Charity | Mental Health | Social Anxiety | Support

How Volunteering Can Help Your Mental Health

salvation army volunteer ringing a bell

Do you think volunteering benefits your mental health? Many people say that volunteering helps you feel good, and we’re here to tell you it does. However, there are some differences between volunteering for others and for yourself. If you are unsure of whether volunteering will be beneficial for your mental health, consider these tips:

Benefits of helping others

While many volunteer experiences are rewarding and gratifying, not all volunteering is equal. For example, a study in the Journal of Happiness Studies looked at data from nearly 70,000 participants who answered questions about their volunteer habits and their mental health on a regular basis over the course of 20 years. Volunteers rated their life satisfaction and overall health higher, while those who volunteer only occasionally said they also had better mental health. The authors concluded that volunteering has many mental health benefits.

Benefits of helping yourself

The positive health and life satisfaction benefits of volunteering have been documented, but little is known about the cumulative effects of the experience. This study looked at the effects of volunteering on both self-oriented and other-oriented mental and physical health outcomes. Volunteering was associated with greater physical and social well-being, a decrease in depression, and a higher sense of life satisfaction.

Benefits of self-oriented volunteering

Among the many health benefits of self-oriented volunteer work, several have been identified, including improved physical and mental health, as well as better social well-being. The benefits of self-oriented volunteering are generally positive, and researchers are investigating the health benefits of different kinds of volunteer work. Previous research has shown that all types of volunteering have positive effects on mental and physical health. In addition, the benefits of self-oriented volunteer work are generally shorter-term, so they can be a great way to get the health benefits of volunteering without the long-term costs.

Benefits of other-oriented volunteering

Although the benefits of volunteering for other-oriented causes are well-established in the general adult population, there has been little research on the cumulative effect of volunteering. This study examines the contribution of volunteerism to multiple health outcomes. It uses a population-based sample from Texas, the Survey of Texas Adults (2004). The authors used multivariate linear regression and a Wald test of parameter equivalence to explore the associations between volunteering and a range of health outcomes.

Benefits of volunteering to lower blood pressure

One study from Carnegie Mellon University suggests that older adults who volunteer regularly reduce their risk of high blood pressure by 40%. This finding is significant because volunteer work is a natural anti-hypertension remedy that can be effective without pharmaceutical drugs. Hypertension is a common health issue that affects 65 million people in the U.S. It also plays a significant role in the development of other health problems, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Benefits of helping others to reduce depression

Despite the proven benefits of volunteering for mental health, not much is known about the cumulative effects of self and other-oriented volunteer activities. One study sought to investigate the relative contribution of self-oriented and other-oriented volunteering to health outcomes. Data from the Survey of Texas Adults 2004 was used to examine relationships between self and other-oriented volunteering. The authors used multivariate linear regression and the Wald test of parameters equivalence to examine the associations between self and other-oriented volunteering.

Mental Health | Social Anxiety | Tips

Social Anxiety Tips to Help You Overcome Your Social Fears

person turning around

Getting over social anxiety requires a little bit of effort on your part. But there are tips to help you overcome your social fears. These tips include assertiveness, changing your thinking, exercising, and transforming your relationships. Read on for more information. Hopefully, you’ll be able to overcome your social phobia with a little bit of practice! But before we get into the tips, let’s look at what makes people anxious in the first place.

Reciting a mantra

Reciting a mantra for social anxiety can help you deal with your fears. There are many mantras, each with a different meaning, that help you feel better. Some people find that reciting a mantra with chimes sounds can help them to feel more social and calm. Other people may benefit from reciting a mantra that reminds them that they are worthy and valuable. These methods will take some time to work, but once you start, you’ll feel great!

Changing your thinking

Changing your thinking to reduce social anxiety is one way to overcome your condition. It is often difficult to notice the thoughts that run through your mind on a daily basis, but it is extremely important to identify the ones that are unhelpful. You may want to improve your social skills or become more popular, but these negative thoughts are keeping you from doing those things. By learning to challenge these negative thoughts, you will be able to overcome social anxiety and live a more normal life.

Exercise

While many people avoid certain types of social situations due to fear, exercise for social anxiety can reduce some of these negative thoughts. Researchers have found that aerobic exercise can reduce anxiety symptoms. These benefits are not limited to the physical aspect, however. The psychological benefit of exercise is also significant. People who engage in physical activity are less likely to develop depression and anxiety. This may be because physical exercise enables people to get rid of toxins and adrenaline.

