During this time of the year, we’re reminded to express gratitude for what we have and who we have in our lives. Usually, we do this verbally. We tell people that we are thankful for them, or that we love them. But we’ve all heard the saying “actions speak louder than words,” right?
Let Your Actions Speak Loudly
With that, I encourage you to show your love and thankfulness. Express it by what you do for others. Serve them; help them; give gifts. Even the Bible tells us to go look to others. Phillipians 2:3-4 “3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Putting others before yourself is the act of altruism, and it has been proven to improve the health of the people you’re helping… as well as your own health. This means volunteering somewhere, helping family or friends, and random acts of kindness (all being examples of altruism) can have a beneficial impact on your health.
The Health Impacts of Serving
What do we mean when we say “beneficial impact”? Here’s what the studies show.
Volunteering and helping others improves mental health and creates happiness1.
From a survey conducted by United Healthcare of 4,582 people, 96% stated that it “makes people happier,” and 77% stated that it “improved their mental health.” It creates a new focus and perspective. When volunteering or serving, your focus is not on yourself (your concerns; troubles; circumstances). Instead, your focus is on helping to improve someone else’s life.
Harvard shows in several studies that people’s mental health improves when they focus on thankfulness instead of irritations that are in their lives2. It helps you keep perspective of your life’s circumstances. By helping people, it gives you a glimpse into their lives, and creates a thankfulness and gratitude for the things and people you have.
Serving others improves your physical health1.
Teenagers were studied with volunteering in after school programs and it showed that health markers such as inflammation, cholesterol, and body mass index improved. Teenagers that were more empathetic and altruistic saw better results.
Serving and giving to others may be “contagious” – which would improve their health too.
The people that receive acts of kindness are seen to have an improve mood and emotions, and up to 40% of the people that are involved are likely to bless others around them3.
Serving others, well… serves others!
In this world, there is always a need. Go bless someone by giving, helping, or serving them.
God has given each of us knowledge, resources, talents, gifts, network, abilities, and even time, and we have a responsibility to be good stewards of those. In 1 Peter 4:10, it says that “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” Serving shows God’s love to others, which is a huge benefit to them. But it also may benefit you, physically and mentally. Remember, the actions that you make, big or small (and not just related to food and exercise) affect your health and the health of others.
1Post S. It’s Good To Be Good: 2014 Biennial Scientific Report on Health, Happiness, Longevity, and Helping Others. Int J Pers Cent Med. 2014;2:1–53.
2Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier. Harvard Health Publishing: Harvard Medical School.
3Pressman SD, Kraft TL, Cross MP. It’s good to do good and receive good: The impact of a ‘pay it forward’ style kindness intervention on giver and receiver well-being. J Posit Psychol. 2015;10(4):293–302.
