Help Yourself by Helping Others

We live in a busy, fast-paced world with barely enough time even for ourselves. But, it is in human nature to help others and if one really wants, they can take the time out to do a good deed. Doing good and helping someone in need instantly makes you feel better. Now, studies have shown that helping others also results in health benefits for the doer.

Here are some of these benefits.

Feel-good Factor

Volunteers often say that they feel better and have more control over their well-being. Volunteering is also a great way of staying physically active, and those who do that lead a healthier life. For people suffering from chronic illness, it is even more beneficial, as helping others works for them as a distraction they can focus upon. This leads to a positive outlook on life and improved management of their condition. Lastly, putting a smile on someone's face always makes the effort worthwhile.

Karma can be both negative and positive. Mostly, negative karma is what we hear. But, there's also positive karma: do good and good will come to you. Good people tend to have good things come their way. If not that, then at least it changes your perspective, so that the next experience you have will largely be a positive one.

Help Others to Get Help

This is the way of the world. You help others so that when your time comes, they help you. It might seem selfish, but is not as bad as it sounds. It's an unspoken rule that almost every person on this planet abides by. When you create for yourself a helping image and people around you know that, it multiplies your chances of getting help when you need it the most.

A study was conducted on regular volunteers, over a span of four years to understand the effect of volunteerism on stress and hypertension. Here, it is important to consider that the participants in the study were volunteering for more than 200 hours per year. The results showed that the people who volunteered had 40% less chance of developing hypertension than people who didn't.

Open up New Avenues

Helping others can open up many new avenues for you in unexpected ways. One morning, a young and vibrant Vikrant was on his way to an interview. He was already a few minutes late and sped-up his bike on the highway. On his way, he came across a middle-aged man whose car had broken mid-way. He at first thought of ignoring the man but later changed his mind to offer help to the man. He asked the man about his destination and co-incidentally, he too was going to the same place. He suggested the man to come along with him and let the driver look after the car. The man agreed happily and thanked him for his offer.

One week after the interview, Vikrant got selected for the job. The day he joined the new company, he was surprised to see the same man as his manager. The man thanked him again and was glad to welcome him in the team. One small help from Vikrant opened up a completely new avenue for him.

This is indeed a great reminder for us that a good deed never goes unrewarded and at the same time opens new avenues we never knew existed.