If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one. Mother Theresa
Being inspired to give back is a timely subject today as the holiday season approaches and Monday December 1st is World Aids Day. Charities such as The Stephen Lewis Foundation ask people to consider donating a day’s wages to the cause.
Today’s question is How can we make a contribution inspires us, serves others and doesn’t exacerbate our day to day stress. People who are happy tend to do volunteer work, people who are burnt out tend to do volunteer work. So what gives? Giving back offers immeasurable benefits but it can also be an added source of stress for people who spend too much of their time helping others. An imbalance occurs that the body tries to rectify, often the body redresses this imbalance by creating a serious health concern which can hamper a person’s ability to work at all (stress leaves are dramatically on the rise).
Most of my coaching clients are in the helping industry (including nurses, counsellors/counselors, social workers, family lawyers, or students in these professions). Helping others seems to be built into their DNA and most of them strongly value volunteer work.
When a helper wants to journey toward healing the wounds of vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue or burnout we look closely at all the areas of his/her life where trauma is the subject. Many helpers volunteer in the same area that they do their paid work, for example, consider the shelter worker who volunteers for a sexual assualt crisis line on the weekends. She also cares for young children and aging parents. As part of the work we do together I might ask a client in this position to consider scaling back volunteer efforts in the short term so the healing can begin and she can regain her sense of hope and contribution.
This doesn’t mean that your efforts to change the world need to cease, perhaps just re-directed. How about finding a new and interesting way to contribute? There are so many possibilities, what about doing something completely different then what you do for paid work. How about helping out in a classroom like my friend Elspeth does with www.seedsofempathy.org or become a “whoofer” and work on an organic farm www.wwoof.org or adopt a child through an organization like www.worldvision.ca, join the food drive once or twice a year and take your family with you rather than spending your evenings volunteering all year. I make a charitable donation each time I take on a new client and for holiday gifts ask for donations to a cause we believe in.
The message is about balance and wellness, take care of yourself and then take care of others. Yes just like the oxygen mask on the airplane, it is an overused analogy but a good one. If you are travelling with a child and the oxygen masks need to be used you must put yours on first so that you have the energy to help your small companion.
In what ways are you inspired to give back? How can you celebrate the contributions you have already made to making this world a better place? Don’t forget about the love and support you offer in your own small circle, every act of kindness is a charitable act.
If you want to read more about what research shows makes people happy try this fantastic book by Martin Seligman. All proceeds from any book sales generated from my site or my blog are donated to www.stephenlewisfoundation.org
