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Volunteering

(29 Posts)
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Nanny123 Mon 31-Jul-17 10:47:08

We moved to another country 10 years ago, I went from working full time in the NHS living in a town with a very active social life to living in the middle of the countryside, no job and virtually no social life at all. I was bordering on feeling very depressed. I found a local community centre and started volunteering. It was the best thing that I ever did. It got me out of the house, I could choose when I wanted to volunteer (at one point I was doing it full time) and I met some lovely people who went on to be very good friends. I also was fortunate to go on lots of different training courses and I actually passed my training qualifation which I absolutely loved doing. I would recommend volunteering to anyone that has time on their hands, maybe feels lonely or maybe just moved to a new area and wanting to make new friends.

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Serkeen Mon 09-Oct-17 14:53:44

Nanny123 I could not agree more, you are so right.

Also am glad that volunteering turned things around for you, you could have just sat and did nothing but complain, but you did not.. you went out there and made it happen for yourself!! I love people like that, doer's not moaners. I wish I could have you as a real friend not just virtua,l because I love to be around doer's -positive people.

Well done to you x x

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Grammaretto Thu 12-Apr-18 18:58:00

I've volunteered for years with mixed feelings. When I was still working I volunteered at Oxfam sorting clothes but tbh I found the hierarchy amongst the staff worse than any paid job.
I wasn't considered experieneced enough to price items...... I had raised 3 children by then!
Then I worked with a disabled charity. That was better because I really felt valued and made new friends.
Now I help at a community garden and love it although I find I get sucked in to do more and more and find it very hard to say no.
How do you retire from voluntary work without moving away?
I feel guilty if I leave others to bear the brunt.

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Panache Mon 23-Apr-18 14:13:57

As I have already posted in "Is there life after cancer.....you bet there is" volunteering was the main catalyst in helping me overcome the aftermath of a near death situation and the depression brought on by my many cancer treatm ents,lonliness and aggressive radiotherapy.
Initially I had to dig deep into my own fragile resources to find a beginning........ and then initiate the volunteering myself.
When I was then approached to do this kind of work on a permanent basis, I jumped in with both feet.
Then this snowballed into an area that none of us had pre arranged or expected ........but it led to totally changing my life.......and many others too.
Indeed,yes there followed years of turbulence getting to the main area of my volunteering in our Cancer Centre, but the involvement and hard work involved in getting to that point were therapeutic to say the least.
Counselling then filled my time thereafter and it meant that there was never time to be sorry for myself and I constantly felt needed and truly fulfilled.

The deep hole of loneliness and depression were long forgotten.

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