We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.

    Yesterday was a beautiful and an amazing day. I was part of a humanitarian action in one non-government organization. Actually, it's an organization that is a counseling center for women that are facing unplanned pregnancy. We made an event- open house time in the center and we invited many people to donate clothing and other baby items. We encouraged everyone to show their care and love for these mothers and babies and donate anything that can be helpful for these families. 

During this open house time many people came and brought a lot of clothes and other things. We were so happy to see people come with full bags with clothes and other things and want to help and donate. We are sure that all these families will be really happy and thankful when they see what everyone brought for them.

Тhis event was a really beautiful experience for me that awoke my curiosity to research more about what is that makes some people give and help and what are the health benefits of helping others?

There are many reasons why people give and help. People often say that they want to help and give because…
- Someone I know asked me to give, and I wanted to help them.

- I felt emotionally moved by someone's story.

- I want to feel I'm not powerless in the face of need and can help.

- I want to feel I'm changing someone's life.

- I was raised to give to charity—it's tradition in my family.

- It makes me feel connected to other people and builds my social network.

- I want to have a good image for myself/my company.

- I feel fortunate (or guilty) and want to give something back to others.

- I give for religious reasons—God wants me to share my affluence.

- I want to be seen as a leader/role model.

· What are the mental health benefits of helping others?

1. It promotes positive psychological changes in the brain associated with happiness.

Helping others improves social support. It encourages us to lead a more physically active lifestyle and distracts us from our own problems. It allows us to engage in a meaningful activity and improves our self-esteem and competence.

2. It helps to keep things in perspective.

Helping others in need, especially those who are less fortunate than yourself, can provide a real sense of perspective and make you realize how lucky you are, enabling you to stop focusing on what you feel you are missing - helping you to achieve a more positive outlook on the things that may be causing you stress.

3. An act of kindness can improve confidence, control, happiness and optimism.

It can also encourage others to repeat the good deed that they’ve experienced themselves – it contributes to a more positive community.

4. The more you do for others, the more you do for yourself.

Evidence shows that the benefits of helping others can last long after the act itself by providing a ‘kindness bank’ of memories that can be drawn upon in the future.

· Physical benefits:

1. It reduces stress.
Doing things for others helps maintain good health. Positive emotions reduce stress and boost our immune system, and in turn can protect us against diseases.

2. It helps get rid of negative feelings.
Negative emotions such as anger, aggression or hostility have a negative impact on our mind and body. Engaging in random acts of kindness can help decrease these feelings and stabilize our overall health.

3. It can help us live longer.
Giving and helping others may increase how long we live. Studies of older people show that those who give support to others live longer than those who don’t.

   So, I want to encourage you to think how you can help others. You already read that helping and giving is really good for your mental and physical health. 

Helping and giving don't need to take a lot of time or even cost money. Small changes can make a big difference. Sometimes, “it’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.“