11 Healthy Ways to Give Back This Holiday Season

Copyright 2005 Linda Slater Dowling When it comes to doing things for others, there's really no such thing as "giving till it hurts." In fact, chances are that the more you give the better you'll feel. Donating your time to a worthy cause (or individual) is, primarily, an act of generosity done to help others. Not only will it intrinsically help you to feel good, it will help the person in need. However, in your act of giving, you'll also be getting back: Many studies have confirmed that giving to others results in real health benefits to the giver. According to Allan Luks in his book "The Healing Power of Doing Good," volunteering has been linked to: A heightened sense of well-being Relief from insomnia Strengthening the immune system A faster recovery after surgery And that's not all. Giving to others has been found to do all kinds of good things, from boosting self-esteem and confidence to helping you make new friends and even find a new job. (A survey of 200 UK businesses found that 73 percent of employers would rather hire someone with volunteer experience than someone with none.) A Guide to Giving for Every Schedule There are all kinds of ways to give back during this holiday season, whether you have five minutes or all the time in the world. Here are 11 ways to donate your time and help make someone else's holiday a little brighter. 1. Cook a homemade, healthy meal and deliver it to an elderly neighbor. 2. Start a walking club in your community. Invite anyone who's interested to join in for this social outing/exercise 1-3 times a week. 3. Volunteer ... anywhere. Most organizations are looking for help (as much or as little as you can give). Consider nursing homes, homeless shelters, animal shelters, hospitals, day cares, museums, or charities like the Salvation Army. 4. Donate your time to a Big Brother/Big Sister organization or to coaching a local Little League team. 5. Offer to do chores, help with child care or cook for a person with a disability or illness. 6. Organize a garage sale and donate the proceeds to a charity. Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org) has a listing of 5,000 charities, along with ratings, if you don't already have one in mind. 7. Drop a few healthy food items into your local food drive bin. Most major grocery stores have a shopping cart at the exits set up for this purpose. 8. Grab a garbage bag and head out to your nearest forest preserve. While enjoying the scenery, pick up any stray bottles, cans and other trash. 9. Volunteer from home. That's right, many organizations now offer volunteer work that you can do from your own computer. This could range from typing a college paper for someone with a disability to giving free legal advice to those in need. 10. Listen. Sometimes, the best gift you can give is to lend someone an ear or a shoulder to cry on. Many lonely people are looking for pen pals or e-mail buddies to interact with. 11. Have a "holiday donation party" in which everyone brings a small gift, warm clothing or food item to donate to a needy family.