Where Do We Go From Here With Our Happiness?

Well. Aren’t we all in an interesting place right now. Some of us are able to start going outside, visit a local coffee shop, play in a park, or go for a walk. Countries are starting to slowly open up as we look towards the next phase of our lives while some of us are still on lock down. What happens to our giving as we still stage this uncertainty of COVID-19? It continues, simple as that, but with great precaution, and adherence to your cities rules.

Giving Has Changed – Happiness Has Not

Once upon a time we could guide all of our members and readers to a great giving habit using giving ideas that easily integrated into their lives. Whether you were at school, work, or at home, our giving ideas could be done in global communities, easily. With so many different stages of opening or closing around the world, we are looking to our members and readers to create appropriate gives that will work in your life right now. Stopping your daily giving is not an option, we all know that. If there is any time we need to keep giving it is now. Our mental health and maintaining our well being is so important right now, more than any of us realize. The stress of the past few months, juggling remote work, remote schooling and not being able to do as we have always done has been a challenge. For our front line workers, their lives are beyond what any of us could imagine. Essential workers who have made sure we could shop, or kept food banks open for us that have needed them, they have been through so much to keep places open during this extraordinary time.

Why Give Now?

To keep ourselves physically safe, it is important to combine virtual and in person giving for the next few months. There are enough giving ideas to keep this up while we nurture our well being and that of others. First lets remember why we give. We give every day to set off a neurological reaction in our bodies. The ‘Helpers High’ is what we experience, or what we like to call, your Daily D.O.S.E of happiness. Giving fires off an increase in Dopamine, Oxycontin, Serotonin PLUS decreases cortisol — our stress hormone. I think we could all do with a dose of all of this right now after the last few months, don’t you think?

Combining Virtual and In Person Gives In Our Communities

Besides the physical reaction we have when we give, giving does help our communities, our families and our friends. Think of the front line workers that could benefit from a thank you card, even if you did not suffer from any COVID-19 related health issues. Their commitment to our communities, the risks they took, the hours they worked to ensure all of us were safe, deserves a thank you card, a recognition of their efforts, a window poster that says, thank you. The essential workers that went to their employment for the last few months while many of us were at home, sheltering in place, are heroes. Imagine if we could not buy food, or go to a local food bank to get food we need. Their work was life saving, and deserve a great big thank you! Thanking workers during this time does help ourselves and our communities. All of us need to feel better, feel a part of our communities again, feel part of something other than the four walls of our home, or the four walls of our work. Giving to others lets us feel that again.

Spread Giving Globally

Reaching out globally to other people in other countries will help the journey to a new normal be a little bit easier. As some people remain in lock down, and others start first and second phases, encouraging people to stay safe where ever they are in their stages of COVID-19 will make the process easier. Share information on social media, share your sheltering at home experiences with those we are still on lock down. Support other global communities as we navigate through the process. We never know how someone else is feeling, but saying something positive to a stranger on social media could be one of the most encouraging and up lifting things you have done. Send a smile across the globe and you will get a smile back!

Giving = Happiness So Let’s Keep Giving!

Listen. Some of us have lost our jobs, some of us are waiting to be called back to our jobs. Unfortunately some of us have lost a loved one. Others have nursed loved ones through the virus. Many of us are separated from our families, and I would bet all of us are separated from our friends. We miss hugging our family members, we miss sharing a laugh with a good friend over a coffee, we miss having a fun afternoon in the park. Virtual dinners have been a great way to connect, but nothing can replace human connection, in person human connection. We crave to return to our purpose at school, at work, or at home safely.

Some Giving Ideas For Greater Happiness

Try giving in simple ways to get your giving groove back. Smile at people in the store when you go to get essential supplies. Say thank you to the person stocking the shelves in the store or the security guard who is supplying hand sanitizer. Say thank you to the delivery person who just dropped off a package. Say thank you to the person who made your mask.

If you are in phase one or two in your city, where 30% or more is open, send cookies to a friend, ask your next door neighbour if they need a hand with something, visit an assisted living facility and wave to residents through a window, even if you don’t know them. Place handmade posters on their windows so they know people are thinking of them. Send cookies to the local hospital for health care workers as a thank you.

What we love about giving is that both of you will feel happy, the giver and the receiver. So why don’t we use this time to spread some happiness to ourselves and to others. Don’t we all deserve a little bit of happiness right now? Heck Ya!

Let’s keep on giving!

Read about the 365give Challenge and try daily giving while you used to the new normal. Happiness awaits for those who try!