Is caring for others good for our own health?
Most people are raised with caring and kindness in mind. Helping others with their issues and celebrating their successes is a positive feeling that everyone should experience.
However, as time progresses, it appears that many of these values are disappearing. People are spreading positivity less and external pressures like a cost of living crisis make it harder to be happy for others. Other factors such as social media also mean hate is being spread more than ever and we think enough is enough.
It’s time to learn to care for other people and animals for both their mental health and our own. This is especially important given how common mental health problems are with one in four expected to suffer every year.
To help raise your knowledge of caring and how it can aid our own health, we’ve put together a guide on how you can care and the benefits you’ll get from it. Continue reading to find out more.
What are the different ways I can care for others?
If you want to spread positivity and reap the rewards from doing so, here are some ways you can care.
Care for someone in need
Physically caring for someone in need such as an elderly or disabled individual can make us feel good. Taking time out of your day to make sure they have what they need is important and there are over 10 million carers in the UK, showing just how in-demand they are.
Care for an animal
It’s not just humans that you can care for with the benefits extending to looking after pets too. Simple tasks like feeding hay to small animals or cuddling a dog can make us feel better because we know they’re benefitting.
Check-in with friends
Caring for others doesn’t need to be complicated and could be as simple as asking friends how they are. If they’re struggling with anything and confide in you, we’re confident you’ll feel better knowing you’ve shown how much you care.
What are the benefits of caring?
There are countless benefits of caring but some of the main ones, include:
It can build human connections – Showing you care builds trust, respect and empathy. These are essential features of any positive relationship and they may reciprocate the care back to you too.
It can strengthen our immune system – Hugging can release hormones that boost our immune system and caring for others is also known to encourage health behaviours like exercise and healthy diets.
It can help with personal growth and wellbeing – Caring requires communication and problem-solving, which are essential skills to have. Plus, helping others can also reduce stress, so you can live more positively.
