Many years ago, I was feeling aimless and like something was missing, as you may have read in previous posts.  As I thought and processed what I was feeling, one idea that came up was that I would love to volunteer for something.  I have had experience volunteering throughout my life but have not found anything after moving to Colorado.  But who and what should one volunteer for?  I didn’t want to end up somewhere doing grunt work or showing up somewhere and having nothing to do.  The first thing I had to ask myself was what I wanted to get out of volunteering. Why should I give my most precious commodity to someone or some entity for free?

Volunteering has several beneficial aspects for both you and the entity you volunteer for.  We are taught at a young age that it is good to give back to your community through donations of money or your time.  When you are in a situation that is better off than others, it is kind to want to help others.  But there are some surprising personal benefits as well.  In professional terms, it can provide an opportunity to gain experience.  When I was in college with the plans of going to medical school, I volunteered at the local hospital in the hospice ward.  I was hoping that the exposure to the processes of the hospital and patient care would provide me with experience and knowledge that would benefit me in medical school.  But what I find the most interesting is that volunteering provides physical and mental rewards.

It:

• Reduces stress: Experts report that when you focus on someone other than yourself, it interrupts usual tension-producing patterns.
• Makes you healthier: Moods and emotions, like optimism, joy, and control over one’s fate, strengthen the immune system

Okay, so you have been convinced that volunteering is worth your while.  How do you find out what to do and who to volunteer for?  When I became serious about volunteering, I took myself to my favorite wine bar, ordered a glass of wine and sat back with my journal.  If I was going to volunteer my time, I wanted it to be meaningful.  So I started by writing down all of the things I like to do.  Not for work, but in life in general.  This is a really fun activity, if you let yourself go and are completely honest with yourself.  Write everything down, not just the stuff you would put on your dating or social media profile.  No one else need see this document, so let it all out.  Maybe you like hula hooping at festivals or putting together Star Wars Lego sets or bird watching.  Write it all down.  Empty it all out, as we say in coaching.  This process in and of itself is healing.  Once you have your list, look at it and start to group like item into categories.  The categories are yours to decide.  Maybe you have social interests (skiing, singing in groups or basketball) and individual interests (reading, drawing).  Perhaps education is a general interest or current affairs.  Now is the fun part.  You can type into your web browser “volunteer opportunities in …” then pick one of your categories.  When I did this, I put in at one point reading and children, and I found this amazing program called Reading Partners.  I signed up and for the last 7 years I have been paired with an elementary student who is behind in reading.  Using the evidence-based curriculum the program has developed, I meet with this student once a week throughout the school year one on one to improve their reading comprehension.  Over the year I read to them, they read to me, and we discuss what we read based on their level of literacy.  It is honestly one of my favorite hours of the week. 

Now it is your turn!  Find a comfortable setting, a drink or snack of choice (optional) and a notebook and start brainstorming.  There are so many opportunities out there to make a difference in someone’s life and the incredible side-effect is that is has positive results in your own life!  I would love to hear about your journey if you would like to share!  Email me at erika@erikasidneymd.com