Why volunteering is good for your mental health

Every one of us has been helped or encountered a volunteer at some stage in our lives, we just may not know it because volunteers usually don’t ask for any thanks or make a big fuss about it.

Every year we have specific calendar events including the Australian National Volunteers Week which takes place in May each year as well as International Volunteers Day in December, providing a platform to celebrate and acknowledge the incredible and selfless efforts of those who donate their time and services to their community, with no expectation of payment or thanks. 

Australia has always relied on the essential assistance of volunteers from the volunteer fire fighters that sacrificed everything to fight one of the worst fire seasons in the country’s history, through to those in the  ‘Care Army’ checking on elderly residents who were in self-isolation from the COVID-19 restrictions. 

Volunteers are responsible for countless community initiatives, support groups and are even the reason that many charity organisations are able to operate and do incredible work for the community. While it would be near impossible to acknowledge every individual and organisation, we can show an appreciation how essential the act of volunteering is to every community. 

LIVIN is one such charity organisation that highlights how the support of volunteers and community plays a key role in the growth and spread of an important message – landing on ears and helping the people that need to hear it.   

The LIVIN organisation is responsible for directly engaging over 80,000 people around Australia through our LIVINWell Program, which is only possible because of the support our co-founders Casey Lyons and Sam Webb received in the early days of the charity and continue to receive today from community groups, individuals and selfless volunteers including our fundraisers. 

Our LIVIN WA team is the perfect example on how dedicated our volunteers are with the entire team selflessly committing to ensuring our message has the opportunity to reach those in their community, all in their own time whilst juggling jobs and their own personal commitments. 

However, it is somewhat reassuring to know though that those incredibly generous volunteers do actually receive something back – something that we could all use a lot of and is good for our mental health . . . . 

VOLUNTEERING IS KNOWN TO:

• Improve self-confidence
• Improve self-esteem
• Instill a sense a purpose
• Increase life satisfaction
• Create a sense of belonging
• Encourage social interaction
• Support local community
• Provide support where needed to improve the lives of others

We encourage everyone to appreciate all of the amazing volunteers that help out in the community and to always support them supporting us.

And, if you ever want to get involved in helping out a cause or organisation we can guarantee that you wont only be helping others, you’ll be helping yourself. 

#ItAintWeakToSpeak