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New Year, New Me, Now What?

Now that the clock has ticked past January 1st, so begins that little voice inside our head reeling off all the self-improvements for the new year ahead.

New Year, New Me, Now What?

The beginning of a new year is a great time for a bit of self-reflection. The intentions are good and the motivation is high. Ultimately, we go through this process in an effort to feel healthier, happier or better about who we are as people. But too often, we fail in keeping these resolutions and wind up feeling worse about ourselves than when we started.

One proven way to make us feel better about ourselves is to volunteer. By spending time helping others, we also enrich our own personal wellbeing, increase feelings of self-worth and forge deeper connections with others. Volunteering has also been linked to improved mental health, helping to relieve stress and alleviate some symptoms of depression.

By why not be extra clever and use volunteering to help you achieve some other resolutions whilst you are at it? Looking to exercise more? Volunteer at your local football club, coaching a junior team. Wanting to read more? Volunteer to read to the blind or elderly. Wanting to challenge yourself to try something new? Volunteer with a Surf Life Saving Club to learn how to save a life. Want to get out more? Volunteer at a major event such as The Australian Open or the Sydney Luna Festival. Want to learn a language? Teach English to a newly arrived family to Australia and learn their native language at the same time.

Volunteering is also less likely to become a resolution we break. Whilst it is easier to break a commitment we make to ourselves – for example, ‘it’s too wet outside, will can the jog and eat this donut instead’ - it is harder to break a commitment we make to others. And with the enormous personal satisfaction that volunteering brings, we often find ourselves not tempted to break the commitment in the first place.

So, over the New Year period, rather than looking for inspiration in the taught bodies of Instagram, why not spend some time reading through here to find a volunteer opportunity which will help you make a difference to somebody else’s life whilst also, ultimately, making a positive difference to yours too.