How Giving Affects Your Mental Health!

Feeling a Little Pre-Thanksgiving Generosity? Learn How Giving Affects Your Mental Health!

Giving has its perks, like the fulfillment you get with someone you’re helping as they light up with joy by the small act of your compassion. Although the act of giving may be fleeting in a sense that time passes. It is actually far from over. In this blog we are going to break down the beauty of giving, along with the impact it has on our mental health.

Generosity and your Brain:

When we “give” our bodies naturally release what we like to call “feel good” receptors Dopamine and Oxytocin. Some like to refer to it as “giver’s glow.” Our brain then recognizes rewarding stimuli and our brain chemistry is triggered in the mesolimbic pathway. “Giver’s glow” and “feel good” receptors at its most basic level are related to the joy we receive from eating, intimacy, and  social interactions. With that said, they also both equally react during moments of generosity or selfless behavior. This is seen when viewing the brain with MRI technology.

Mortality and Giving:

Volunteering and Charitable donations have both shown significant beneficial effects in Mortality rates as well! Who would have thought?! “The American Journal of Public Health found that giving time and assistance to others reduced the mortality risk tied to stress. This is a known risk factor for many chronic diseases. According to the study, which looked at 846 adults in the Detroit area, stress did not predict mortality for participants who had helped others within the previous year.

Another study followed more than 2,000 residents of Marin County, California, and found that “volunteerism reduced mortality rates more than exercising four times weekly. It even reduced mortality more than that of an individual attending church regularly. Subjects who volunteered for two or more causes had a 63 percent lower rate of mortality. This was lower than people who didn’t volunteer during the study period.” – The Journal of Health Psychology.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Lets celebrate family and the act of giving to one another!

Here’s Are a Few Ways to Give Back:

1. Now through December Bank of America will triple your donation to provide more meals to the Inland Empire. $1 equals 27 meals this holiday season. Select FARSB “Your local food bank” to ensure the funds stay in our communities!
2. Hutton and Luque Community Centers-Colton, Ca. To donate, contact Kelly Phelps at 909.370.5568 or kphelps@coltonca.gov.
3. Eat & Be Well is a one-day occasion celebrating the Thanksgiving season by supporting the underserved of San Bernardino County. Through collaboration between public agencies, businesses, volunteer groups, and the people of our community, Eat & Be Well provides those in need with a traditional Thanksgiving meal and health resources.
   

   DATE AND TIME: Wed, November 22, 2017 @8:00 AM – 4:30 PM PST LOCATION: Seville Park, 16601 Seville Ave. Fontana, CA 92335

4. Donations Needed! YMCA of the East Valley hosts “Operation Thanksgiving” which provides the opportunity to come together and enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal with others in the community. The Y provides a traditional Thanksgiving meal to registered families at no cost. Operation Thanksgiving is on November 22, 2017.7793 Central Ave, Highland, CA

Don’t lose hope if none of these options work for you! Try calling local churches in the community, they are usually involved in providing meals for those in need.

With all that said, what are you up to this Thanksgiving?