Want More Happiness? Be of Service. Help Others

It is easy to overlook your mental health while managing COVID-19 along with your family, financial and work responsibilities. But even small actions to nourish your state of mind can enrich your sense of well-being. Helping others is one of the best ways to increase your levels of contentment and satisfaction.

Experts agree that helping others contributes to a healthy sense of connectedness to others, community, and happiness. A TIME essay shares these quotes on the issue:

• We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. — Winston Churchill
• Making money is a happiness; making other people happy is a super happiness. — Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus
• Giving back is as good for you as it is for those you are helping, because giving gives you purpose. When you have a purpose-driven life, you’re a happier person. — Goldie Hawn

According to Psychology Today, “One reason behind the positive feelings associated with helping others is that being pro-social reinforces our sense of relatedness to others, thus helping us meet our most basic psychological needs.”

There are many ways to help others: checking in by phone, text and email, scheduling video calls with shut-in’s, and volunteering to assist with socially distant community initiatives.

These are additional suggestions from NPR:

Donate to, volunteer at your local food bank. Due to panic surrounding the virus, donations to many local food banks are down significantly. Organizations like Feed America allow you to search for food banks in your area.

Find ways to help feed students who depend on school lunches. When schools close, many students who rely on subsidized lunches or special education programs suffer. Think about other resources that students may be missing if they’re asked to stay home from school, too. (Do you have an unused laptop you can donate?)

Collaborate with neighbors to check in on the most vulnerable in your community. Even volunteering to do simple tasks — such as grocery shopping, sharing childcare or helping out with errands — can go a long way for those who may be in quarantine or have a compromised immune system. Parents with special needs children, and seniors are especially in need of contact and support from the outside world.

Helping others has a double bonus. It contributes to others’ sense of happiness and well-being, too.

Dr. Kristina Wodicka is a Nyack-based holistic chiropractor who incorporates healing and integrative wellness techniques into her practice. Follow Dr. Wodicka on Facebook. Read her articles on Medium. Connect with her on LinkedIn.