Citizens Memorial Hospital | Vitality | Winter 2021

citizensmemorial.com 15 Help others, help yourself: Be a volunteer Life gets busy, and sometimes it’s hard to give back. But if you take time to volunteer, you may reap physical and mental rewards above and beyond a simple “thank you.” Take a look at what volunteering may do for you. Improve your body and your mind. Volunteering can help you stay healthy and live longer. Volunteers tend to be more active, and research has shown that many chronic health conditions get better after volunteering. Volunteering also helps our mental state. It decreases stress and gives us a sense of accomplishment. Not only that, but assisting others helps fight depression and can make us feel happier. Introduce you to new friends. When we do an activity with other people, we have the chance to form a new bond. This may be especially important if you’ve just moved to a new area and don’t know a lot of folks. But volunteering can also help if you are looking for more people who share your interests. Volunteering also improves social skills. So while you’re building friendships, you are also getting better at building them. Teach you a new skill. Helping out in your community gives you a chance to try different things. In fact, if you are interested in pursuing a new career or learning a new skill, a volunteer experience can give you an employment advantage. If you don’t plan to change careers, that’s OK. Many of the skills you use while volunteering may help you in your current job. Help you feel more fulfilled. Volunteering may change the way you see yourself in the world. When you perform acts of kindness for others, you increase your sense of self-worth. Volunteering may make you feel more creative or motivated, which you can then use in your professional and personal life. Sources: American Psychological Foundation; HelpGuide TAKE THE NEXT STEP Ready to get started volunteering at Citizens Memorial Hospital? Contact Shantelle Posten, director of volunteer services at CMH, by phone at 417-328-6432 or email at shantelle.posten@citizensmemorial.com . GIVING BACK