January is Mental Wellness Month, and CityHeART volunteers are focused on doing #littlethings (and big things) for others in order to make BIG impacts in the community this month … and improve mental wellness!
Are you sinking into the post-holiday blues? Or are you rocking that New-Year-New-Me life this month? At CityHeART, it’s a little of both if we’re being honest.
The end of the year is such a rush of events, giveaways, laughs, music, sweets, and so many memories of time spent with each other and with the people we serve … and when it’s over, we can wind up feeling a little out of sorts.
We also see a lot of guests at the Resource Hub who experienced a great deal of loneliness and depression all throughout the holiday season, and for them, the start of the new year may feel like an overwhelming continuation of circumstances that feel discouraging.
And then, of course, we navigate these feelings on top of this annual pressure to make the new year THE year that we will conquer this goal or that goal, which only seems to compound the stress of the month of January.
So. With all this going on, how is it that we have found ourselves picking up this year right where we left off last year with smiles on our faces and joy in our hearts?
The answer is simple: volunteering can boost mental and emotional wellness!
In my personal experience as a volunteer, I have found the following to be very true:
- The cliche “it feels good to do good” rings true. When we give to and serve others, it makes us happy.
- Quality time with quality people is great for social connections and reducing stress, anger, and anxiety.
- Volunteering as part of a team can foster meaningful connections that grow into life-long friendships, and a growing network of support can combat feelings of loneliness, isolation, and depression.
- Doing good for others and the community provides a natural sense of accomplishment and purpose, which is motivating and empowering.
The #LittleThings Campaign is all about taking little steps to improve mental health, in particular during the first month of the year. As such, our team is focused on all the #littlethings we can do to help those around us AND boost mental health through volunteering at the same time.
One of those #LittleThings we are doing is making opportunities to get involved with our volunteer team more available with several monthly volunteer orientations available each month, both online and in-person and even on the weekends!
Column by Paige Pelonis, CityHeART Founder/Executive Director