Volunteering - Any tips and tricks from my people?

[BigLittle]

Hi,

Today did my 3rd day of volunteerwork. So far so good.

My brain and body need to get used to people again. The work itself is easy.

Any tips and tricks from my people? :)

Thank you.

 

[DharmaGirl]

I wish I knew. I'll follow this thread since I also want to start volunteering.

 

[PlainJane]

Hi,

Today did my 3rd day of volunteerwork. So far so good.

My brain and body need to get used to people again. The work itself is easy.

Any tips and tricks from my people? :)

Thank you.

Can I ask what type of volunteer work?

-I need outside time
-Lunch is mine, I do not try to socialize or sit with a group.
-I have rigid favorite beverage time. I usually drink coffee, and I treat it like grounding almost. I pick out the notes; what taste buds are activated the most and I try to brew it by percolator or french press. Basically, something that separates my regular coffee routine and my deliberate wind down coffee. It signals good things to my brain. Sometimes I can't do coffee, but as long as I am doing the ritual of being mindful and drinking something I like it works the same.
-Showers. I cold shower in the morning, and hot shower in the evening. Mostly. I will shower the second I walk in the door some days and then again in the evening.
-Do something physical if you can. I have been shit with this lately. I replaced it with home renovation, so I haven't suffered too badly. The renovations are challenging, but I miss the process of running.

 

[Friday]

Outside motivation.

 

[BigLittle]

Outside motivation.

What do you mean by this?

 

[BigLittle]

Can I ask what type of volunteer work?

-I need outside time
-Lunch is mine, I do not try to socialize or sit with a group.
-I have rigid favorite beverage time. I usually drink coffee, and I treat it like grounding almost. I pick out the notes; what taste buds are activated the most and I try to brew it by percolator or french press. Basically, something that separates my regular coffee routine and my deliberate wind down coffee. It signals good things to my brain. Sometimes I can't do coffee, but as long as I am doing the ritual of being mindful and drinking something I like it works the same.
-Showers. I cold shower in the morning, and hot shower in the evening. Mostly. I will shower the second I walk in the door some days and then again in the evening.
-Do something physical if you can. I have been shit on this lately. I replaced it with home renovation, so I haven't suffered too badly. The renovations are challenging, but I miss the process of running.

its called Poverello and it is a restaurant for the misfortunate where you get a 3 course meal and a bag with food for a day or two at the price of 1 euro.

The work itself is kitchenhelp and picking up food at local stores and bakeries for the foodpackages.

Lots of undiagnosed people with PTSD, CPTSD other stuff. A lot of addicts.

It makes my heart bleed sometimes. At least they are eating and getting food.

 

[PlainJane]

Okay, so it has potential for a lot of inside work with breaks with different scenery. How do you do with things like having to juggle between working in the kitchen and transitioning into food pick-up. Personally, I would look for opportunities to break up the kitchen work and constant interaction with staff to pick up supplies. Others would prefer to stay in area and find comfort in the constant routine of being in the kitchen. Depends on where you excel. Is this something you can communicate to the coordinator once you get a feel for the work and how you react to the activities?

 

[Friday]

What do you mean by this?

Outside motivation… to get my brain and body used to things… like

- Getting used to cities & crowds because I’m moving to a city
- Getting used to brief purposeful encounters (PTA, sports teams, cocktail parties, church, whatever)… because I want something that involves those brief purposeful encounters

- Volunteer hours… to make my application competitive
- Volunteer hours… because this is something I would pay to do, otherwise
- Volunteer hours… because this is something I care about, and want skin in the game, but either do NOT want to work in the field, or am getting used to being in a field I want to work in, later.

I can practice people-ing, being social, being reliable, building networks, etc. across an almost infinite number of ways. So? WHY choose ABC? The more outside motivations I have? The more likely I am to adapt, and adapt well.

I try to practice ‘rampant hedonism’ (my nickname for doing something purely for the joy of it) in my daily life, but MOST things? I need at least a couple/few reasons to do anything. From the most basic things (like taking a shower in the morning or eating), to advanced & complicated things like relationships & employment.

The more outside sources of motivation I have? The more likely I am to continue on with a thing, when one or more of those motivations have hit the alarm and pulled the covers over, or have been disillusioned/irritated, or are simply no longer present. Safety nets. So that the days I just don’t wanna, I still get out of bed; and the days I’m pissed off or disappointed I suck it up; and when the time comes I no longer “need” this thing? I still do it, because my motivation isn’t solely about what I need/want. Or? It might be. This might be a stepping stone. Many many many variables. The more motivations I have to do a thing? The more likely they are to happen.

 

[EveHarrington]

I wish I could volunteer but everyone seems to want an application, interview, and multiple references. I have zero references because of……life…..so I guess my time is worthless? (Don’t even ask me how I’d ever get a job working for someone else.)

 

[BigLittle]

Okay, so it has potential for a lot of inside work with breaks with different scenery. How do you do with things like having to juggle between working in the kitchen and transitioning into food pick-up. Personally, I would look for opportunities to break up the kitchen work and constant interaction with staff to pick up supplies. Others would prefer to stay in area and find comfort in the constant routine of being in the kitchen. Depends on where you excel. Is this something you can communicate to the coordinator once you get a feel for the work and how you react to the activities

Well I live in Flanders, Belgium and the people where I am volunteering are pretty chill.

All the therapy and work I put in over the past decade is finally paying dividends.

Just gonna keep my momentum going.

 

[whiteraven]

Not all volunteer work involves people, which is pretty much the only way I could do it. I am involved in three or four different organizations, and the time I need to spend around people in all of them is minimal. One of the things I learned about volunteering (and, by extension, just about everything) is that I had to find something that works for ME. If I can't do that, I can't be an effective volunteer. I am in the process now of looking for something new to replace one of my positions because, not only am I unhappy with it, but it requires way too much contact with people.

When I do have to engage with folks, I just have to remind myself that working together is the only way we can help and that it's only going to last a limited amount of time. I've also learned to enforce my boundaries--I have one position where the woman I work with thinks she can just call me anytime and demand a meeting (suggested last time I meet her during my lunch from my full-time job). I get my work done, but I get it done without being bullied to do it according to someone else's schedule.

 

[BigLittle]

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback. Next week I am looking into a new vollunteering opportunity. The last one just triggered me too hard with a lot of the people who were coming for help.

The people I worked with were nice to work with and warm.

Good for me that I am respecting my triggers and setting boundaries .