We’ve had a long season of thankfulness that has included several holidays. Thanksgiving – when we give thanks for the blessings of family and home that we’ve been given, Christmas – when we give thanks for the sacrifices made on our behalf in the name of love, and New Years – when we give thanks for the blessings of the year we’ve had and those we look forward to in the year that lies ahead.
Giving thanks translates into giving back for many people. Especially during this ‘thankful’ time of year. What do you do because you are thankful and have a spirit of giving back?
- Help to provide food and supplies in homeless shelters?
- Pack up or sort food in a food bank?
- Deliver Christmas gifts for prison ministries?
There are more opportunities for giving back than we could ever name.
Opportunities to give back are very diverse. You can do things like help to repair habitats for raptor centers or donate food, pet supplies to the humane society, and serve meals at a crisis center.
These activities make possible the opportunity for giving back and providing potentially life-saving help for you and for others around you.
Giving back has benefits for the giver.
Both generosity and gratitude have an incredible influence on our emotional health. When we practice them, we’re happier, more optimistic and have a lower risk for depression and anxiety. Research also shows that giving reflects how we feel about others and could give more insight into how we maintain relationships.
But for some reason, in spite of the benefits of generosity and giving or ourselves, we really only concentrate on doing it during that season we’ve just had.
That is a real bah-humbug because these two actions that we should probably call superpowers are a huge asset to our physical health (noted by Stephen G. Post, Ph.D, author of Why Good Things Happen To Good People). Most people really “feel” the effect that giving gives them. It makes you feel “good” – like you’ve been eating healthy and exercising for a few days and you notice a more energetic and less lethargic “you” emerging – you get a feeling of energy and robustness.
There are several ways that a generous spirit and grateful attitude can improve your physical well-being.
Lower your blood pressure.
One study showed that participants who offered social support for someone in trouble actually experienced lower blood pressure than the participants who didn’t.
Motivate you to exercise more.
This may sound a little crazy, but a gratitude researcher and psychology professor at the University of California, Davis notes that gratitude can actually help you achieve fitness goals. A gratitude journal would probably be a good addition to your gym bag.
Help your heart.
Heart disease is a silent killer. The symptoms often get overlooked. By no means is volunteering an antidote, research does implicate lower incidents of heart disease and better physical health in those who do it.
This also applies to reducing susceptibility to heart disease in children. Today’s kids lead a very sedentary lifestyle in general and giving of themselves in the community is a great way to get them engaged physically.
Lower your cholesterol.
Gratitude can also have a physical effect that protects your heart. Giving and having an attitude of gratitude can lower your cholesterol – along with improving dietary behaviors and curbing use of substances like cigarettes and alcohol. Since cholesterol tends to increase with age, this is a great thing!
Help you live longer.
According to what research shows, people who volunteer, whether it be serving at a community soup kitchen or visiting nursing homes, reduce their early mortality rate by 22 percent when you compare their rates to those who don’t give back. Volunteers also generally experience a higher rate of life satisfaction.
Living longer and generosity are also related when it comes to addiction. Programs used in recovery groups, like Alcoholics Anonymous, depend on the willingness of their participants to help others through sponsorships and social support. They can increase the likelihood of their own recovery by helping others recover even it’s only by being empathetic, compassionate and generous toward them.
Help you sleep better.
Giving back and expressing gratitude help in maintaining or establishing good sleep patterns. Better sleep is a critical component to better health. And lack of sleep can also contribute to weight gain – which does your heart no good at all.
Reduce your stress.
Keeping your stress under control is crucial to your emotional well-being and it is also critical to your physical health.
Stress can also impact your respiratory system and disrupt your stomach. Giving back and having a generous attitude can help you control these anxious emotions.
While you’re being authentic and genuine in helping, giving back produces a byproduct of health benefits. Giving back gets in touch with a part of us that is hard-wired into our human nature.
Little Otter gives back.
Little Otter Swim School is a believer in giving back. In fact, every year Little Otter Swim School and its families give to Katie’s Kidz, a local organization that collects toys for children in the hospital. We donate swim lessons to various local schools and charities to help in their fundraising. We also collect money for Stop Drowning Now during our Safety Days.
Little Otter Swim School’s team members are passionate about teaching kids to swim and be safe as they enjoy the water. Learn more about what makes Little Otter different.
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