The Best Gifts are the Ones We Give Away

Share This Post

Share on facebook
Share on twitter

The Best Gifts are the Ones We Give Away
Shannon King, Charity Director

By now we have all seen the utter devastation left in the wake Hurricane Harvey. With record breaking amount of over 50 inches of rainfall, Houston was submerged in over four feet of flood water. As the water recedes and the land slowly begins to dry, Tropical Storm Irma is on the horizon. Hot on the heels of Harvey, Tropical Storm Irma is making its way across the Atlantic and is expected to be another horrific storm. On the west coast of Baja California, Tropical Storm Lidia is currently unleashing its wrath as the western Unites States bakes in 100 + degree heat.

These worsening storms and climate conditions can have us feeling a bit stressed out and at a loss for what to do. Its normal to feel a bit distressed but there are ways that you can help and by giving back you will also give a multitude of blessings to yourself. With the holiday season around the corner let’s not wait to unleash our giving spirit for when we pull the decorations out. The spirit of giving is always within you and its needed now.

Giving to others is good for you! The benefits of giving are the same weather you are donating to charities or volunteering your time to someplace such as a soup kitchen, homeless or evacuation shelters, or to disaster relief.

Giving makes us happy. Studies show that people gain more happiness from giving gifts to others more than when they spend the money on themselves. Giving activates the same centers in our brain that are associated with pleasure, social connection and trust. These activation give us that warm glowing feeling inside. Scientists also believe that these selfless acts produce endorphin that produce the positive feelings known as the “helpers high”.

Giving is good for your health. In his book Why Good Things Happen to Good People, Stephen Post, a professor of preventative medicine at Stony Brook University, reports that giving to others has been shown to increase health benefits in people with chronic illness, including HIV and multiple sclerosis. Researchers suggest that one reason giving may improve physical health and longevity is that it helps decrease stress, which is associated with a variety of health problems. A variety of different studies have shown that people who gave support to others  had a lower risk of dying over a five-year period than those who didn’t. Elderly people who volunteered for two or more organizations were 44 percent less likely to die over a five-year period than were non-volunteers, even after controlling for their age, exercise habits, general health, and negative health habits like smoking. Those who provided social support to others had lower blood pressure than participants who didn’t, suggesting a direct physiological benefit to those who give of themselves.

Giving gives you a sense of belonging and fosters stronger friendships. Whether you are helping a friend or neighbor one-on-one or if you are working with a larger organization it reduces the feelings of loneliness and isolation. A feeling of community is created and when you act as a force for good in the lives of others which leads to creating longer and lasting bonds of friendship. When you help others you give off “good vibes” that can rub off onto others and improve your friendships.

Giving sparks gratitude. It doesn’t matter if you are giving or receiving a gift, help, or advice, being a part of this interaction stirs feelings of gratitude from both parties. Assisting those in need also gives you a different perspective on the blessings in your own life promoting awareness and feelings of gratitude for your blessings.

Giving is contagious. The spirit of giving is one that expands from within you and influences everyone in your midst. It creates a ripple effect of generosity throughout our community. A study by James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, and Nicholas Christakis of Harvard, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, shows that when one person behaves generously, it inspires observers to behave generously later, toward different people. In fact, the researchers found that altruism could spread by three degrees—from person to person to person to person. “As a result,” they write, “each person in a network can influence dozens or even hundreds of people, some of whom he or she does not know and has not met.”

There may be thousands of our brothers and sisters in need of assistance and relief, but there are many, many more of us that can help than there are of those in immediate need. If we all chip in and give in some way, we can easily care for one another, bring us closer together as a larger community, grow feelings of friendship and gratitude, and jump-start a cascade of good will across the planet.

More to Explore

WORK

Knights of Columbus

https://amwheelchair.org/knights-of-columbus/ Since 2003, the Knights of Columbus has funded the delivery of tens of thousands of wheelchairs around the world, and right here at home.

Read More
WORK

His Nesting Place

https://www.hisnestingplace.org/ His Nesting Place in Long Beach, CA is a non-profit service for families in need. Whether you are a women of an unexpected pregnancy

Read More

Prolonged heavy rains due to tropical storm Nangka caused heavy flooding in Central Vietnam. Together, we can be of help to our brothers and sisters affected by it, especially in these trying times. You may send your donations directly to Hoi Bac Ai Love The Poor by:

  • Mail Donation at: HỘI BÁC ÁI LOVE THE POOR, PO BOX 2660, DALY CITY, CA 94017
    or thru
  • Zelle at Hoi Bac Ai Vietnam at Tel: (714) – 226 – 4266 or email at lovethepoor@outlook.com
    Your help, no matter how big or small, will truly be appreciated. Thank you very much.

HỘI BÁC ÁI LOVE THE POOR Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/HBALoveThePoor