Comments on: Helping Others Is One of the Best Ways of Helping Yourself

By: Neil Petersen

Neil Petersen — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 07:32:45 +0000

In reply to EG. EG, that's a wonderful and inspiring story. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

By: EG

EG — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 17:54:02 +0000

I agree with this. I have C-PTSD and a TBI, I basically lived in isolation for years and had no idea how to get out of it, I was afraid to talk to people. I started giving change to homeless people and then started chatting with them and then one day a homeless lady who always asked me for change asked me to sit with her! We sat and talked for over an hour. After that I started going out every day to spend time with her and a few other homeless people. Seeing them and spending time with them makes them happy and it makes me happy. Being useful and being wanted and appreciated has boosted my confidence, spending time with them has made me appreciate what I do have instead focusing on what I don’t have. It has also helped me with learning to set boundaries as some of them are very ill and at times a bit inappropriate. It’s been 2 years since that lady asked me to sit with her and I have grown to love her, she is an awesome lady who has changed me for the better.

I have also found that doing something as simple as holding a door for someone or letting them cut ahead in line can make them really happy which is odd but really nice 🙂

By: Neil Petersen

Neil Petersen — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 00:03:06 +0000

In reply to Nancy J Nagler. Nancy, that's awesome. Thanks for sharing these experiences. You're right -- doing something like that for someone else is the ultimate win-win!

By: Nancy J Nagler

Nancy J Nagler — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 15:57:24 +0000

I heartily agree with this. It was suggested by my therapist that I volunteer. Typical me, I had to be ‘ready’ for it but it has become a way of life now. I call myself a ‘career volunteer’ and do so in my life. I started working at our local hospital in computer data entry and soon began helping at the local St. Vincent de Paul store. That led me to their Community Resource Center and somehow into the free medical clinic there. I started by building a data base with reports for the free dental services. Next thing I knew I was doing the rest of the clerk type stuff for the clinic. Then on August 1, 2002, I was asked to be their medical transcriptionist. Payment, maybe a $25 gift card or a free lunch once a year. Great pay.

I’m still at it, both hating it and loving it. Medical transcription is difficult, even with the medical knowledge I had at the time. 13 yrs later, they are still finding new medications and terms. Plus, my ears, mind, and fingers don’t play well together so I go slow but get it right. I tell people that I wouldn’t do this for pay. I do it for the founding doctors, the current providers, and of course the patients. I hope someday, universal health care WILL come and we can shut our doors, but until then, we are all there for the duration.

Just making someone’s day a little better with a ‘hi’ or complementing on looking good is a priceless investment. They feel better and so do you. Win, Win. It is a good way to live and show gratitude for what ever we have. After all, most of us are better off than over 75% of the world.