Managing Workplace Stress is Even More Critical While Volunteering.
Managing workplace stress is something, about which we must be diligent, at all times. The video below describes how volunteering and giving back to the community can actually help us reduce stress thanks to body hormones, such as Oxytocin and Dopamine, but it is important that we be careful not to let volunteering create more stress than it solves.
Managing workplace stress is often related to paid employment only, but volunteer work is often the most stressful experience of all. We put up with much stress in volunteer settings and we don't even get paid.
Have you thought about your reasons to volunteer? Maybe you have and maybe you haven't. How many of us ever make a real plan about the volunteer jobs we do? Many of us never think about managing workplace stress at all, unless we are getting paid. But that is exactly the problem and because of that, our sense of generosity can sometimes get the better of us.
Good volunteer appreciation programs, for example, can go a long way, in terms of managing workplace stress, but very few organizations do a good job of making us feel appreciated for the volunteer work we do. More often than not, we are heaped up with politics and bureaucracy and no one ever thinks to say thank you. As a result, it is very easy to get your feelings hurt.
Without a clear understanding as to why we volunteer, it really doesn't take much for the benefits of volunteering to be forgotten as we engage in politics and personal agendas. Managing workplace stress, no matter if the environment is paid or not, is critical in overall stress management.
Have you ever been on a board of directors? Have you ever had a child involved with a youth activity such as Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts or hockey or soccer? Have you ever gotten involved with a volunteer ministry at your church? Maybe you have helped out in an election campaign, at the local food bank, at your child's school or perhaps you are a member of a service club such as Rotary or Kiwanis. It all seems innocent and harmless enough, I know?
It may seem strange to have a category called Reciprocal Wellness. You might ask, "How can my willingness to help in the community cause problems as far as wellness is concerned? But it can cause huge problems for your own wellness and the wellness of others. In fact, volunteering can be a stressful experience for everyone concerned if not managed well. The benefits of volunteering can be lost completely if we are not careful.
Benefits of Volunteering
To change the world
To make someone’s day
To have fun
To develop new skills
To make sure you graduate
To help you get into university or college
To gain some respect
To pursue a special interest
To try something new
To feel connected with the world
To do something you like to do
To do something you care about
To explore different career paths
To find your purpose
To support a cause you believe in
To do something about a need in your community
To develop personal and professional contacts
To gain more confidence
To have a sense of accomplishment
To build up your resume
To meet others who share your interests
To get over your fears
To develop your people skills
To set a goal and see it through
To learn to manage your time better
To show your folks you can make a difference
To impress your friends
To impress yourself
As you can see, the benefits of volunteering make volunteering sound like a wonderful thing, but it takes more than just good intentions to have a good volunteer experience. Just like anything else, reciprocal wellness is everyone's responsibility. A person's behavior in a volunteer position is just as important as their initial reasons to volunteer.
Managing Workplace Stress While Volunteering Behaviors To Avoid.
Spreading gossip
Micromanaging others
Not following through on commitments
Forming cliques
Bringing a personal agenda (especially a negative one)
Monopolizing meetings
Not attending meetings
Being late for meetings
Spreading yourself too thin, taking on too much
Subversive bullying
Emotionally abusing paid employees or other volunteers
Being too sensitive and taking things too personally
Not staying informed
Putting down or knocking the organization
Looking the other way when problems happen
Speaking for others without their permission
Not doing your best
Participating in unethical activities
Participating in illegal activities
Participating in immoral activities
Wasting the organization's time
Wasting the organization's money
Wasting the organization's resources
Staying involved after you have lost interest
Creating problems
Complaining and griping about everything
Being judgmental of other volunteers and staff
Being negative all the time.
Avoiding negative behaviors will help, of course, but if you want everyone to have a truly great experience as a volunteer, then here is a list of 28 things you can do start managing workplace stress while volunteering much better. Let's all work hard to make our own volunteer experience and that of everyone else truly fantastic. If you do these things, you will go a long way toward making sure that your initial reasons to volunteer do not become regrets.
Ways To Get Started Managing Workplace Stress While Volunteering Get The Real Benefits Of Volunteering.
Smile
Find reasons to be thankful
Ask what you can do to help
Respect people's privacy and confidentiality
Be a good ambassador for the organization
Work out conflicts respectfully and peacefully
Speak only for yourself
Show up a few minutes early and stay a few minutes late to meetings
Take on only the tasks you can manage within your schedule
Leave your ego at home
Ask for help if you are feeling overwhelmed
Have a positive attitude
Show your appreciation of others
Be a part of the solution
Be honest and ethical
Don't make mountains out of molehills
Stay within the bounds of the law
Keep your defensiveness in check
If your toes are being stepped on, pull in your feet
Lend a hand, even if it's not your job, if you have the time
Stay in communication and stay informed
Be resourceful
Don't be afraid to share your ideas
Get your friends involved
Say thank you to the organizers
Leave the organization if you start to hate it
Report problems before they become too big
We all have a responsibility to be good stewards of reciprocal wellness. Just wanting the benefits of volunteering is simply not enough. There is far more to generosity that just "what's in it for me" thinking. How you conduct yourself each and everyday will not only help you have a better volunteer experience but it will help others to enjoy their volunteer experiences as well.
