‘Tis the season to be jolly! Or, so they sing. Many of us, however, do not feel so jolly as we prepare for the upcoming holiday season. In fact, we may feel downright depressed or anxious after the year we have had. Whether it’s a true case of “Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.)”, or it’s just the weight of the world on our shoulders, this holiday season feels different than in year’s past.
In Indiana, nearly 18,000 of us are grieving the loss of a loved one due to the pandemic. At least 1 in 5 of us are experiencing a mental health problem for the first time in our lives. And the majority of us know someone who has been negatively affected by substance use. It’s a hard time in our history!
Many of us are trying to get back to a sense of normalcy this year after the tumultuous uncertainties of the 2020 holiday season last year. With all of the hardships, how is it possible to feel happiness or even begin to improve our mental health at a time like this? According to science, and in my humble opinion, one of the keys is practicing generosity.
In a recent meta-analysis of over 50 different research studies completed in the past 30+ years regarding generosity, students and professors at the Greater Good Science Center of UC Berkeley found strong evidence “that acts of generosity are associated with reduced psychological problems and greater subjective well-being, which is a person’s emotional and cognitive sense of the quality of their life.” Generosity, in these studies, included both financial donations and acts of service. Similarly, research subjects across the different studies that regularly volunteered their time reported “greater quality of life” and “positive benefits for mental health.”
What does generosity mean to you? Perhaps you have a favorite trusted nonprofit organization that you can donate extra income to this holiday season. Or, if financial generosity is not an option, perhaps you can offer your time or your talent – which most nonprofits consider equally as valuable!
In Hendricks County, we have more than 85 different nonprofit organizations, charities, and service clubs to choose from, including Family Promise of Hendricks County, Sheltering Wings, Active Grace, Lions Clubs, Parks Foundations, School Foundations, the Hendricks County Community Foundation, and more – all of which serve families right here in our back yard.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get out there and do some generous good together. Not only is it good for our neighbors’ well-being, its good for our own mental health.
-Written by Chase Cotten, Community Director
