Have You Ever Volunteered

[Chupacabra 44]

Best psychiatrist I've ever seen told me repeatedly to volunteer in order for me to have some sense of purpose in my life.

I was extremely dysfunctional when she told to do so, and I just couldn't do it, besides from being deep in crisis, for my first/only time ever, I also was running with crushing general/social anxiety. (Posted else where strategies for me that manage this issue). As much as I have a giving side to myself, I just couldn't find anything that would work for me. Plus, I tend not to like others in my age range, and many volunteers tend to be older.

And, while I technically am not volunteering today, I am adding value. With Covid, there is suddenly a huge shortage of blood donors, because some are fearful of donating blood during this time. So, I've been donating platelets every two weeks. At the center, I put on headphones and watch Netflix. Hence, no worries about social anxiety because I am watching television.

Anyway, as the poll question states have you volunteered in the past? Please answer the question and then elaborate in a post explaining what you have done in the past or what you are doing in the present.

For my answer I picked "kind of".

 

[Deleted member 19654]

I volunteered a food bank before the UK went into lockdown. It was during a time when a lot of arseholes were hoarding supplies like it was the apocalypse and we were suddenly inundated with people needing food and loo roll.

 

[puppy9]

I have too much anxiety to do that. It's hard for me to work with people. So not littering and try to buy responsibly is the best I can do. I'm sad seeing the impact that my shirt got on people's life and the earth.

 

[VIBRITANNIA]

i did, but it was for school. my anxiety kicked my ass the entire time. i still try to find other ways to help other people in need, though.

 

[deadbeat]

I haven't but I think it would be really good for me if I did.
There's a farm sanctuary in my area and I think being around more fortunate animals would help a lot with my mental health. Volunteering at a shelter would be good too but I don't think I could deal with seeing animals in awful shape, ones that have to be euthanized, etc.
I've let my anxiety take hold of my life so the socialization and getting out of my comfort zone would be good too.

 

[Throwawaysoul]

Kind of. In order to collect cash assistance in my state they make you "volunteer" 40 hours a week at a non profit. It's weird they even use that word, since it's kind of forced. Anyway, this was years ago and I did it at non profit thrift store, it was basically retail for 3 times less then minimum wage.

I would like to properly volunteer someday.

 

[Blueman]

Day release from work so not strictly speaking volunteering but have helped out in Foodbanks, schools, beach cleaning, for national trust in Brecon Beacons great fun.

 

[Myforevercharlie]

I volunteered at an Emmaus second hand store. Sort ,tag,and priced the clothes. I loved doing that!

 

[Chupacabra 44]

Day release from work so not strictly speaking volunteering but have helped out in Foodbanks, schools, beach cleaning, for national trust in Brecon Beacons great fun.

I wish somehow magically my life long social anxiety would get under control so I could do something like this.

 

[Blueman]

I wish somehow magically my life long social anxiety would get under control so I could do something like this.

It was second nature to me. I used to do extra days when others didn't want to.
I've got so depressed by being unemployed though I've now developed some social anxiety myself

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

I was forced to volunteer in high school because you need 40 hours of community service to graduate. I did lots of little stuff like helping at a library and attending some fundraiser but most of my volunteer hours were spent at a thrift shop that spent all of its revenue on cancer research.

 

[Lupgevif]

If donating blood fits in "kind of" I did kind of volunteer before. I felt good then, and I wish to do it again, but it did not give me any sense of purpose or modified the intensity of my suicide thoughts at all.

 

[Chupacabra 44]

I was forced to volunteer in high school because you need 40 hours of community service to graduate. I did lots of little stuff like helping at a library and attending some fundraiser but most of my volunteer hours were spent at a thrift shop that spent all of its revenue on cancer research.

Wow. I like that idea to have the high school kids donate time! Were most of the kids resentful or did they learn some lessons from that requirement?

For myself I'm trying to think if that was forced on to me if that would have helped or hurt my social anxiety. Neither here nor there I'm just trying to think about that. bottom line since it's so bad at my age now I would have tried anything different than what I did as a kid.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

Wow. I like that idea to have the high school kids donate time! Were most of the kids resentful or did they learn some lessons from that requirement?

For myself I'm trying to think if that was forced on to me if that would have helped or hurt my social anxiety. Neither here nor there I'm just trying to think about that. bottom line since it's so bad at my age now I would have tried anything different than what I did as a kid.

Some people thought the requirement was dumb, but there were definitely plenty of ways to fulfill it. I remember one group of kids was able to fulfill the requirement just by working for my college's gaming club during one of our events. The biggest problem with it was that students would immediately quit whatever they were doing as soon as their hours were up which caused problems sometimes. I tried to stay until May of my senior high school year though.

There was another high school in our district that actually makes everyone do a whole project/presentation about the community service they did too and the quality of that presentation matters. I'm glad I never had to do that because I would have burnt out so easily.

 

[Brick In The Wall]

I volunteered at a retirement community for a summer when I was younger. It was mostly just landscape work but sometimes I'd help them host bingo games and stuff. Those old people are super serious about their bingo!

 

[Deleted member 1465]

I used to volunteer on amateur archaeological sites in the summer. Like many professional archaeologists, I'd take a busman's holiday for the craic.

 

[Wayfaerer]

I tried to volunteer at my local zoo 6 years ago but I never heard back from them. I'm too misanthropic to volunteer for humanity.

 

[BitterlyAlive]

I spent a lot of time volunteering at an animal shelter, and I volunteered at a homeless shelter a few times.

But I'm too selfish and anxious to volunteer anymore.