5 Reasons Why Helping Others is Good for You
Whether you are someone who is community minded or you are someone who likes to keep to themselves, it is always good to try and help others where you can. There are often people around all of us who are less fortunate than we are for whatever reason, so it is important to give back where you can. And although it may seem as though helping other people only benefits the person who is receiving the help, it can also benefit you too when you lend a hand to those in need.
- Socializing is good for you
Humans need social interaction in order to feel good throughout the day, so getting to know other people in the community can help you to be more social. If you live on your own and you have a bit of free time on your hands, helping others in the community can be a great way for you to be more social while providing assistance to others who might need care. Socialising when you are young is very important as well, because it can help you in different ways later on in life. For example, people who do not get enough regular social interaction later on in life may be more prone to issues such as dementia and depression, both which can be very hard to deal with. So it is important to get out and meet new people once in a while to try and prevent problems later on
- Be a part of the community
Helping others and forming connections with different people can help you to feel like a part of the community that you are living in. Everyone wants to feel included and a part of the community, even those who have a disability or an illness, so reaching out to these sorts of people in your community can be a great thing to do. Organisations like Home Care Heroes are great for people who are looking to connect with others who are struggling in your community, that you may be able to help in some small way. Being able to help others in your community that are struggling will help you to feel a sense of belonging in your community, because you will feel more connected to the people that are living in your area.
- You’ll feel happier
Another way that helping others can benefit you is that it can make you feel happier. This is because when you are helping others, you will feel good about doing a good deed, and in turn feel happier for making someone else’s life a little easier. And if you are feeling good about yourself, it will be easier for you to make someone else smile. It doesn’t always take much to make someone else’s day, so simple acts of kindness can make a big difference. And in turn, they might pay your good deed forward and help someone else out, because happiness is contagious and feeling happy each day can really make someone else feel better.
- Advance your career
If you are looking to make your resume stand out from the crowd, so that you can get the job that you really want in the future, you should try doing some volunteer work or helping others. A lot of employers these days are on the lookout for people who have helped out in the community in some way, because it shows that you have other interests outside of work. Another reason why many companies like to know that their potential employees have done volunteer work or helped out in the community, is because they want to know that your values align with that of the company. Even though volunteer work is not always as beneficial as industry experience, there is something to be said about those that have experience helping others. So if you want to work in an industry where helping others is compulsory, you should really start adding some of this work to your resume.
- Feel good about yourself
Helping others will also make you feel good about yourself and it can help to lift your own self esteem, as well as the people that you are helping. People who experience a lot of adversity in their lives tend to have lower self-esteem than those who don’t so it is important to try and build others up where you can if you have the opportunity to do so. Seeing how your actions can directly impact the lives of others in a positive way will make you feel really good about yourself, so it is important to try and help others wherever you can, in order to help yourself feel good.
Helping others may not always directly benefit you, but there is always something to gain from getting involved in the community and meeting new people. You may not always benefit financially and get immediate gratification from helping people, but in the long term it will help you to feel better about yourself. So if you have some free time and you want to do something more meaningful with your life, you should consider helping others.