Help Your Way to Health
When you do something kind for someone such as a favor for a friend or help a stranger find an address, you are not only helping that person accomplish a specific task, you are also helping yourself keep a healthy outlook on life. Research suggests that helping others on a regular basis may help decrease feelings of depression and anxiety, reduce aches and pains, and boost overall mental and emotional wellbeing. Helping others helps you feel connected to others, takes your mind off your own worries for a while and adds a sense of purpose and meaning to your life.
HINTS ON HELPING
- Consider these tips for helping others, and yourself:
- Call a friend to see how she’s doing.
- Serve your spouse breakfast in bed.
- Let a car in front of you on the highway.
- Smile at a stranger in the street.
- Hold the elevator door for your co-worker.
Courtesy of Mental Health America (www.mentalhealthamerica.net/help-others)
