
If you have spent any time on my blog site or my Twitter, well guess it is now X page, you will know that I am very open about having major depressive disorder, anxiety, and hypervigilance. I don’t hide it and as a matter of fact, I spend a lot of time writing about it!
To give you a refresher, here are just a few of my mental health blogs (and there are many more in the over 100 blogs written):
Power of Music for your Mental Health
If you know me on a personal level, you will know I am not a super motivated, happy-go-lucky type of guy. I don’t get up in the morning full of energy and put on a show like many people you see on the internet. For those that are legit, good on them; however, I am convinced many of them are full of shit and do it for money and “likes”…I digress.
Over the years I have been in many valleys of life that have held me down for months, no matter how many techniques I tried to get me out of them (nudism, mediation, exercise, being outdoors, etc.). While I do these as much as I can, and it normally improves my mood short term, I find myself back in the same hole.
However, one of the biggest successes I use to pull me out of a rut is to invest my time in volunteering.
Volunteering
This can be a double edge sword as I love to give back to organizations that help people, however, my depression loves to try to silently manipulate me into not going with some bullshit excuse (your body hurts, you did it last week, there is enough people, you don’t have ‘time’, blah blah blah).
Now before you instantly say “I don’t have time” I would ask you to consider that fact that I bet you have 1 hour every two weeks, or once a month, to go invest in doing something you truly love to do.
Notice, twice now I have used the word “invest”. Time is something that once it is gone, it is gone. So invest wisely in something you want to do!
The great thing about volunteering with an organization, or event of YOUR choice, is that it is longer lasting than shorter term events like mediation. Not only do you get the immediate feel-good hormone drop when you are doing it, but when you sit back later and reflect on the time you invested, it will give you another drop. Therefore, increasing your mood a second/third/fourth time.
So, whether it is helping at a food bank, going to the animal shelter and spending time with dogs or cats, assisting specific groups of people (veterans, homeless, hungry, etc.), being a part of a gardening/flower club, just get dressed and go join it. They always need your help, and if they are full (or not active), hit the internet and go find an organization looking for volunteers. If you don’t like the group, or people in it, keep looking until you find a fit that is best for YOU.
So, this is one of the few times I will encourage you to get dressed and get outside because trust me, being nude isn’t going anywhere as you can always come back home, strip down, and reflect on the great hour(s) you spent doing something you loved and get a double dose of dopamine, serotonin, and pure bliss.
Drop a comment below and let me know what your favorite type of volunteering is…and if you aren’t doing it now, what YOU WILL research and join!
In your corner,
Ryan