Changing your relationships

While it’s true that you can improve your social skills on your own, there are several methods for treating social anxiety. Visiting a licensed mental health professional is one option. You may want to consider seeking therapy with a therapist if your social anxiety is affecting your relationships. Changing your relationship with your significant other can help improve your overall quality of life. Relationship issues can be treated by developing better communication skills.

Faking it until you make it

The concept of “faking it until you make it” comes from the therapy technique called acting as if. It encourages you to act as if your obstacles are gone by changing how you think and feel. Using “faking it until you make it” will help you take action despite your anxiety disorder. Often this method works, but it’s not a perfect solution. Here are some tips on how to use “faking it until you make it” to treat social anxiety.

Avoiding social situations

People suffering from social anxiety may often avoid social situations because they feel uncomfortable. This strategy may seem like a quick solution, but it can also affect their relationships and self-esteem. In some cases, avoiding a social situation will even cause the anxiety to increase. It’s important to understand the risks involved with this method, as well as why it might be effective for you.

Reminding yourself that you’re human

Reminding yourself that you’re human is crucial for managing social anxiety. Remember that people have their own lives, too, and are not likely to notice if you’re anxious. You can use this to your advantage, and be kinder to yourself as a result. Ask yourself what you would say to a friend in the same situation as you are. By remembering that other people have feelings of social anxiety, you’ll feel less alone in your struggles with the disorder.

Blog | Social Anxiety | Tips

Social anxiety: improving skills should be part of treatment

People with social anxiety (or social phobia) need to improve their social skills to break the cycle of social rejection, according to recent research published in the British Journal of Clinical Psychology .

Previous research has indicated that people with social anxiety are considered less friendly, less friendly and less comfortable to contact than people who are not as anxious.

In this research from Maastricht University, people with social phobia were observed during two social tasks: speaking in front of a group and participating in a conversation to get to know each other. Observers and participants reported how they felt about people who were socially anxious.

People with social anxiety did not perform well in these situations and their poor performance led observers to have negative feelings towards them, leading to rejection.

“The fear of rejection is one of the central issues for people who suffer from social anxiety, but we have found that their anxious behavior causes rejection,” says Marisol Voncken, lead author.

These people would need help finding ways to be less self-centered and should be encouraged to socialize with people with similar characteristics and interests, says Voncken. 

People who suffer from social phobia (also called social anxiety) are particularly sensitive to negative comments about themselves, confirms a recent research published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry .

It is the most common anxiety disorder in the general population with a lifetime prevalence of 13.3% and is associated with a higher risk of depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and suicide.

Previous studies have shown differences in how the brain responds to facial expressions in people with this disorder, suggesting a greater response to social stimuli in emotion-related regions. The new study shows greater responsiveness to critics.

Karina Blair and her colleagues compared images of brain activity in 17 people with the disorder and 17 people who did not have it. Images were taken while participants were reading positive comments (you are beautiful), negative (you are awful), or neutral (you are a human) about them or someone else (he is handsome).

Participants with social phobia exhibited greater activation in the medial prefrontal cortex (a region related to self-concept) and the amygdala (related to fear, anxiety, and stress response) by reading negative comments about themselves. There was no difference with the comparison group in response to positive and neutral comments or about others.

“Since the regions of the medial prefrontal cortex are involved in self representations (self-concept), it is possible that these regions, along with the amygdala, play a prominent role in the development and maintenance of phobia. and that the pathology in this disorder reflects, at least partially, a negative attitude towards oneself, especially in connection with criticism, “the authors conclude. 

Blog | Social Anxiety | Tips

How to overcome social anxiety?

1) Become aware of the automatic beliefs and thoughts that sustain this anxiety and work to change them. For example: I am not interesting for others. My image is not good. I will forget what I have to say. We’ll realize that I’m nervous, I’m going to look stupid, etc.

2) Identify social skills that need to be improved (engage and maintain conversations, make requests, receive reproaches and express disagreement or dissatisfaction, learn to congratulate, thank, etc.) and read to learn the practical ways to proceed.

3) Make a list of goals for improving social contacts according to their level of difficulty . Evaluate on a scale of 1 to 10 the level of difficulty of different social contacts. For example: exchange a few words with the cashier at the convenience store, exchange a few words with a co-worker or his boss, invite a client to dinner, go to the office party, etc. Of course it can be easier said than done for some. Check this out if you still feel stuck.

It is important to start by working on the easiest goals. This allows you to develop your skills and gradually overcome the feeling of anxiety by progressing successfully. It may be helpful to be prepared to deal with certain situations by visualizing in advance, when relaxed, how one can proceed in these situations as often as it takes to be comfortable enough with the idea of confront this situation. (Relaxation techniques)