Volunteering

I've never been officially diagnosed with SAD, but Mum likes to joke about how as a kid, I tended to crawl under a pile of duvets somewhere around November and ask for a wakeup call somewhere around March. These days that's less possible, but January and February tend to make a damn good effort at killing me every year, not to mention seeing me put on about a stone in weight.

This year was different.

It shouldn't have helped that I was 400 miles further North than I've ever lived, since I moved up to Scotland over the summer last year. The cold, the snow... ok snow is great when you're six, and also when you're on a skiing holiday. Snow in the city when you're trying to actually get anywhere SUCKS.

But I didn't breakdown. I'm still standing, and better than I ever have been this time of year.

Now, I have the luxury of Money From Parents, which I'm aware that most people don't. But this means that while I have legitimate pressure to be doing something they see as productive with my time, it's not the end of the world if I'm not paid to do so. Enter Oxfam. I started working weekdays at a charity shop in town in November and I'm still there. I even had a brief stint as Volunteer Assistant Manager, but that led to being so stressed and tired I'd cut down to 3 afternoons a week and still wound up yelling at someone I shouldn't have. So I'm back to regular volunteering, which suits a lot better anyway.

Some great things about volunteering:
FLEXIBILITY. This may be in part having a boss who rocks, but he's very understanding about the limitations of the volunteers. A lot of us have depressive issues, there's one or two people with Aspergers, a handful of students and so on. Calling in "tired"? Not a problem. Need to leave early? Health is more important than having 5 people in the shop. Changing working hours to fit how much you can cope with? He'll be the one suggesting it, because he's aware of what just about everyone's able to do.

GETS YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE (when you can). One of the big problems I have, especially in winter, is that nothing seems quite so enticing as a hot water bottle, the laptop in bed and maybe another cup of tea if I'm getting up anyway. I'll still go places I'm expected though, like weekly roleplaying games... or a job. As long as you treat your volunteer job as a real one, it works. Plus, if you really can't face the snow today, phone it in, job done. (see above)

MEET NEW PEOPLE. Having people around from all different walks of life, different outlooks and different reasons for being there is amazing when you're stuck in a rut thinking your own life sucks (like you're the only one who can see that blizzard out there...?) In a safe, working environment you HAVE to think about other people, and I can't talk for other shops, but ours has some really cool people in it, and I found myself wanting to get to know them better. Less time dwelling and wallowing = less SAD. There's a lot more to it than that, but it helps.

It's not just about getting through the winter though. Aside from getting all the benefits of working bar being paid, (including building up CV-boosting skills) you're genuinely helping other people beyond the face value of the physical work you're doing. Choose a charity you can really connect with if they have a shop you can get to easily. I'll admit, Oxfam doesn't quite fit that "personal level" profile for me, but on the other hand I know a lot more now about who they are and the work they do, and I'm proud to be helping.