Page 5 - RVO What Women Want Nov 2015

What Women Want • An Advertising Supplement to the River Valley & Ozark Edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette • Sunday, November 8, 2015 • 5VV
Volunteering can have a positive effect on the way you feel. It’s a great way to keep you connected to other people and boost self-esteem.
How GIVING BACK can be so good
Charitable endeavors made by celebrities and other prominent people often make the news. However, millions of regular people across the country and out of the limelight also do their share to help groups that are fighting for good causes.
People have various reasons for get- ting involved in philanthropic efforts. A Gallup survey on volunteering in the United States found that more than half of volunteers do it because they like helping others. Just about 40 percent said they volunteer to feel good about themselves.
As many volunteers already know, people who give get something in re- turn. Here are just a few reasons why giving back can be good for you.
Volunteer work can broaden your skills
Volunteer work allows many people to learn entirely new sets of skills. New opportunities may present problem- solving challenges, and you can discov- er new ways to think about issues and causes that are dear to you. Volunteer- ing may feel good, but it also can boost your résumé. The experience you gain working with a charity can help you in future professional endeavors.
Philanthropy produces a ‘helper’s high’
Volunteer work produces a natural feeling of euphoria that’s measurable and can produce some positive side effects. Boston College researchers discovered that the joy from helping others can be seen on MRI scans. This euphoria can help decrease chronic pain, depression and disability.
Giving back can
boost longevity
A 1999 study out of the University of California, Berkeley, found that el- derly people who volunteered for two or more organizations were 44 percent less likely to die over a five-year period than those who did not volunteer, even after adjusting for a person’s age, exer- cise habits, general health and negative
QA
with Alison Williams, Jazzercise of Conway
Q. My schedule is pretty busy. How can Jazzercise help me make time for exercise?
A. At Jazzercise, we are implementing a new schedule at our center called a flex schedule. The flex schedule allows you to work out when it works for you. You can join the morning or evening classes at the start of the hour or half past the hour. This increases start-time options from 38 to 57 a week while still allowing you to get your full hour workout. To make things even more exciting, Jazzercise offers nine different class formats to help you reach your fitness goals.
For young people with an interest in animals, volunteering at a animal shelter is one way to gain experience and add to their résumés.
habits such as smoking. More recent studies have uncovered similar results. People who give help rather than just receive it can prolong their lives.
Charity work can keep you connected
Volunteering is a great way to get out and meet new people who share similar goals and interests. People who are new to an area or are recent retir- ees may find that volunteering helps them make new friends, alleviating feelings of isolation. Volunteer work also provides a great way to network for business contacts or to find out what’s newsworthy in the community.
Volunteerism may boost self-esteem
Working with a nonprofit or chari- table group often provides immediate results. In turn, this immediate grati- fication can show you that you have a purpose and are assisting others who need a helping hand. Volunteer work
can help you become more confident and assertive and provide you with a greater sense of self-worth.
Giving can inspire others
Many researchers have determined that giving can be contagious. For ex- ample, a study by James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, and Nicholas Christakis of Harvard that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that giving can have a trickle- down effect. Much like the “pay it for- ward” movement, those who observe charitable efforts are more likely to give to or help different people down the road.
Charitable work can benefit the people on the receiving end of efforts, but it also is beneficial to the person doing the giving.
— Courtesy of Metro Creative