How You Can Turn Depression and Anxiety Upside Down
When you are battling depression and anxiety, there’s a tendency to isolate and remove yourself from the world. However, if you can muster up the energy, going against those instincts, and get involved in your community, you will not just be helping other people by making the world a better place, but you will also be on your way to turn your depression and anxiety upside down as well. Call it a 2-fer (2 for 1) ! 😉. This article will talk about the psychological impact of doing good along with 50 ideas for you to make the world and your community a better place.
The Research On Doing Good and Mental Health
There’s tons of research out there about the benefits of social connections and the importance of maintaining these connections over the course of one’s life. Having these connections is a protective factor when it comes to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety as well as medical issues such as high blood pressure and even linked to a speedier recovery in coronary-related health issues. Naturally having less depression and lower blood pressure will lead to a longer, healthier life.
Social connection is one part of the equation when it comes to increased mood or improved mental health. The other two parts are the skills one might acquire in a volunteer capacity which boosts self-esteem and then finally the effect of doing something good for another person, which has been referred to as the “warm glow” of giving. In light of the pandemic and the reduced social interaction and access to volunteering opportunities, it’s no wonder that as many as one-third of the population has experienced a negative mental health impact due to the pandemic.
If you are one of those people whose mental health has suffered during this pandemic, finding one of the big or small ways below that resonates with you might just be the beginning of you finding some relief from your depression and anxiety. Community involvement is good for everyone, however studies show that people who suffer from depression and anxiety get an extra boost, initially, when they get involved in their community, and the good vibe feeling, continues to grow over time.
In short, giving back to other people can benefit you by increasing self-esteem, lowering blood pressure, decreasing stress levels, and in turn increasing your life expectancy… and just think about how much more you will enjoy the ride! 😉
50 Ways to Turn Depression and Anxiety Upside Down by Giving Back
- Volunteer. This is the most obvious one, there are lots of places where you can volunteer your time or get involved in the issues and cause that you support, this includes organizations like meals on wheels, the Boys and Girls Club, Your Faith Community, the Library and so so on… the list is endless. Most non-profit organizations rely on volunteers for much of their community work, and the great thing is that you can work it around your schedule, you only commit to what you can do.
- Help Elderly Neighbors – maybe just checking in on them periodically, especially during extreme weather.
- Volun-travel – traveling with a mission is a great way to give back to a community in need, this could be through an organization like Habitat for Humanity, World Teach, Médecins Sans Frontières, or the Red Cross. Of course, there are lots of options, depending on the cause that you want to get involved with, animal rights organizations, environmental protection or marine life organizations are also places where you can donate time while traveling.
- Organize a community clean-up
- When you are out for a walk, at the beach, make it a point to pick up some of the trash you find along the way
- What special skills or talents do you have? Maybe offering to hold a clinic in your community would be an option, you could check with your local library, faith community, or even the local business office.
- Foster a dog, cat for any animal in need of a home.
- Adoption – an ultimate gift to the world or a child, would be adoption, granted this is more than an afternoon per week… but if there was ever a way to offer a new beginning for someone, this might be it. This of course would need to be something you are up for, but if you long for raising a child and/or imagine the possibilities of sharing your life with someone, a child is an excellent reason to “put on a smile” your best foot forward… parents don’t always have time to be depressed, they just keep on moving forward… one of the most altruistic ways to turn depression and anxiety upside down…
- Get involved in a local campaign
- Run for office, another bigger commitment, but if it is something you have thought about, what better time than the present!
- Join a board of directors
- Tutor a student in an after-school program.
- Do a home clean-up and donate some of your extras…
- Buy and shop local
- Kill ’em with kindness, everyone! 🙂
- Visit a nursing home and listen to the people you visit
- Leave things better than how you found them
- Be patient – give the person in front of you time to step on the gas pedal, be patient with the salesperson who is fumbling around on the computer, help your colleague who has limited computer fluency, walk your parents through the ins and outs of email… and the list goes on…
- Say thank you as much as you can.
- Sponsor and organize a team in a charity walk or run event
- Talk to the homeless person on the street
- Treat all living beings with kindness
- Drive slower so you don’t hit a squirrel or rabbit or anything for that matter!
- Shovel your neighbor’s walkway
- When doing yard work, do a little extra yard work on your neighbor’s side of the property…
- pay someone’s meter
- when in the drive-through, buy the person in the back of you a coffee
- buy a homeless person a sandwich
- Sponsor a family or a child
- Assume Good Intentions
- Be a good role model, teach and lead by example
- When you see plastic or garbage floating in the water, pick it and throw it away… that goes for the street as well
- Recycle – we need to take care of our environment, in whatever way we can, recycling is an easy win and a way to know that you are doing your part.
- Plant a tree in your yard, flowers in your garden… they produce oxygen and eat up the CO2 from your car
- Teamwork – join a team and be a part of something larger than yourself
- Place flowers on a random gravestone, maybe you are planning a visit to a loved one who has passed, bringing an extra bouquet of flowers for someone who doesn’t have any, would be a gesture to acknowledge all people who have come and gone before us.
- When out to dinner in a self-service restaurant, make sure you dispose of your pates and garbage in the correct place.
- Mentor youth in need, young people need good role models, this is one of the better ways to get over your own depression and anxiety, by getting involved with young people.
- Pay for someone’s meal in a restaurant
- Help a lost tourist, if you travel, you have probably been there… and I mean lost! 😉 sometimes we forget how heartwarming it can be when a local person extends themselves to you.
- If you drive, offer the colleague that takes public transportation home a ride.
- Some animal shelters want to encourage socialization of their dogs, if this is the case by you or while on vacation such as the case at Potcake Place in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos, you can spend an afternoon with a pup taking them on a nice walk and then returning them after a few hours, it’s good for them and for you!
- Let your hair grow out and then donate it to an organization like Locks of Love
- Speak up for those who are disenfranchised, when inappropriate comments or slang (slurs) are used.
- Write a thank-you note. Share your appreciation for something someone did for you and share it in an old-fashioned thank you note… they don’t have to be a thing of the past… always special when you get one, be it electronic or as a hard copy.
- Talk to the cleaning staff at work or people who work in your home, offer them something to drink.
- Leave a snack or beverage out for your mail delivery person.
- If you are at the beach and you see the seagulls getting into your “neighbor’s” picnic while they are down enjoying the water, shoo them away.
- If you see someone walking around on the train platform with an open backpack, let them know.
- Last but not least… the one that sums up all of the above … treat others as you would like to be treated… the Golden Rule.
Look At The Person in the Mirror…
…and decide what you can do to make this world a better place. We all have a role, every life on this plant is here for a reason and when struggling with depression and anxiety we lose sight of that purpose… maybe you haven’t figured it out yet or maybe you just forgot for a little bit… that’s ok, that’s why you are here reading this now…
Music evokes powerful meaning, passion, and connection … Micheal Jackson’s “Man in there Mirror” might be a little dated but still very relevant and I think speaks to my message in this post… you might have lost your way but service to others might be a way to help you find yourself and reconnect with your purpose and turn your depression and anxiety upside down once and for all.
Thank You for Reading This Article!
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References
The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkley – How Volunteering Can Improve Your Mental Health
American Journal of Public Health, NCBI: Giving to Others and the Association Between Stress and Mortality
The Cleveland Clinic: Why Giving Is Good For Your Health
