“Self-care is how you take the power back.” – Lala Delia
Carrying for others has the reciprocal effect of caring for ourselves. Because when we care for others, the brain releases the chemicals that improve our well-being. Everyone reading this can benefit mentally and physically by proactively serving others in their community. Suppose you are dealing with PTSD, anxiety, ADHD, depression, or addiction… Or, if you need a method to improve your well-being in the face of a busy life full of day-to-day stressors… Adding a dose of service to your community is an evidence-based method that will enhance your quality of life. The neurological changes that occur when you volunteer positively impact your mental health and allow the body to heal existing physical problems more effectively.
“Serving others results in a natural release of feel-good hormones and serves as a coping mechanism in treating mental health symptoms and daily stressors.”
In my new book, Self-Health Andragogy: Self-Directed Learning Approach to Mental and Physical Self-Care, I share how service or volunteering creates neurological changes in the brain that improve well-being and fuel your sense of purpose. I urge everyone to make serving others necessary to maintain health and wellness, like eating, drinking, exercising, and sleeping 7-9 hours a night.
Multiple studies prove that volunteering improves your mental and physical wellness. One study found consistently improved well-being amongst those who volunteered to serve others in their community. Another study demonstrated the benefits of volunteering by observing the release of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin in the brains of those engaged in the act of serving others. These are the neurotransmitters released when we feel a decrease in mental health symptoms and an improved sense of well-being. Some researchers refer to this as the “helper’s high” and demonstrate how community service increases longevity and improves mental health outcomes.
The release of these feel-good neurotransmitters when serving others is an automatic neurological response wired in our brains since the first humans roamed and learned of the survival benefits of belonging to a tribe. A 2008 study published in the Journal of Anatomy discussing the evolutionary changes of the brain explains that the brain changes how it makes sense of the world based on what it needs to do to stay safe. In the past, the brain learned that serving others in its tribe or community leads to community acceptance and a safe, secure location protected from outside threats.
These previously learned changes come with the neurological activity influencing thoughts and behaviors to motivate and reward us for serving by releasing dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin when we volunteer or help others. These evolutionary changes in the brains of the earth’s first inhabitants still exist in our brains today as a hard-wired natural response to serving others.
So what can you do with this information? Apply it to improve your sense of well-being. There are many ways of serving others. You can go to JustServe.org and find local service opportunities to volunteer. Or help out others around you who you observe are in need. Open the door for someone, let them go first in line, or help someone struggling. You must proactively serve others and plan for it when you wake up. Go on the hunt for acts of kindness and view a daily act of service as a necessity. Serving others results in a natural release of feel-good hormones and serves as a coping mechanism in treating mental health symptoms and daily stressors. I challenge you to reflect on how you feel inside and develop gratitude for the service’s holistic benefits.
