I put some thought into recent responses on Quora and figured I'd share them here, too, since I clearly need to work on writing more consistently.
How does volunteering and "giving back" improve mental health?
Often, a feature of poor mental health is feeling as if one has no purpose in life. Volunteering addresses this in a very direct way because it allows a person to fill a need in their community.
Additionally, it can get people out of the house when they might otherwise struggle to do so and provides an opportunity to meet new people, learn new skills, make new friends, demonstrate previously hidden or unrecognized competencies, pet animals at a shelter, spend time in nature, travel, attend interesting but expensive fundraising events or conferences that might otherwise be inaccessible for a volunteer, hear influential speakers, participate in enjoyable movement and exercise, and make the world a better place, all of which can improve mental well-being in various ways.
Keeping busy with volunteer activities can also aid in mindfulness practices and minimizing rumination. It can expose people to new viewpoints that counter false beliefs and negative thinking patterns and give a sense of perspective of the variety of challenges that others may be struggling with.
There are myriad potential mental health benefits to volunteering and giving back to others that will vary for each person and volunteer opportunity.
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