Red Cross Blogs

My new year’s resolution to get high

By Alix Miller
January 6, 2010 at 10:30 am

With the icy onset of 2010 comes the seasonal slew of good intentions. I don’t know about you but personally I relish January’s sense of optimism and renewal. Admittedly, I rarely achieve all my resolutions (although giving up smoking some years back was one of the highlights). The intention’s there though.

What are your resolutions for this year? One of mine is to run a marathon and I have signed up for the inaugural Brighton event, in April. Gulp. I’ll be blogging about my training and fundraising in a future post.

Another is to become a volunteer. I am inspired to do this for lots of reasons. Of course hearing about the amazing work of our thousands of volunteers is one of the biggest.

While working here I’ve also learnt about the nature of volunteering for the Red Cross. It’s so varied and flexible – perfect for slotting into a busy life. Another compelling reason to get stuck in though is the feelgood factor. As well as helping others, on a purely selfish level, volunteering does you good. It makes you healthier, happier, more fulfilled and even induces a chemical high, according to studies mentioned in a recent blog post by Dr Miriam Stoppard, the Daily Mirror’s health expert.

Having volunteered for two UK charities over the years and one in Cambodia last year, I know Miriam’s definitely onto something. Some of my happiest moments have been the most selfess ones, spent helping others.

And in my book – and scientists would no doubt back me up – helping others brings a profounder, longer-lasting high than that of any impulse buy in the January sales.

Have I inspired you to get high on helping others? If so, find out about opportunities near you.

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Tags: fundraising, marathon, training, volunteer, Volunteering

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 10:30 am and is filed under Fundraising and events, Health and social care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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