#i came from a bg of graphic design and customer service where i constantly felt like what i did was useless and never saw results

[midcarder]

hey so, i wanna talk about something that has improved my life so much in the last three years.

if you're ever super overwhelmed by the state of everything and feel helpless -be it due to the world or your own life or whatever- i highly recommend doing some volunteer work with a trail crew or a trash cleanup or seeing what a local land trust has going on. because you will see a literal change for the better in just an hour or two, even with the smallest handful of people. you'll see an area cleaned up that other people in your community use. this will fill you with pride and belonging, which is empowering. you did that.

i went to a volunteer event yesterday, and with just 20 people and two hours, we got a trail made, a stream rerouted, and three bridges constructed. aside from the event leaders, i was the most experienced person there, it was everyone else's first time doing this. my spouse came along, and was shocked that so much got done in almost no time whatsoever.

but yeah, it's a real serotonin boost. at the bare minimum, you helped make a difference for others while getting fresh air.

#having strong feelings abt this because it's improved my mental and emotional and physical health so much #every time i do a volunteer event i'm reminded of why i love this so fucking much #i came from a bg of graphic design and customer service where i constantly felt like what i did was useless and never saw results #whole 'cog in the machine' mentality #and this breaks that entirely