Volunteerism and Finding the Positive in Challenging Times

These are indeed challenging times, and keeping a strong, positive outlook is vital to good mental health, according to Kathryn (Kathy) Dardeck. With the resurgence of the delta variant, we are ending the summer on a less than optimistic note, and many people are feeling disappointment with regard to the more positive mood of spring when controlling the virus looked a bit more hopeful.

Finding small, positive actions to take to keep one’s spirit up is really important to staying the course through this pandemic and all else, reports Kathryn Dardeck, Ed.D., a Massachusetts based psychologist. Focusing on where we can take positive action helps us feel better because we recognize that we do have areas of small control where we can effect positive change that are important and worth pursuing. There’s always some small way we can be of help in our communities, and it’s a great way to focus on the positive.

Kathryn (Kathy) Dardeck, Ed.D., is a psychologist who took seriously the ethical imperative of her profession to “give back” once in a position to do so. She was an active, trained volunteer with the Massachusetts Psychological Association’s Disaster Response Network for 18 years. She also volunteered with the Massachusetts Red Cross and the Massachusetts Fire Academy as a trained disaster response volunteer. She described finding this work challenging yet uplifting when she was able to witness making a positive difference for someone else. Dardeck encourages everyone to find small ways to be helpful to others as a tonic against the creeping negativity that the pandemic has stimulated. Offer to pick up groceries for your neighbor, mow a neighbor’s lawn, rake up the leaves this fall in your neighbor’s yard, volunteer at a local food bank, bring someone dinner, etc. These small, positive gestures create ripples of hope, positivity, and community. We all need this right now!