We all work hard for our money, and the cost of living is increasing all the time. So should we be giving our money away to help others? The answer, of course, is yes. But if you are like me, you look into the organizations that you are giving your money to. I think we want to believe that we are giving money to charities that are using our money wisely.
It is always more blissful to give than to receive, but I discovered some interesting information on how it not only helps our mental health but also our physical health when we give.
A study was done on elderly people with high blood pressure, they were separated into two groups. Group 1 was asked to spend money on themselves, and group 2 was assigned to spend money on others. They found that the group that spent money on others, over a period of 3 weeks, had a significant reduction in their blood pressure. This was equivalent to the effects that could be obtained from taking blood pressure lowering drugs or exercising.
I don’t suggest that you give all your money away and stop exercising, however, this is an interesting study that really highlights how we can benefit in many ways from being charitable.
It also really shows how important mental health is on our physical well-being. Being sad or depressed may reduce our ability to be active, stress and anxiety also seem to affect us physically. Reversing these physical symptoms by improving our mental health definitely seem like the thing to do, and the first thing to try before medication.
I think the other benefit of giving to charity is that when people see you doing it, they want to do it as well. It can be contagious, in a good way. So if you do give to charities, maybe you should be bragging to others about it. You will be seen as being a good person, you will benefit your mental and physical health, and the other people that you brag to may also be able to achieve the same.
storysolutionstherapy@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/CounsellorTrent/
https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2016-06802-001
