Day 29 * 30 Day Anxiety Challenge

30 Day Anxiety Challenge, Day 29: Find A Place To Volunteer

Today is Day 29 of the 30 Day Anxiety Challenge! There’s only 2 days left of the challenge.

Don’t forget to mark off your success from Day 28 on your  Anxiety Challenge Tracker.

Now, let’s get started with Day 29 of learning how to manage our anxiety and panic!

Volunteers holding turtle together near river

DAY 29 CHALLENGE:       Find A Place To Volunteer

How It Helps Anxiety:

Volunteering is an excellent way to help manage anxiety and panic. Volunteering actually has multiple health benefits. People who regularly volunteer actually feel an increase in happiness and a reduction in depression.  The neurohormone Oxytocin actually increases when doing charitable things, which acts as a buffer to keep anxiety and panic at bay. By volunteering, you are often doing a physical activity of some sort which also helps lower your blood pressure, burns calories and releases endorphins that help us feel good.

Additionally, volunteering helps us put our own life into perspective. When you are working with children with cancer, or abused animals or under privileged people, it really helps us see that despite how awful having anxiety sometimes can be, it could be a lot worse.

 

Aaron Regnier Photography

How To Meet Todays Goal:

Create a list of 5 different things that are close to your heart that you would potentially be interested in helping. Do you love pets? Did you have a loved one affected by cancer? Are you a gardener? Write down your interests.

Next, go online and Google one of your interests plus “volunteer” and the name of your town or city. A list of places should appear in your search results. Find a charity that looks interesting to you. Check out their website and volunteer policy.

Do the same for the rest of your list. Once you are done, reach out to the one that looks the most interesting to you and see how you are able to help. Set a date and time on your calendar and make sure to follow through.

If you need help, use a site like Volunteer Match to help match you with a charity in need of your talents.

Wrap-Up:

By volunteering, not only are you helping to make positive change in your community, but you are helping yourself in multiple ways both physically and mentally.

Join us in the private Facebook group for support of others doing the 30 Day Anxiety Challenge.


Additional Resources:

Article:  How Volunteering Helped Me Own My Anxiety (The Mighty)

Article: Volunteering Is The Best Kept Secret For Mental Health (Vice)


Explore Further:

BOOK:  Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others – by Bill McMillon


Disclaimer: KyleMcMahon.me / Kyle2U.com does not endorse or provide any medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition and cannot be substituted for the advice of physicians, licensed professionals, or therapists who are familiar with your specific situation. Consult a licensed medical professional or call 911 if you are in need of immediate assistance.

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