The Boost to Mental Health from Volunteering

We are often flooded with self-care advice. What if helping others can make a difference?

- Steve Loh and Janna Wong

My first stint as a volunteer came in 2004 where I was rapidly recruited by my doctor friends to respond to the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 200,000 people across multiple countries.

With no medical training other than an expired first aid certificate, I found myself in Sri Lanka, fumbling and tumbling to be of minimal assistance to a Singapore medical team that attended to the overwhelming numbers of injured. While I added no value to the medical care given to the survivors, I did find my small acts of simple service go a long way, whether it was simply helping with crowd control, getting a glass of water for a patient or sorting through boxes of medicines.

This volunteering experience, while intense, left me with a sense of purpose and a deeper perspective of myself and the world around me.

In a time when conversations about mental health have moved from the margins to the mainstream, many are asking: "What can I do to feel better?" From therapy and mindfulness to psychological intervention, art, exercise and being amid nature the list of self-care strategies has never been longer. These methods focus on looking inwards, tending to one's own needs.

But what if one key to mental well-being lies not only within ourselves, but in what we do for others? Could acts of service, those which are benevolent, consistent and meaningful, offer not only help to those in need, but have some form of benefit to the giver as well?