As you have rounded the corner from the holidays and are catching your breath, you may be reaching for a way to reset your self-care routine. After overstimulating all your senses and processing all those holiday meals, here’s an easy way to overcome the post-holiday slump, regain your energy, and reset your mindset for the new year.
Fall into acts of service. Research shows this consistently improves mental health by reducing stress, combating depression and anxiety, boosting feelings of purpose and connection to others, and even leading to positive physical health outcomes like lower blood pressure, all contributing to a greater sense of well-being and life satisfaction. Essentially, the act of helping others can positively impact the helper’s own mental and physical state.
Last fall, we posed these questions to our readers; here’s what they had to say!
How are you incorporating being of service as a form of self-care?
How are you filling your cup by offering to volunteer for a cause and fill others’?
What is the “why” that supports your staying in a space of gratitude and service during the holidays?
Pickles Lea, a leader in the Prescott community and owner of her own local nonprofit dedicated to sharing the love of yoga with the community, said, “I volunteer for the Chamber for different events all year long. I give back by offering free yoga classes throughout the year. I’ve always been one to be grateful for the opportunities and love I have in my life.”
Yoga and Pilates instructor Jessica Leary also contributed: “Giving back naturally lifts our spirits. Helping others heals us, too. I’m doing monthly Quiet Revolution: Restorative Yoga for a cause, and inviting the community to help. My volunteer time involves things I enjoy doing naturally: yoga, working with youth, etc. I meet like-minded people and that fills my cup, too. My ‘why’ is about paying it forward. I’ve received help in the past when in need and I feel it’s important to lift others up and be there when it’s their turn to receive.”