Compassion communicates louder than any discourse that one kind gesture can change a person’s life. Showing generosity impacts the lives of others as it does impact ours.
Various research studies have found that generosity runs deep in our nature, tracing its roots in our biology and evolutionary history.
Therefore, it is innate in us to show kindness and compassion.
What is Giving Tuesday?
Generosity improves our outlook on life and benefits our mental health. In recent years, more civic movements inclined to help people and give back to their communities have emerged.
One of which is Giving Tuesday, a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity.
The celebration was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good.
This worldwide generosity movement enables individuals and institutions to change the world and their local communities.
Anyone can participate in various activities aimed to help, such as donating to charities, volunteer work, gift-giving, fundraisers, and other acts of generosity.
Giving Tuesday and Mental Health Connection
The idea behind Giving Tuesday is to encourage people to give back. Without us knowing, one simple act of kindness can change the entire trajectory of someone’s life and also ours.
Enilda, our patient, was diagnosed with Depression in the year 2018 after her grandmother who solely raised her passed away.
She said that she started volunteering in a Senior Care facility because she wanted to make old people feel valued and it reminds her so much of her Nana.
“I was trying to find a sense of purpose in my life. I was so lost for a very long time, and struggling with my mental health after my Nana died but I think she wouldn’t be happy seeing me live my life like that”.
Enilda takes the time off to spend it with the senior citizens in the facility every Giving Tuesday.
“Volunteering makes me feel good. I love seeing their smiles. I feel like I have a purpose… my purpose is here, to help them and be with them”, said Enilda.
Since then, we noticed how Enilda’s mental health improved over time. She’s livelier than the first time we met her.
There are studies stating that doing volunteer work has good benefits for mental well-being. Every time we do good deeds, it positively impacts the brain by boosting serotonin and dopamine levels.
Acts of kindness and generosity can stimulate a feeling of community and connection. Giving us a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life, just like how Enilda found hers.
Giving Tuesday gives us the chance to step back and have a collective impact in a world where it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind of life.
The simple act of generosity became a global event due to the cascading effect of individual compassion.
That’s the beauty of Giving Tuesday—it gives people and communities the ability to truly change the world by uniting around organizations in need of assistance.
See that change begins within us. Kindness matters. Kindness to others is also a form of showing kindness to ourselves.
For more handy guides on routines that improve your state of mental well-being, visit us at Mid Cities Psychiatry and we would be happy to tell you more!
